Materials, tools and supplies to support active learning and skill development.
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Resources
Traditional practices with a tweak
Classroom management
- Organizing the environment: Teachers organize students, space, time and materials to maximize student learning.
- Define expectations: Teachers define procedures, routines and expectations to maximize student learning.
- Adapt traditional practices: In a remote or hybrid environment, teachers adapt practices, as classroom management structures remain important. Many traditional practices are transferable.
Building home learning spaces
Communities and the field in action
- Desks built by volunteers and students: Volunteers are building desks to donate to students, for use at home, to support remote learning.
- District-provided supplies: Districts are providing supplies and tools that might be necessary to address students’ personalized needs.
- Web conferencing practices: Teachers are providing students with common virtual backgrounds and/or adapting video requirements.
- Supply lists: Districts are providing families with lists of needed supplies and materials.
Space suggestions for families
- Consistent: Identify a dedicated space to support forming habits.
- Organized: Keep supplies needed for learning in the space.
- Structured: Develop plans and rules for the space. For example, leave the space for meals.
Data to inform
The global impact on education
“The Covid-19 pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems in history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries and all continents. Closures of schools and other learning spaces have impacted 94 percent of the word’s student population.” – United Nations
Use the tools below to reflect and plan
Check your strengths and write notes related to your existing practices and future plans. As you record your thoughts remember to be explicit, consistent, and adaptable. After you’ve reflected, use the chart in the above PDF or keep track of your responses in another way to share ideas with your colleagues.
- Celebrate your current successes
- Record ideas you’d like to explore further
- Identify support and resources you will need
Resources
“The first days of school: How to be an effective teacher” by Harry Wong and Rosemary T. Wong
Remote and hybrid learning environments provide students the opportunity to enhance autonomy and competence skills. Providing praise from a distance can build student confidence and self-esteem. The author of this text shares with the reader practical scenarios for encouraging student independence.
Act now: strategies and tools
Best practice | Organize and adapt: In a traditional learning environment, the resources needed to create a positive learning space are supplied in large part by the school. The classroom environment is traditionally composed of desks, work tables, whiteboards, cubbies, and other furniture that gives students an inviting place to learn.
In a remote learning environment, the physical learning space is located outside of the school building and has moved to the student’s home, childcare facility, or the home of a family member or caregiver who is supporting student learning in this new environment.
Not all students have equitable access to a physical space to learn. Educators can support families as partners in developing a learning environment at home that is well equipped by offering families a remote learning space checklist to help with the preparation of a student’s learning space. As the school year goes on, sharing this checklist a second time is a great idea as supplies are used and learning needs and situations for students change with time.
Instructional tools
Traditional best practices with a tweak
Instructional tool selection
- Select tools with a purpose: Focus on what needs to be accomplished in the learning process. Then, identify supportive resources. Don’t fall victim to chasing fun technology.
- Review age-appropriateness: Consider whether the tool is developmentally appropriate. Additionally, minimal adult assistance should be required.
- Identify accessibility features: Consider whether the tool has accessibility features that support student learning and comply with federal and state requirements.
- Follow district procedures: Districts often have procedures educators must follow before adopting a technology for use with students. For example, there may be district tool compliance structures to ensure the protection of student data.
Learning management systems
Introducing families to their instructional systems:
- Identify systems and their purpose: Many schools use a Learning Management System (LMS) to deliver instruction. Google Classroom is common.
- Login information: Provide families with information related to how their child logs into primary learning solutions.
- Highlight key features: Showcase key features that can aid students’ learning. Families can reinforce use of tools.
- Outline protocols: Districts providing families with lists of needed supplies and materials.
COVID priorities
Remote learning definitions: Introduce families to important vocabulary.
- Synchronous: Distance/virtual learning that happens in real-time during live sessions
- Asynchronous: Distance/virtual learning that happens at a student’s own pace when they are not connected with the class
Data to inform
Method not the medium matters
- Setting (remote or face-to-face) doesn’t determine effectiveness of instruction.
- The methods of teaching, not the medium matters.
- Leverage tools with a higher learning effect size. For example, interactive videos and intelligent tutoring systems.
Use the tools below to reflect and plan
Check your strengths and write notes related to your existing practices and future plans. As you record your thoughts remember to be explicit, consistent, and adaptable. After you’ve reflected, use the chart in the above PDF or keep track of your responses in another way to share ideas with your colleagues.
- Celebrate your current successes
- Record ideas you’d like to explore further
- Identify support and resources you will need
Resources
“Blended: Using disruptive innovation to improve schools” by Michael B. Horn and Heather Staker
The pandemic has forced the integration of technology into the physical classroom and opened the door to learning opportunities in the virtual classroom. This text provides a variety of practical and research based strategies for educators to successfully integrate instructional technology tools into daily educational experiences.
Act now: Strategies and tools
Best practice | Strategic selections: Since the start of the pandemic, educators have been integrating instructional technologies into remote and hybrid learning environments to enhance the learning experience students encounter. Educators have been attending professional development opportunities, watching tutorial videos, and partnering with colleagues to learn how to use the various instructional tools now being leveraged. The learning curve is steep, but educators are up for the challenge.
Families are facing a similar learning curve in supporting students with the use of the many instructional tools being harnessed by educators. Consider being strategic with instructional tool selection. When possible, have consistent tool use across grade levels, departments, buildings, or the school district. Also, inform families of the instructional tools being used in a remote or hybrid learning environment. Creating a classroom software list to share with families is a practical strategy to support families as partners in a remote or hybrid learning setting.
Technology tools
Traditional best practices with a tweak
Partnering to enable remote & hybrid learning
Personal learning devices
- Each student should have their own reliable device to they can participate at the same time.
- Inform parents of device distribution opportunities.
- Offer families technical support resources and options.
Interact access
- Home high-speed internet access is critical for supporting continuity of learning.
- When districts can’t provide home solutions, implement alternatives (e.g. WIFI in parking lots)
- Inform families of hotspot loan opportunities.
Safety, privacy and responsibilities
- Inform parents about the data security and privacy protections in place at the district.
- Share resources with parents related to digital citizenship and data security best practices.
Introducing families to video conferencing systems
- Identify systems and their purpose. Many schools use a video conferencing tool to deliver synchronous/real-time instruction. Zoom is common.
- Outline protocols. Provide families with synchronous learning expectations. For example, students coming on time and prepared.
- Explain camera etiquette. Remind parents to encourage children to stay in one place and be aware of the visual field of the camera.
- Highlight key features. Make sure students and families know how to use features like mute/unmute and raising their hand.
- Develop cameras & background plans. It is helpful for the teacher to see students’ faces. Consider accommodations to promote camera use. For example, providing universal virtual backgrounds and showing students how to turn off the self-view feature.
Use the tools below to reflect and plan
Check your strengths and write notes related to your existing practices and future plans. As you record your thoughts remember to be explicit, consistent, and adaptable. After you’ve reflected, use the chart in the above PDF or keep track of your responses in another way to share ideas with your colleagues.
- Celebrate your current successes
- Record ideas you’d like to explore further
- Identify support and resources you will need
Resources
“Creating a digital rich classroom: Teaching and learning in a Web 2.0 world” by Meg Ormiston
Technology can increase student engagement, but when the technology is not working, it can be the greatest hurdle to overcome in a remote or hybrid learning environment. In this text, educators will find information about technology tools to support student success.
Act now: Strategies and tools
Best practice | Proactive planning: A reported frustration from families supporting students learning in remote or hybrid learning environments is the challenge faced with the technology itself. Families struggle to connect to the internet, troubleshoot technical problems, and download required assignments.
When supporting learners in a virtual setting, you never know when a technology challenge might arise. Educators can help families and strengthen the home-to-family partnership by planning ahead.
Consider opportunities for proactive planning. For example, create a resource of frequently asked technology questions for families to use when a technology challenge is encountered.
Ideally, when a technology challenge occurs, a family would be able to reach out for support. If it is late at night or over a weekend, a technology FAQs document might be a helpful substitute or temporary framework to support families as partners.