The Challenges of Remote Learning and Rules of Engagement

I'm sure many of us would agree that last year--remote and hybrid teaching during Covid--was probably one of the biggest challenges of our teaching career. The sudden shift to online teaching, the worry about our students and their situations at home, the lack of tech support or guidance, and the stress of both the pandemic and the uncertainty of the future created a perfect storm for a difficult year. Here I'll share some thoughts form my colleagues, as well as some tips for ways to engage students during remote learning.

 The Highs and Lows of Remote Learning- Notes from Colleagues:

“Last year was the hardest year of teaching that I can remember, and I’ve been at it for a long time. There were just so many lows, it’s hard to even think about now. But one thing that sticks out was just the isolation I felt every day, alone in a basement room we converted into a workspace. I remember feeling trapped in there, day after day, and so absolutely disconnected from the human experience. That was the worst part.”

“I’d have to say the worst part–the absolute worst—was staring at black screens day after day, and trying so hard to get kids to talk and they just wouldn’t, sometimes. And as soon as the superintendent said they didn’t have to put their screens on and they could just communicate using the chat, I knew it was gonna be awful.”

"I was really surprised by the work ethic of a lot of the kids who were using Zoom to learn reading skills with me. Even though it was so difficult at times, the majority of my kids showed up every day and persisted in a lot of rote work, which can be pretty tedious, especially remotely. We didn’t lose as much traction with their reading progress as I thought we would.”

“I don’t know, everyone says they hated it, but I thought we were ankle to do some cool stuff on Zoom, like creating group projects using the breakout rooms where kids could meet and interact sort of independently. That was cool. Also, I think a lot of the kids who have anxiety did better on Zoom than in person.”

Rules of Engagement:

1. Think outside the box: Use tools and apps to engage students differently. Here are a few tools I relied on during remote learning

Readworks (for reading/text)

Kahoot: (fun assessment tool)

Storyboard (simple graphic design tool)

Flipgrid (easy filmmaking tool)

2. Leverage your student leaders to run Zoom breakout rooms. This will give students (older ones) the autonomy they desire, while freeing you up to check in with students needing extra support.

3. Use project-based learning. Long term projects that involve choice and have an interesting end product can be highly motivating for students. Check out Expeditionary Learning (EL) website for ideas. EL projects at home

4. Use music, visuals, video and other media to "hook" students into a new topic/unit/lesson. Things like gallery walks, chalk talks, and 4 corners can all be modified and done virtually. 

5. Have students learn to share their screens so that they become agents of their own learning, and move beyond traditional roles of teacher as lecturer. Having a real audience for their presentations is a game changer!