CONNECTIONS: Tips for an Abrupt Shift to Remote or Hybrid Learning
This week’s post is written by Eric Sheninger, (@E_Sheninger) Senior Fellow for the International Center for Leadership in Education and best-selling author of Disruptive Thinking, Learning Transformed and Digital Leadership.
The other day I was with one of my partner districts as part of ongoing longitudinal work that will last at least two years. As I was facilitating a model lesson near the end of the school day with a group of teachers and administrators, a staff member came by the room to inform everyone that the district would be going remote the rest of the week. An email was also sent informing all educators to plan for an asynchronous day of learning on Thursday and synchronous on Friday. Naturally, I ended the session a little early so they could begin to map out the rest of the week, but I, too, had planning to do now: converting my face-to-face sessions scheduled for the next day into virtual sessions.
Unfortunately, what I have described above has become quite common recently. COVID-19 has roared back with the highly transmissible Omicron variant resulting in scaled disruption in our classrooms and schools. Schools are having immense trouble staffing their buildings or even getting kids to school as bus drivers must go out on quarantine. In this case, the result has been an abrupt shift to remote learning. Many children have also succumbed to the virus and are being quarantined while other families keep their kids home as a precautionary safety measure. In many such scenarios, districts have decided to move to a hybrid learning model.
Undoubtedly, this is a very stressful time for educators, but their resilience and flexibility continue to shine through, doing whatever it takes to make things work. Remember, we have been here before, and there is no need to reinvent the wheel. I have been going back through some of my most-read posts ever, and many of them are on the topics of remote and hybrid learning. You can access all these curated on a Pinterest board HERE. Below are some straightforward tips that will help you get through this without losing your mind:
Adapt what you have already planned (don't reinvent the wheel).
Update your learning management pages (LMS) such as Canvas, Schoology, or Google Classroom so kids can seamlessly access all assignments and tasks.
Use breakout rooms in replacement of face-to-face discourse activities.
Integrate digital tools to increase engagement and empower learners.
Leverage personalized strategies for asynchronous work such as choice boards, must-do/may-do, playlists, and flipped lessons.
Be realistic (substance over quantity, prioritize standards).
There is nothing inherently new in the tips provided above. The key is to remember pivotal lessons learned during the great remote and hybrid experiment of 2020 and parts of 2021 to power through what I hope is only a few weeks. Effective leadership in these unpredictable times is not only needed, but greatly appreciated. Finding additional resources for staff and freeing up time to plan are two quick wins that won’t go unnoticed.
Creating cultures in which sudden changes are embraced as opportunities and in which staff members learn through the lens from which their students see the world while learning the best approaches for teaching them are more ways we create a positive and productive culture in our schools.
Thanks, Eric, for these thoughts and thanks to all educators reading this for the amazing work you are doing during these challenging times. As always, Teach and Lead with Passion...
Jeff and Jimmy
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CONNECTEDD’S TAKEAWAYS:
Thought for the Day: “Stop giving kids the turn by turn directions...give them the destination and guide them on their own route.” @ktvee
Teaching Technique to Try: Life Road Maps. In the Life Road Maps strategy, students draw a map of someone’s life that highlights the important events and decisions that shaped that person’s identity. This activity helps students better understand historical or literary figures by focusing their attention on the many factors that contributed to a figure’s decision making. You can use this strategy as part of a research project, as a way to review previously studied material, or as an assessment tool. You can also have students create personal “life road maps” to help them reflect on key choices that have shaped their own identities. Check out this link from Facing History and Ourselves for a step-by-step process for using this technique.
Eyes On Culture: We believe that culture is a true difference maker in any classroom, school, district, or organization. As a result, we focus much of the work we do on creating and maintaining positive and productive cultures. Culture Focus: Consensus versus Unanimity. High performing schools with strong cultures are places in which educators strive for consensus, not necessarily unanimity, when making decisions affecting teaching, learning, students, staff, and school operations. If we wait to act on an idea until we get 100% of the team onboard, we likely will never act. On the other hand, if we act without fully vetting the topic at hand and all the possible paths to take, we are in danger of damaging the culture and doomed, ultimately, to failure. Rather than act without fully exploring all options or wait to act until we achieve total agreement, we must land in the middle: When it comes to making critical decisions that will impact the school mission and the students and staff serving there, we must first gain consensus, then act. Years ago, Rick DuFour shared with us a definition of consensus that we still share with others today: We have reached consensus when everyone has had an opportunity to have their voice heard and the will of the majority is evident, even to those in the minority. Whether making decisions about how we garde, how we assess learning, how we share data, how we hold students and staff accountable for their performance, or a host of other decisions we make as educators, we must allow everyone affected by such decisions the opportunity for input–knowing that there will be varied beliefs and points of view. We must fully examine each of these stances, weighing and even debating their relative merits. Then, we must act, knowing that in each instance, we will be acting in the way the majority (but not all) staff members believe to be thes best course of action. At this point, all staff members (even those who opposed the action) must move forward fully committed to the decision.
What are some other thoughts on moving forward with new ideas and initiatives in schools? Please share your thoughts about culture and hope via Twitter: @ConnectEDDBooks We would love to hear from you!