Raise your hand if you saw the final fourth of the 2019-20 school year being conducted remotely. Yes, nobody really saw this coming, but distance learning and a strong reliance on technology has become the new normal of education. Along with that new normal has also come the constant burden of uncertainty. We’re uncertain about the long-term academic and social effects that this distance learning experiment will have on students and, of course, the emotional effects it’s had on teachers. Even more so, in many states, they’re even uncertain about whether or not schools will be able to reopen in the fall. As digital learning continues to evolve and teachers (hopefully) find some semblance of a comfort zone, it’s clear that, for now at least, remote education is the new normal.
Learning to Embrace Remote Learning
Everything about education underwent a drastic shift at some point in mid-March—a time that now seems so long ago to many. Online resources are being forwarded faster than they can be vetted, class assignments are largely accessible only through online learning platforms, and grades are all but done away with. Some of the effects of remote learning we could have predicted—like students getting distracted more easily, a steep learning curve with managing synchronous instruction online, and even with figuring out how to meet the needs of every student. Teachers really couldn’t imagine, however, what it would be like to be away from their students, to no longer be able to enjoy small talk with their peers, and to be forced to miss birthdays and, now, graduation celebrations. But, many of them are still trying to embrace the situation as best they can.
We’re moving towards the end of the school year at this point and hoping that remote learning does not continue into the fall. This might go without saying and we’re sure that many teachers have either dealt with this already or are prepared to do so, but assignments are going to be late. It’s tough on students and parents to keep everything managed—especially when meeting with teachers for as little as just a few minutes a day. Internet issues will (as we know) happen at some point and, whether it’s teacher or student, somebody’s Zoom background will probably feature something distracting. While teachers certainly can’t control everything (nor should they have to worry about doing so), they can try to affect how students receive their assignments in a positive way. By consolidating all resources and routinely providing them in the same format and in the same place, students will get used to the routine more easily and always know where to look.
Another important element of remote learning is communication—and not so much a ton of it, but more so effective communication. Establishing a class email chain or a forum in which everybody can ask their questions, find their answers, and maybe even vent a little could do a lot in keeping things organized. We know that so many unique situations have been born from this whole experience and find it useful to simply try to keep a positive mindset. Maybe, as a teacher, you miss your students tremendously, but they still rely on you for guidance for learning and maybe even in more ways. Taking some time just to chat with them and ask what’s been challenging can sometimes really help. Maybe they’ll even ask the same to you and a powerful moment of sharing can take place. Hopefully, this won’t go on for much longer, but remembering to keep a positive mindset, expect some chaos, and powering forward are all anyone asks.
Tips for the Transition
Parents, teachers, and even politicians all around the world are constantly calling for changes to be made to education. We could spend forever talking about all the ways the education system could be improved, but we’ll save that for another time. At the moment, we’re seeing firsthand that, when forced into a need for change and adaptation, education can be shifted. Since home learning is essentially the new normal, this has forced both students and teachers to move away from the perceptions they’ve always had of schools and of the school day. Simple things, like rows of desks, backpacks, group lessons, and seeing friends are not part of the education experience for the time being and, while online learning can be used to help keep some elements of education alive, it’s tough to help students think of it as normal.
We can, however, try some things to make the learning from home transition go more smoothly. One of those is to help students understand that, while the way they’re going about learning is different, it’s still the same learning. If students can understand that they’re simply learning in a personal space now as opposed to a public space before, it could help them make more sense of it. Students aren’t cut off from their peers and teachers—the way in which they communicate has just shifted. Also, since this is a huge adjustment, one-size-fits-all teaching is not a great option. Differentiation has become much more important in remote learning and allowing students to learn at their own pace is key. Each student learns best in their unique way whether that’s through video, reading, or verbal instruction and remote learning can be adapted to help each of them out.
While we know everyone is probably busy, we will say that family members can potentially play a helpful role in making remote learning more active. When students can get physical interaction with the outside world as part of their education or even some real-life examples, they’ll start to understand that, no matter the conditions, learning cannot stop. Finally, we know that testing and grades have essentially been removed when it comes to remote learning and that means that implementing simple but revealing formative assessments is key. Students can show what they’ve learned in a variety of ways, including through presentations, demonstrations, or even by playing games. Teachers still need to know that their students are making progress and learning what they need to know, which is why each of these elements (plus plenty of others) are a part of remote learning.
Online Learning and Sound Pedagogy
You might think that without the option of using technology to stay connected, education wouldn’t be possible at the moment. That may be the case, but, without sound pedagogical practices from teachers, there really wouldn’t be much learning going on remotely. It didn’t take too long for us to figure out that simply having the communication technology in place wasn’t going to necessarily translate to productive experiences. And, as teachers had resource after resource sent their way, things didn’t get much clearer. It takes time and practice to learn how to use new teaching tools effectively and this is no different when it comes to distance learning—if anything, it’s got to be more difficult. So, whether remote education is synchronous or synchronous, it’s the way in which teachers are able to connect with their students and deliver instruction that is probably the most important part of remote learning.
There are certain elements of teaching in a traditional, face-to-face setting that will not necessarily translate too well to online learning. One of the clearest examples of something that needed to be adjusted is the long-winded lectures driven by teachers that commonly occur in the classroom. It’s tough enough to keep the attention of students when this is the method of teaching in physical schools, but it’s proven to be even tougher remotely. One way to combat this is to shorten the length of lessons (maybe by as much as half) and make sure every student is engaged by regularly asking questions or requesting feedback. This approach can work well if teaching to an entire class, to small groups, and even in a one-on-one setting. Students are going to lose focus with so many distractions around them at home—a new normal that can be addressed and has been done so successfully already.
Another element of education (as we know) that’s been altered is grading. As such, teachers are no longer teaching to the test and can put a greater focus on competency-based approaches. This also allows them to spend some more time reviewing the purpose of assignments and assessments with students as well as determining each student’s true understanding of the content they need to know. Teachers are having to rethink how they assess their students, combining elements of personalization and competency-based cues so that they know how students are progressing. Aside from that, they are also relying more than ever on sound communication—with students, with each other, with parents, and with administrators so that everyone (especially parents) are on board with the learning goals. Finally, teachers are needing to focus much more on privacy, safety, and digital well-being, presenting even more new challenges for them in their pedagogy, but, at this point, it’s just another hurdle to climb.
How Long will Distance Learning Last?
When schools first started closing, no one would have thought that it would be for the rest of the academic year. We quickly figured out, however, that would be the case and assumed that everything would return to normal come fall. Now, the school year is just about over in most parts of the country and there is just as much uncertainty currently as there was in mid-March when chaos shook the education community. Some health experts—as you’ve probably heard—are predicting a second wave of the coronavirus will strike once the weather cools back down in the fall, which has led to even more confusion and controversy about when and how to reopen schools. Since the outbreak has been far worse in some places than in others, reopening schools is likely going to follow a similar, varied pattern.
Some educators are hoping to start the reopening process during the summer and that probably is both the best case scenario and a bit wishful. Alternatively, others are hoping to pick things back up on the scheduled first day of school in the fall, which, despite being about three months away, still seems like it could be tough to meet. Again, this is different for schools in different parts of the country and could very much be on the table for some schools while not so much for others. Other educators are convinced that it won’t be safe to reopen schools until 2021—hopefully at the start of the new year in January. While everybody wants schools to reopen and for education to go back to normal in the fall, we just don’t know what will happen at the moment. So many potential scenarios are being floated around and, not to beat a dead horse, they’re unique for almost everybody.
If schools do reopen in the fall, there’s one thing that seems certain—health and safety changes will be aplenty. Some think that they will be similar to what’s been done in grocery stores and public places with smaller class sizes, one-way foot traffic, staggered schedules, and spread-out tables for lunch. Beyond that, student desks could be spread out all around classrooms and masks may be an option for both teachers and students while some educators may be forced to stay home if they’re older or have underlying health concerns. As for instruction, it doesn’t seem too likely that it will be completely normal since many things will be disrupted, but, school leaders have options there, too. We’ll talk about some of those potential paths in the next section and, hopefully, we’ll eventually have some more clarity.
A New Normal: Possibly More than Remote Learning
We’ve all been navigating a new normal since the middle of March—one in which learning never takes place in a classroom and many students and teachers struggle with equity issues. By now, we’ve started to use that phrase ‘new normal’ so much that it doesn’t even seem weird to think about anymore. However, as this situation continues to play out, many students likely will be returning to school in the fall and, when and if that time comes, the new normal they’ll be dealing with will, again, be something they’ve probably never thought of. Aside from the physical rules and health restrictions that will likely be put in place for teachers, students, and all school staff once they’re allowed to return to their buildings, there will almost certainly be changes to the way instruction is delivered with teachers in various schools and districts trying various teaching tactics to try to keep everyone as safe and as engaged as possible.
We all remember when schools started closing and teachers and administrators had no real plan in place for how they’d continue instruction remotely. Well, that’s going to be different when school resumes in the fall. Most school and district leaders will have a plan and more than one back-up plan depending on how things start to play out. Here are some of what will be the most common approaches, according to EdSurge. The first option (perhaps the top option) is what they referred to as brick to click learning. This means students will return to school for traditional classes at the start of the year, but educators will have a plan prepared in the event they need to quickly transition back to distance learning. Teachers in these schools will likely spend the summer receiving extensive training in online education as well as how to ensure they’re able to transfer their content to a digital format if necessary.
The next option is the opposite—click to brick learning. In this case, online learning would continue in the fall as health conditions are monitored. Teachers would still receive training over the summer on teaching online as well as how to quickly implement a return-to-classroom plan if given the green light. The third option on the list is blended learning in which students would learn in a hybrid environment with consistent face-to-face and online instruction throughout the year so that they’re not at the school all the time, but can get into a routine. Teachers would train for this over the summer as well, but there are many options, including limiting school days for all students, staggering school days for different groups, and making sure that students who need in-person instruction the most are at the school the most. Finally, there’s the full online learning option, which you already know about. If this remains necessary in the fall, teachers would probably spend much of the summer learning how to make the most of it. Not ideal, so let’s hope for a return!
There are so many different directions school returns could go in the fall and we’d love to hear what your school or district leaders are thinking about at this time or even your thoughts on potential plans being discussed! Feel free to share your thoughts with us on social media @Eduporium. If you have an idea for the next Eduporium Weekly theme, send us a message on any of our social media accounts as well!