A webinar based on this blog may be viewed at https://register.gotowebinar.com/recording/523939431461082139
As teachers continue to adjust to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are some aspects of the current situation from which we can learn and take back into classrooms when schools reopen. Of course, in-person instruction is much more effective than the remote learning into which teachers and students were suddenly thrust. There are innumerable advantages that classrooms settings offer including opportunities for students to interact, share ideas, problem-solve collaboratively, and hear and practice speaking English, while teachers are able to deliver instruction more effectively, read body language, respond to questions, check for comprehension and make adjustments, see how engaged students are in the material, conduct rich discussions and assess student progress. Further, remote learning has a disproportionately negative impact on students who lack internet access and up-to-date devices, English learners and those with disabilities.
While fully recognizing the difficult and sometimes agonizing issues teachers are dealing with, in this blog I attempt to find a silver lining in the storm clouds hanging over education during the pandemic. What are some positive lessons to be learned? What benefits can be culled from the ways in which teaching has been adapted for remote learning? Consider the following four benefits that might emerge from our present situation.
- Prioritizing social-emotional wellness. SEL has been a buzzword for some time in education but the pandemic has brought the issue to the forefront in a very real way. Many students are experiencing stress about food insecurity, financial pressure, unhealthy family relational dynamics, and more. There is widespread agreement that we need to be concerned first about the wellbeing of our students while teaching becomes secondary. That is not to infer in any way that we abandon academics but teaching needs to be embedded with caring and understanding while we do our best to keep students on track academically. Students are facing difficult issues and the pandemic has exacerbated some that may have existed previously. When schools reopen and in-person instruction resumes, we would do well to continue caring for the wellbeing of students. Maintain some of the practices adopted with remote learning such as frequently checking in with students individually, asking how they are doing, getting to know each one better, holding virtual office hours where students may be more comfortable opening up, and so forth. There are lots of ideas on social media about what teachers are doing to connect with their students. The lessons learned during the present time can benefit students as we move forward.
- Focused instruction. In our work with the SIOP Model, we say that teachers should ask themselves: What will students know or be able to do at the end of this lesson that they didn’t know or weren’t able to do (or do as well) at the beginning? This question should drive lesson planning and delivery. Students need to learn something in the time that they spend working on assignments whether work is provided online or in packets. Under normal circumstances, teacher lesson planning includes establishing content objectives (CO) based on content standards – the “what” students will learn, as well as language objectives (LO) that focus on the academic language that is essential for completing the work, e.g., key vocabulary. LOs might also focus on an aspect of English to be learned and/or practiced during the lesson, e.g., embedded clauses. Under current circumstances, some teachers are able to continue writing daily COs and LOs while other teachers might think about objectives for a week – or longer. What content can reasonably be taught this week? What key vocabulary will be taught and reinforced throughout the week? What language structures or grammatical forms will need to be taught in order for students to complete the lessons? Having COs and LOs for the week helps teachers organize instruction within a focused weekly plan.
Objectives also serve to assess the lesson’s outcomes. Did students learn what the objectives intended? If not, reflect on why not? Do some students need additional support? Was the instruction adequate? What additional teaching needs to be done, or support provided, so that students can meet the objectives? Remote learning reduces the amount of instructional time available, so teaching needs to be focused and comprehensible for learners without the “fluff” such as activities that contribute little to student learning. It is not uncommon to confuse activities with instruction. Teaching typically comes first, then students may complete an activity to reinforce and practice what they’ve learned. In some cases, activities are designed for students to discover learning on their own or in groups, such as researching a topic and presenting information. But learning needs to take place and it needs to be measurable. During the pandemic, grades may not be given but lots of feedback should be provided to students so that they can continue to advance their learning. When classes resume, the focused instruction that teachers have delivered, the kind that gets to the “meat” of teaching and learning, should continue.
- Chunking information. Remote learning requires teachers to reduce the amount of content they teach and chunk content into more manageable pieces. English learners and many other students struggle to read and process large amounts of text or information independently without a teacher on hand to offer support when needed. Teachers might have students read a section of text and after each paragraph ask questions that help students understand its meaning. Difficult or unfamiliar concepts and words are explained, and rereading might be necessary. Be sure to space out and revisit the lesson’s language and concepts over time. Research tells us that the brain can absorb only so much information at a time, therefore students benefit more from frequent, shorter sessions than from longer ones. These same chunking practices should continue when school resumes, especially with English learners.
- Individualized teaching. Remote learning can offer more flexibility than a traditional classroom setting, and with some types of instructional delivery remote learning becomes more individualized than when teaching in a whole class setting. Synchronous, or real time, online meetings are effective for some purposes such as building a sense of community and for delivering mini-lessons. However, an asynchronous instructional approach is preferable for the most part since it allows students to participate at their convenience and may include threaded discussions or video responses to a discussion question using a platform like FlipGrid. Asynchronous assignments benefit most students but especially those who are shy as well as English learners who are reticent about speaking up in class. Students have time to think in detail and perhaps even look up words in a bilingual dictionary before submitting their response. The teacher sets a deadline for submitting responses, but students don’t have the pressure of performing on the spot. With threaded discussions and video submissions, the teacher can either respond to each student with feedback or ask the students to post responses to each other, either written in a threaded discussion or by submitting a video response. With asynchronous individual accountability, it is harder for students to “hide” as they sometimes do in a classroom environment and teachers are finding that some of their quieter students are participating to a greater degree. Also, since teachers receive a written response, a completed assignment, or some kind of communication from each student, teacher feedback is individualized based on what the student submits. Remote learning has the potential for examining more closely students’ work to determine students’ strengths and areas for improvement, then adjusting instruction accordingly. When in-person classroom instruction resumes, using more individualized approaches should become the norm. Students get more of the individualized attention they need with specific teacher feedback.
Although this is an incredibly challenging time for teachers, students, and their families, some of the practices that have emerged may positively influence the way instruction is delivered when we are back to having students in class.