(This is the seventh post in a multipart series. You can see Part One , Part Two , Part Three , Part Four , Part Five , and Part Six .)
The new question of the week is:
How can we best support students when we teach online?
In , David Sherrin, Lorie Barber, Janelle Henderson, and Cathleen Beachboard contributed their experiences.
In , Amy Roediger, Dr. PJ Caposey, Michael Silverstone, and Jeremy Hyler shared their reflections.
In , Matthew Johnson, Joseph Jones, T.J. Vari, Deb Blaz, and Cindi Rigsbee offered their ideas.
In , Nick Fotopoulos, Helen Vassiliou, Cornelia Okraski, and Sam Olbes discussed specifically how they were teaching their ELL classes online.
In , Maurice McDavid, Holly Spinelli, Ashley Wallace, and Kristen Koppers talked about what they were trying to do with their classes.
In , we revisited teaching English-language learners, with commentaries from Sarah Said, Sandra Mings Lamar, and Linda Heafey.
Today, Sarah Cooper and Susan Scott use their very recent experience to write about what to do鈥攁nd what not to do鈥攚hen transitioning to online classes.
You might also be interested in my just-posted .
Here鈥檚 a new radio show featuring the educators who contributed to Part One in this series:
Look for the Silver Lining
Sarah Cooper teaches 8th grade U.S. history and is dean of studies at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada, Calif. Sarah is the author of Making History Mine: Meaningful Connections for Grades 5-9 (Stenhouse, 2009) and Creating Citizens: Teaching Civics and Current Events in the History Classroom, Grades 6-9 (Routledge, 2017):
Here鈥檚 how my second meeting with one class started last week, when three students opened up a chat on Google Meet:
1:16 PM
can i go to the bathroom
1:16 PM
we didn鈥檛 have to turn in a current event today right
1:16 PM
phew
Basically, it was just like any other day with these 8th grade history students, except we were online鈥攙ery comforting!
My students have laptops as part of our BYOD program, and most also have pretty consistent Wi-Fi. As a result, for the most part so far, I鈥檝e been doing synchronous Google Meets, both entire class and small group, to keep the human connection going
Of course, not everything felt like it did in person. Here鈥檚 what worked in the first week and what I鈥檒l still be working on for the weeks to come.
What Has Worked
1. Focusing on the positive.
Usually in my classes, we start each day with . With our online learning, which is following an alternating two-day block schedule, I knew I would need to expand this time to hear from everyone. So far, this 25-minute full-class discussion has been a highlight.
On Day 1 everyone shared by voice a 鈥渟ilver lining鈥 from being at home. Although I thought playing video games would be the most popular response, many instead mentioned time with their families having dinner, watching movies, and playing board games.
On Day 2, I asked kids to brainstorm, in response to an article about helping those most hit by the pandemic, how each of them personally could help people over the coming week. In the chat, the students鈥 answers included practical responses, such as 鈥渇ollow the government direction鈥 and 鈥渟tay at home.鈥
And they quickly moved beyond the basics to actions such as 鈥渟upport family-owned stores,鈥 鈥渕ake care packages using my leftover gs [Girl Scout] cookies to deliver to neighbors,鈥 鈥渃all people who don鈥檛 like to talk to anyone and may be lonely,鈥 鈥渂ake for others,鈥 鈥渢alk to grandparents on phone,鈥 鈥渉elp with the baby,鈥 鈥渂uy the next books I want to read from a local bookstore online,鈥 鈥渕ake sure people know the facts vs. fake news,鈥 and many more. I was inspired just listening to them, as was a drama teacher who was hanging out with me in the Meet to get ideas for her classes.
Later that period, as part of an exit-ticket email about a group project, one girl wrote: 鈥淐lass was fun and uplifting today, and to close it off, I have a progress report for you!鈥 Just the tone I had hoped to set.
- Asking for constructive, not depressing, analysis of current events.
Even when we鈥檝e considered more serious articles, I鈥檝e tried to focus on what we can understand and analyze rather than what we can鈥檛. Charts about flattening the curve of COVID-19 may be interesting, but they can be scary, for adults and for middle schoolers. Also, I don鈥檛 feel qualified to answer everyone鈥檚 questions about what comes next.
Instead, in one class last week, we looked at this article about in the Bay Area. (This was before L.A.'s 鈥渟afer at home鈥 edict, affecting my school, came out a couple days later.) I asked students to list in the chat who they would consider essential and nonessential workers and then I called on individual kids to unmute their microphones to explain particularly interesting answers.
Responses for 鈥渆ssential鈥 included doctors and nurses, farmers, grocery-store workers, police, firefighters, paramedics, prison guards, news teams, and 鈥渘onprofits that might help people who wouldn鈥檛 receive help otherwise.鈥
For 鈥渘onessential,鈥 kids listed TikTokkers, hair and makeup people, actors, baristas, music teachers, artists, and athletes. This started an interesting thread about whether the arts and entertainment are more important than ever at times like this. I was reminded of John Adams鈥 quotation from a in 1780:
I must study Politicks and War that my sons may have liberty to study Mathematicks and Philosophy. My sons ought to study Mathematicks and Philosophy, Geography, natural History, Naval Architecture, navigation, Commerce and Agriculture, in order to give their Children a right to study Painting, Poetry, Musick, Architecture, Statuary, Tapestry and Porcelaine.
- Meeting in small groups after an opening discussion.
When my school transitioned to online learning on March 18, the 8th grade history students were already in the middle of a . Last week, after up to half an hour of current events conversation during each period, I met with each small group for five to eight minutes during the rest of class. These Google Meets served the double purpose of checking in on how students were doing personally (who they were at home with, how their parents are faring in this economic climate) and seeing how their project was going. I thrived on the face-to-face contact with a handful of kids at a time.
What I鈥檓 Still Working On
- Hearing from everyone during a class discussion.
Thus far, I鈥檝e been asking students to write 鈥渞aise hand鈥 in the chat if they have a question or comment, which is working pretty well. In addition, I鈥檝e been following up on responses kids write in the chat by cold calling some to explain their comments by voice.
Still, though, the online interface is not as fluid as interacting in person, and I鈥檓 looking for ways to make the flow better. I may also migrate to Zoom, which I know has less lag time and allows you to see everyone on screen at the same time.
- Laughing together.
Informal chatter and laughter may be what I miss most. At the beginning of class, I鈥檝e encouraged students to keep their mics on as they join the Google Meet, just so we can hear and see them getting ready for class and enjoy the 鈥渉ellos鈥 as we all come together. Yet, beyond that, it has felt too chaotic to keep on everyone鈥檚 mics for very long.
At one point, one of my students or I made a joke, by voice or on chat, and I actually said, 鈥淚 think you鈥檙e all laughing right now!鈥 That was awkward and not very satisfying. If I can figure out a way for us to laugh together regularly, I鈥檒l feel a lot better.
Final Thoughts on Week 1
Throwing myself into online learning has been exhausting, for sure, especially amid the stress of shopping in sometimes empty grocery aisles and keeping my own kids entertained and schooled at home. I would venture to say that every adult in our students鈥 lives is under strain right now in some way, some far more so than others as their livelihoods are threatened.
If I can keep my classes constructive and positive, helping students feel that they have a community to join every other day, and that they have at least a little agency, then these weeks or months will have been a success.
We as teachers may not always recognize it while interacting with a screen for hours on end, but right now, we鈥檙e as lucky as ever to be on the front lines with kids鈥攏ot least because they can inspire us to be our best selves at a time that is testing us all.
Ten things NOT to do
Susan Scott has been teaching for over 15 years and currently works at the International School of Ho Chi Minh City-American Academy teaching and supporting grade 10 students. Her school moved to distance learning Feb. 4 due to coronavirus. This past Monday marked her eighth week of online teaching and learning:
I don鈥檛 always know WHAT to do, but now I think I鈥檝e figured out what NOT to do. In Saigon, week 8 began this week...
Don鈥檛 give too much work. If you think it will take them an hour, give them two. They are learning, just as we are, what works for THEM.
Don鈥檛 expect them to hand in work on time. Especially if you give them too much. Be generous with your expectations. Remember, some of them are sharing computers with siblings and parents.
Don鈥檛 be stingy with choices. Give them three options. But not 10.
Don鈥檛 expect students who are shy, have few friends, or who have problems socializing to reach out. They won鈥檛. Be there for them.
- Don鈥檛 be wordy. Pare down instructions. Bold important words. Give them a checklist to follow. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. And that鈥檚 it.
Don鈥檛 forget that they (and we) are living through a historical period of time. Invite students to what they are thinking. Encourage their creativity and optimism.
Don鈥檛 teach curriculum, teach students. Find out what they鈥檙e interested in and make it work. You know them. And if you aren鈥檛 sure, ask them. I use Google forms, but you could try .
Put them in Make sure they are reaching out to one another. Don鈥檛 make the groups too large.
Don鈥檛 forget that parents are overwhelmed. Help parents by scheduling meetings or by creating for them.
- Don鈥檛 forget to put your own oxygen mask on before you head into the virtual world. Get enough rest,, eat good food, every single day. You can鈥檛 help THEM if you aren鈥檛 well yourself.
Thanks to Sara and Susan for their contributions!
Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.
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Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. It鈥檚 titled .
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I am also creating a .
Look for Part Eight in a day or two ...