Jan 14

Student engagement and attendance is impacted by online teaching: it needs to improve even after the pandemic

The survey data of teachers and administrators in the United States from the Clayton Christensen Institute illustrates how the change to remote instruction has impacted teachers and the curriculum. In turn, that impacts student engagement in remote learning environments. “The online learning that’s taken place doesn’t represent the best that it can be; most teachers were underprepared for abruptly switching to a new instructional model; and there are reasons to be hopeful that more robust online learning will remain viable for schools to offer in the long term.” Teachers are spending more time on prepping lessons and are creating their own curriculum materials. The article suggests that refining remote instruction with autonomous staff and leadership offers potential with “Teachers who are comfortable with online and student-centered teaching should be empowered to lead training sessions and coach their struggling colleagues.” Read article from Education Week

Dec 31

“This or That” – a game with a restorative twist

Learners will experience a lively way to connect quickly and learn about others on a virtual platform, beginning by responding to more silly and low-risk prompts, and moving towards prompts that elicit more personal sharing and deeper reflection.
From RestorativeTeachingTools.com Read full activity

Dec 21

Students attend virtual classes without engaging in the learning: 6 exercises to get to know your students better and get them engaged

  1. Reflecting on experiences: ‘laws of life’ essays
  2. Exploring identity – and perceptions about it: identity charts
  3. Learning important details – student inventories
  4. Understanding interestes: passion blogging
  5. Documenting your life: movies, photos and podcasts
  6. Having fun: icebreakers, games and accolades Read article from Edutopia

Dec 21

Are Students Present and Accounted For? An Examination of State Attendance Policies During the Covid-19 Pandemic: a US study from Attendance Works

“Early data suggests that millions of students have missed a significant amount of school during the pandemic. When attendance is taken daily, absenteeism can serve as an early warning signal to help states, districts and community partners know when action, additional outreach and resources are needed to help schools support students and their families.” Read report

Dec 16

Engaging students in a virtual environment: consider virtual literature circles to create a safe space for students

by Thomas Courtney “Recent months have reminded me how central the stories, themes, and lessons in quality literature need to be to our work. Here’s what I’ve learned by building rich, diverse, and powerful literature components into distance learning, one page at a time.

  1. the right books provide the relevant content that today’s students need
  2. online read alouds and literature circles
  3. the importance of student choice
  4. useful book lists Read article

Dec 14

So your students are showing up virtually but not engaging. Here are some helpful strategies to encourage turning cameras on

by Liz Bryon Loya “Incorporating SEL approaches, playing games, and giving students options can inspire them to show their faces. With experimentation and persistence, however, you can arrive at strategies that work. Whether they need options, encouragement, or trust in order to turn their cameras on, there’s likely a solution that is the right fit for your classroom, circumstances, lessons, and students.” Read article

Dec 03

Vulnerable students more likely to slip through the cracks: check attendance stats to find out who needs support

Researchers summarize selected findings on teaching and learning in the face of a pandemic – RAND American Educator Panels “The findings paint an alarming picture of how the 2020–2021 school year is unfolding. Even though teachers are working more hours than they were before the pandemic, students are likely not getting all the curriculum content and instruction that they would have received during a normal school year. Students from vulnerable populations might be particularly likely to slip through the cracks. High proportions of teachers report that they are not receiving adequate guidance to serve many of these populations — especially if they are teaching them remotely — and low percentages of principals indicate that their schools are offering the tutoring needed to help students catch up. ” Read article

Dec 01

Engaging our students online helps attendance so here are 5 ideas for using feedback well this year: It’s harder to read a class when students are learning at home, so teachers need to explicitly ask for feedback by Zachary Herrmann

  1. Create feedback routines
  2. Interpret feedback thoughtfully
  3. Learn from students’ experiences
  4. Share with student what you’re learning
  5. Learn to love feedback Read article

Nov 25

Student attendance is impacted by relationships with the students’ parents especially during the pandemic

This article by Heather Wolpert-Gowron shows how important parent engagement is during the current pandemic. Parental engagement impacts student attendance and subsequently student engagement/achievement.

“The research in parent engagement makes it clear that even during challenging times, when so much is unknown and when our methods of communication have been disrupted, it is more vital than ever to strengthen our interactions with those at home supporting our students. Research shows that activating parent engagement has a direct impact on student engagement.” Read article

Nov 06

How Schools Adjusted to Life Under COVID-19: a RAND survey of principals in immediate aftermath of school closures

  • Indicators of preparedness
  • Provided devices, at least to students in need
  • Provided teacher training on delivering online instruction
  • Used a learning management system
  • Offered fully online or blended learning courses
  • Had plans for delivering instructions during a prolonged school closure Read article