Welcome back! You had the previous week to learn more about pedagogy and I am confident you were dabbling in your content. Let's begin to plan how we will determine what the learning styles and needs of our students will be remotely.
Accredited Schools Online offers a learning styles quiz right there online, one option is to have students take the quiz, screen shot the results, and drop their shot into a Google Slide you provide them through the Google Classroom. This is valuable information for your online classroom.
The University of Illinois Springfield.org has an article titled Learning Styles and the Online Environment. Here is a quote to keep in mind. "Because learners have different learning styles or a combination of styles, online educators should design activities that address multiple modes of learning in order to improve the likelihood of successful experiences for each class participant. In designing online courses, utilize multiple instructional strategies." The article provides some of the instructional strategies as well.
With little time in front our our students and no time physically in front of them we are going to need their full participation to get to know them. HOW do we achieve that daunting task? Our hook of course! It's our responsibility to draw them into our virtual world and keep them coming back for more. Inside Higher Ed online has an article titled, The Human Element in Online Learning were they offer ways to keep students hooked.
TOP CLASS online offers 9 ways to increase student engagement. With each one listed I will provide examples to get your mind rolling. (Remember the diving board!)
#1 - Prepare students for the online learning experience. --Send out communications early with links to your landing platform such as a Google Classroom with code. Send your information virtually to parents and students and if possible via snail mail as a postcard which will contain all the info ready to be taped to the fridge. (We all love snail mail, even if it's from school.)
#2 – Frequently review learning outcomes. --Utilize your Google Classroom Stream for the learning outcomes and update them frequently. Link short 30-45 second video clips of you discussing the outcomes as well for those who are auditory learners.
#3 – Present clear, organized learning materials. --Keep it simple; do not overload students with too many places to click; remember they have 5-7 other classes. *Check your district for approved sites. Create a routine for students; i.e. your entrance/exit slips, quizzes are always in a Google Form, class discussions are in JAMBOARD or Padlet, summative assessments can vary. That being said let them take the driver's seat at times and present their learning in a digital way that is fun and creative. Heck, they just might teach us a few things!
#4 – Prevent isolation by increasing the presence of instructors. --Have scheduled times you are live to provide synchronous learning and do not deviate from them. Schedule office hours where you are available for questions from students; (you can be working in the background until they ding into the Google Meet).
#5 - Build a learning community. --Padlet or JAMBOARD provide places for students to hear from each other. Consider having an online party weekly where students can join you live to just talk about their week.
#6 - Deliver bite-sized, spaced learning. --Remember, students are trying to learn and keep their commitments to school in varying situations. We do not have the luxury of holding them in a desk for 90 minutes a day. They are most likely distracted and overwhelmed just for being at home. Your lessons, therefore, must be short and precise; there is no time or need for busy work. We must be busy ensuring the standards are clearly presented in small manageable chunks. These chunks provide us with feedback platforms where we can know if our students are learning.
#7 - Get students to take action on what they’ve learned. --Students are generally proud of what they have learned and like to show it off. Give them ways to do so. Through Google Meet you can have chat rooms where you group them based on need, provide them with an outline/checklist/rubric/format to work collaboratively. During this time students can be in homogeneous or heterogeneous groups to either reteach each other or extend the learning.
#8 - Provide regular feedback. --Don't we all want to know how we are doing at work? So do our students and our feedback is the catalyst. Set your schedule to ensure you provide timely feedback to students. (Manage your time so you are not feeling the stress to be online all hours of the day and night.) You need a routine as much as your students to ensure you are meeting both of your needs. NTI is overwhelming do not let your self care become compromised. Set times and stick to them. *Keep in mind, all teachers worked after hours grading and planning therefore you should expect time to be devoted outside of your contracted hours, just don't go overboard for your own sanity.)
#9 - Make time for fun. --If you were in person with students you would have Fun Friday or Wacky Wednesday times; well why not do the same online? Remember we are trying to keep them on the hook.
Students crave consistency and the simple steps above will provide that for your students. This time has been difficult on so many levels these steps can bring some normalcy to a situation that is anything but.
Alright, the start of school is quickly approaching! Remember, you got this! Focus this week on how to learn about your students from an online platform to ensure you know their learning styles, strengths, deficits, and readiness for your content.
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