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EdSurge
How Districts Can Develop a Comprehensive Plan for Remote Learning Come Fall
By Claire Cummings
Jul 2, 2020
I used to wake up at 5:30 in the morning to teach a preschooler in
China how to read, write and speak English. Through a headset and
webcam, I learned that he loved space. He showed off solar systems made
of foam and sticks and I shared a stuffed rocket from Kennedy Space
Center. We exchanged one or two words at a time and lots of gestures,
but he made progress and his mom said he looked forward to class.
I know from my year teaching at VIPKid that students can learn online,
a conclusion researchers have also reached. It’s even possible to build
a relationship across tiny screens and a dozen time zones. This online
learning model doesn’t work for every child, but it is right for some.
And as schools plan to reopen this fall, leaders should use this time
to create high-quality distance learning options that could transform
teaching and learning for the better.
School looks much the same as it did years ago even though the world is
unrecognizable. Many policymakers, families and educators hold onto the
nostalgia of the traditional school model, but it was failing us even
before the pandemic. The United States ranked 36th in math and 13th in
reading among 79 countries and regions that took the Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2018.
Hoping to improve our standing, researchers have been calling for a new
approach to education for nearly a decade—one that combines in-person
and virtual instruction. And many educators have experimented with this
kind of teaching. Five years ago, I ditched whole-class lectures in my
fifth grade brick-and-mortar classroom in favor of small group
rotations. While I taught one group of students how to find the main
idea of a text, the others applied reading skills they had learned with
me by completing assignments in Google Classroom and adaptive software
that allowed them to advance at their own pace. I taught that way for
three years before switching to a model in which I served more like a
facilitator for students as they worked through material independently.
Teachers in my large Nevada district—Clark County—started transitioning
in March to emergency distance learning after schools closed their
doors due to COVID-19 (though, owing to a brief leave of absence, I was
not among them). We will be returning this fall to a revolutionary way
of educating children, if a plan proposed by Clark County officials
receives school board approval on July 9. Students will attend school
in a blended model with two days of face-to-face instruction and three
days online. The hope is that by training teachers in both, we can
better transition to complete distance learning if an outbreak occurs.
From an educator’s standpoint, there are some thoughtful solutions in
Clark County’s proposal that other districts should consider to ensure
quality remote learning next year.
Create online teaching positions. Clark County plans to offer two
pathways for K-12 teachers and students: the blended track and an
online-only track, taught by teachers from each neighborhood school.
That’s a smart move considering a recent USA Today/Ipsos poll found
that 20 percent of teachers are “unlikely to go back to school if their
classrooms reopen in the fall.” Staggering student schedules helps with
social distancing, but class sizes in Clark County were as high as 40
in some elementary schools before the coronavirus emerged. Allowing
some students to work from home will decrease class sizes even further,
which could save lives. Specialists like myself will also be teaching
our content online to avoid unnecessary movement throughout the
building. Districts that provide similar online offerings come fall
would protect the positions of educators who are wary of in-person
instruction, which is critical, especially in the midst of a nationwide
teacher shortage. Our district, which started the 2019-2020 school year
with 750 openings, has hundreds of vacancies each year.
Invest in blended and online learning professional development.
Teachers will need guidance on building curriculum online, using
technology to foster discussion among students, giving useful and
timely feedback and building virtual relationships. Clark County plans
to delay the start of school for students by two weeks to provide
teachers with 10 full days of professional development. The district
says topics will include planning for blended instruction, using online
learning management software like Canvas, and understanding health
protocols for when students show signs of illness at school. It’s safe
to say we will also need direction on schoolwide procedures for social
distancing in hallways, structured recess and safely serving meals in
classrooms.
Build a schedule that includes ample planning time. There’s a learning
curve for everyone when moving instruction online. Teachers will need
time to practice using new technology, develop and modify lessons and
collaborate with colleagues. Keep in mind, recording one video can take
the length of a normal daily prep period. Under Clark County’s
proposal, there will be no students in buildings on Wednesdays to allow
for deep cleaning and additional teacher prep time.
Consider a flipped classroom approach. Districts like ours that opt for
blended instruction—some days on campus and others online—must
repurpose the time spent with students face-to-face. Using a flipped
model of instruction, teachers can record instructional videos and put
them online as homework in lieu of traditional worksheets. During
in-person instruction, teachers then answer questions, facilitate
discussions, and provide opportunities for problem-solving and applying
skills learned online. There are challenges with the model, of course,
including the fact that students don’t always complete the
instructional material at home before coming to class. But there is
some research supporting its impact on learning outcomes when executed
well. Given our current plan to see students face-to-face two days a
week, the flipped model would help us cover more content during virtual
lessons, making the most of our time apart.
When fall arrives, school will not look like it did before, not even on
physical campuses. There will be masks, temperature checks and a ban on
games like tag. It’s understandable to long for what used to be. But as
we plan for what lies ahead, we can make this moment an opportunity to
transform our schools in positive ways, and that includes making them
more flexible for educators and students. This is our chance to model
for students problem-solving and iteration—skills required in a world
that can shift without notice.
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