If you were teaching during the spring of 2020, you'll never forget those first weeks of remote learning. The field of education was turned upside down. Classes went virtual with mostly no prior experience and limited support available for students who didn't have parents who could guide them. Absolutely every type of learning experience had to be made digital. I remember working alongside a team of teachers around the clock for two weeks to convert the Kesler Science resources to digital versions that teachers could use remotely. It was hectic!
David Bakker and I spoke about this recently in the recent ScIC Unplugged podcast: what is classroom teaching like after the years of hybrid teaching and remote instruction? Have we learned something about giving the most effective education possible? Here are the hard-earned strategies that we've carried forward from those wild days:
✔️ Asynchronous Teaching Can Be Effective: We've come a long way with digital learning! Posting lessons on a digital platform to be completed independently by students still works today. We all love the energy of being in person, but digital options give a lot of flexibility for students who need to work at their own speed or with modifications. It's also great for keeping absent students on track with the rest of the class. My friends over at PocketLab have an amazing library of free lessons that you can use whether your school has an LMS or not!
✔️ Digital Resources Are Great...but So Is Paper: People have been predicting the end of paper use for decades, but I don't think we're there yet. When we had to move to strictly digital for upper grades, we noticed a difference in the way students learned. I recently asked my Facebook PLN group if they were back to using paper materials, and the answer was an enthusiastic, "Yes!" There's something to be said about manipulating paper and hand-writing notes and answers - and it's backed up by science. We've learned that balancing paper and digital activities is a stronger combination than digital alone.
✔️ Virtual Meeting Tools Are Still Handy: One consequence of teaching during the pandemic was we all had to learn to use virtual meetings - and quickly! I think this is still a practical option for meetings today. Whether it's scheduling a parent-teacher conference or Zooming with a guest speaker in your classroom, we've learned that physical distance doesn't have to stop our communication. If you haven't tried Skype a Scientist yet, you're missing out!
I think it speaks to the resilience of teachers that we faced those challenges of 2020 and gained new superpowers from them. I'd love to hear what skills and strategies you've developed during the past four years!
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