What was the experience like for me?

It was a challenge to say the least. It pushed me to do things way outside my comfort zone. I had to adapt my teaching so students could benefit from learning synchronously and asynchronously. I was teaching second grade when the pandemic started and I started the new 2020/21 school year teaching a second/third M.A.G.I.C. class. It was also my first year teaching a M.A.G.I.C. class (Multi Age/Grade Instructional Class) which provided additional challenges that I had to adapt to and be creative with my problem solving.

When the new school year began, we were still in distance learning. I created a schedule where I divided the day into whole class, individual classes, small groups, and sometimes working one-on -one with students if they needed individualized instruction. When my students were not working with me directly, they were working on their asynchronous assignments. Each night I sent out to the parents a schedule of what was going to be taught the next day and what the students would need for each Zoom call. I also created for each week, a slide show that showed their asynchronous work for each subject each day. When daily work was completed, families took pictures of the assignment and uploaded them to Class Dojo for me to correct.

In the beginning of November, St. Catherines returned to in person learning. Students were required to wear masks, stay only with their own cohort, and be socially distant from one another. There were also a few students who remain in distant learning and would Zoom in on a daily basis for academic instruction. Then, at home students would work asynchronously for the rest of the school day.

Programs That I Used

Class Dojo for announcements, communication, and turning in work.

Google Classroom for posting certain assignments.

Google slides for posting daily assignments for the week.

Freckle

Nearpod

Raz-kids

Flip Grid

Renaissance AR