In this mini-PD, we're going to build on our understanding of Asynchronous Learning by exploring another form of virtual learning: Synchronous Learning. To differentiate these two, please compare the definitions below.

For those of us who were at Ednovate in Q4, you've already been doing some Synchronous instruction in the form of "Virtual Office Hours." And for those who are new to us, Synchronous is probably the most familiar to us because--aside from it being done online--it's the way we learned: a teacher facilitating a lesson that we participate in simultaneously.

Unfortunately, like far too many aspects of students' educational lives, income level can influence their likelihood of receiving "live" or synchronous instruction. In fact, the Center for Reinventing Public Education for affluent districts are twice as likely as high-poverty districts to require live instruction (See HERE).

In this PD, we're going to study some high-impact, low-lift techniques for facilitating Synchronous Learning experiences in a virtual environment, and by the end my hope is that you'll walk away with some ideas for what this can look like in your virtual classroom.

To kick things off, let's start by watching a clip of Synchronous Learning in action. In this video, Susie Kim, a high school English teacher in New York, leads students in a lesson analyzing Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle." It's a challenging text, and you'll notice that although some students are on the right track, not all are fully grasping it yet. Watch the "synchronous" teacher moves she uses to deepen their understanding and jot any observations in the space below.

A few observations I had:

-Susie has students write before sharing, which is a powerful way to support engagement and Check for Understanding.

-Thoughtful about providing positive feedback for high-quality work (conveys: I see your good work, and it matters...even online!"). This is a great way to build relationships through content and encourage students to replicate strengths they see in their peers' work.

-Remembers importance of showing the text if you're reading it (small but mighty facilitation move)

To Dissolve the Screen is to heighten students’ awareness of the back-and-forth exchange that still exists between their teacher and themselves so they feel it more strongly. It’s not just about connecting and and letting kids know we care about them (though hopefully there’s plenty of that); it's about establishing a connection through the work so they feel accountable, supported, and connected at the same time. The message is: “I see the work you’re doing, and it matters. I’m happy when I see you taking ownership and succeeding."

Watch the example below of how Ben Esser, a history teacher from the UK, "Dissolves the Screen." Although this sequence doesn't doesn't transpire during a synchronous lesson, there's no reason he couldn't just as easily apply what he's doing there in that setting. As you watch, consider: What does Ben do to effectively "Dissolve the Screen?" Jot your observations in the space below.

In case you were curious, here are some observations on this clip:

The lesson starts fast: “A king gets toppled today…” Ben begins, hitting the ground running. It feels purposeful right from the start and honors students time by getting started right away. There’s a Sports Center-like excitement- about the book. But of course the fun is doing it together: “Looking forward to doing that with you all.” Message: you are part of something. A member. The screen is starting to dissolve.

18 seconds in and we’re “snapping it up” for people who got a perfect on yesterday’s classwork. How we have to help kids feel like online is a place where they follow-through on tasks with focus and attention. By calling out people who did that Ben shows he values that and reminds them- I see the work that you do. That’s where he dissolves the screen. You’re far away, working at your kitchen table or in your room but I still know whether you do your work. I care and value it. I’m a less immediate presence in your life but the feedback loop is still there. I’m still here…

Then Ben doubles down on the idea--shouting out kids whose classwork average is high and then, best of all, showing the “really exemplary exit tickets” a few students wrote. The message here is important. You do good work, and Mr. Esser still sees it… right away… he values it, he reads it out to the class. You’re still connected. The work you do still matters, and the distance between student and teacher is dissolved.

Installing strong procedures and routines is one of the most important things you can do to support learning in a bricks and mortar classroom. Ensuring that students know how to do frequently recurring tasks well is a driver of focus and efficiency. It helps us as teachers make the endeavor of school feel productive, important, and even joyful.

One thing that watching examples of online teaching has taught us is that virtual classrooms often have more in common with the real thing than you might suspect, and the importance of procedures and routines is a good example.

To illustrate this point, take a look at this video below from Ben Esser's virtual classroom. Note the academic routines and procedures that he's established. Students know precisely how and when to participate and show what they know, enabling him to gauge understanding with simplicity and seeming effortlessness.

In an online setting, teachers have found these norms to be especially helpful for ensuring students are fully present for the wonderful learning experiences you've got planned for them:

A few "Mighty Mouse" norms from the list above are "camera on" and "Cold Call" ready. Camera on is important because it's hard to deliver instruction effectively if you can't read your all-important audience: students! It's a bit like "flying blind"--you know they're there, but how are they receiving the instruction? Do they seem puzzled, engaged, curious, or disinterested? Without the camera on, it's much harder to tell how engaged (or not) a student is by your lesson, making it impossible to make adjustments in the moment.

To roll it out, consider explaining why you're requesting cameras on (in student-friendly terms: "This lets me know how the lesson is going for you and/or when you want to participate" etc.). You might also add that students who have extenuating reasons/circumstances for not having cameras should check with you outside of class. After you roll out the importance of having cameras on (sharing the "why" in student-friendly terms), I might reinforce at the beginning of each lesson with a gentle reminder: "I see most of your smiling faces. Just need a few more cameras on." If a few cameras continue to remain off, maybe gently nudge with a private chat to ask if everything is OK or follow up with that student another way. If you're concerned students might be anxious about people will be able to see their surroundings, consider teaching students how to change their virtual backgrounds. The benefits of reinforcing "cameras on" early can be huge, and the downsides of not doing so can be considerable (on relationship-building, classroom energy and culture, students' attentiveness, etc.).

By Cold Call, I mean calling on students to share--even when their hand wasn't initially up. This is especially crucial in an online setting, as "hands up" can be a bit tricky to pull off or stay consistent with, but can be HUGE for ensuring equity in student voice (so discussion isn't limited to the fastest hand-raisers or most inclined to volunteer) and for engagement. Ways to make this feel as supportive and positive as possible: give kids a "heads up" that a Cold Call is coming (via chat or verbally); stay consistent about times of lessons where you Cold Call so kids come to expect it; ensure students understand your purpose for Cold Call is not as a "gotcha" but to ensure you're hearing as many ideas as possible and because you value what everyone has to say (not just their outgoing classmates).

Checking for Understanding is one of the biggest challenges in teaching; online you can multiply that tenfold. As Doug Lemov put it at a recent PD: "it’s like trying to assess how well your class is doing while looking in through the keyhole." Here's a video from Eric Snider, a middle school classroom that shows what this can look like when it's done well. Jot down your observations below and then feel free to compare your notes with mine below!

When Eric Checks for Understanding. CFU with reading is a two-step process. First we need to understand that students can generate meaning directly from the text without support from others–which is often tacitly often provided by the discussion after the reading… oh! that’s what was going on! Then, later, we need to make sure they understand the full interpretive context based on input from others. And it’s to easy to assume that kids who can do 2 could do 1. Not so. Often they are able to use subsequent discussion to fill in the gaps in what they missed while reading. So it’s brilliant that Eric checks right away here, before the discussion.

What a great use of the Chat to gather real time data. There aren’t many ways that online teaching is better than in-class but one benefit is that it’s easy and simple to gather data like this. it would be harder to do in the classroom.

Eric checks twice! It would be so easy to assume that once you’d explained, “Delphine is ashamed of the creases not the rally,” students would instantly get it. It seems that way to us because we are expert readers and we perceive easily. But it turns out even after explanation #1 students are still confused.

Also what a beautiful culture of error. “We’re pretty split and it looks like we might be a little bit confused…” Eric says. No judgment. It’s safe to be wrong.

Love, love, love the way he narrates the positive: “Thanks Lisa, Thanks Juwaun” He makes students feel seen when they work hard and he normalizes active engagement by helping students see it all around them.

Finally, there’s Solari and the lesson she teaches us. She’s answering from the back seat of her car, for goodness sake … and she crushes it. Yes, this is really, really hard. But kids are resilient. They can do it when we ask for their best and give them ours.

When taken to the extreme, asynchronous and synchronous can feel woefully insufficient. At its worst, asynchronous learning can feel like one endless, mind-numbing block of independent practice, whereas a synchronous lesson can feel like you're sitting through a lecture. Much of this has to do with our need to experience a change in pace, or a switching of gears. Our brains are evolutionarily hardwired to detect novelty, so even a subtle shift in formats (from writing to discussion) adds to our sense of engagement. Each pivot or segue adds a "milepost"--adding to our sense that distance has been traveled and that the lesson is progressing at an engaging pace.

Teachers intuitively understand this point when they're in their traditional classrooms, but it's easy to place

That's why it's so powerful to COMBINE asynchronous and synchronous activities in a single lesson. It enables you to leverage the strengths of both type, while mitigating their downsides. An easy way to do this is to turn what you'd ordinarily call "independent practice" into a form of Asynchronous Learning, requesting that students stay "on the line," but allowing them the freedom to move at their own speed and to ask for your support as needed.

In the clip below, you'll see how Eric Snider, a middle school English teacher at Achievement First, leverages a balance of both Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning, with great effect. As you watch, consider what you see him do that's effective, and then jot your observations in the space below.

If you're finding that more than 20% of students' responses contain the SAME (or a similar) gap or error, then it's probably worth addressing with "batched feedback" (Note: this is NOT the same as saying that 20% of students are getting it wrong for a variety of reasons.) "Batched feedback" works best for situations where you want to avoid giving the same feedback to student.

If you teach a course, like Visual Arts or creative writing--where there's technically no "right" or "wrong" answer--you can adapt "batched feedback" so that it resembles a group sharing their work products. For instance, Crystal Jung, a Visual Arts teacher at Brio, routinely asks students to "share" their work with the class--either via photo or by holding it up in front of the computer. Crystal then provides each student with feedback before asking everyone to identify something in each piece of art that they could incorporate into their own creative work. This teaches students to approach their peers' work as learners (not as art critics), and ensures everyone gains an actionable takeaway.