Teaching Social-Emotional Skills At a Distance

In this article in Education Week, Arianna Prothero says homebound students “now more than ever need strong coping skills to adjust to this new reality that will likely, for many, extend through the end of the school year and beyond.” The uncertainty and lack of control over the future makes social-emotional learning especially important – but how can educators accomplish that at a distance? Prothero interviewed several SEL experts for their ideas:

• Psychological distancing – Ask students to think about helping another young person: “Well, what would I do to support my best friend who was telling me they were really worried about the coronavirus? What would I say to them?” suggests Marc Bracket (Yale University). This gets students out of their own heads, being empathetic and compassionate with another person – which might surface ideas they could apply to themselves. Students could also be asked to examine their own self-talk and think about whether it’s helpful.

• Literature – For younger students, reading stories aloud (synchronously or asynchronously) and discussing the feelings and motivations of characters can be helpful.

• Current events – Older students might be asked to reflect on the social-emotional attributes on display among political leaders – self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, responsible decision-making – and discussing how and whether these are helping the U.S. through this crisis.

• Rituals – It’s a good idea to maintain cherished traditions like spirit week – for example, having students wear crazy socks and sending in photos of them. Journaling is another ritual, with teachers sending prompts to get students reflecting and writing about their feelings. For students without Internet access, cell phones can be the medium.

• Setting limits – It’s important to talk about what’s going on in the world, but teachers and families need to avoid overwhelming young people with too much about the pandemic. One step: suggesting to parents that they not have cable news on all the time.

“Teaching SEL When Students Are Home” by Arianna Prothero in Education Week, April 8, 2020 (Vol. 39, #29, pp. 14-15), https://bit.ly/34xNkXX

Summary provided by Marshall Memo 832 April 13, 2020

Classroom Management When Students Are in Their PJs

In this article in Education Week Teacher, Madeline Will reports on how some teachers are dealing with limit-setting in a remote learning environment. “It’s a situation where we need to extend grace,” said Merisha Leak, a North Carolina educator. “I don’t think it’s a school’s right or a teacher’s right to enforce school rules in someone’s home.”

But many teachers in a survey said it was challenging to keep students focused online. One approach is to lay down the law. “Remember,” stated one teacher’s Zoom rules, “this is a class, so treat it as such. Find a quiet place, free from distraction (sibling, pets, parents, television). Video needs to remain ON to promote focus. Eye contact should be maintained. Refrain from chewing gum, eating, or drinking in front of the camera.” Another teacher said that students who didn’t abide by the rules would be removed from the virtual classroom and given a zero.

Somewhere in the middle is Leah Smith, a Connecticut middle-school teacher who believes “the last thing they need is to have somebody be super strict with them.” Her guidelines for students: mute your microphone while others are talking, don’t purposely distract classmates (no TikTok dance moves on video), and above all be kind and respectful. Smith is tolerant of students munching during classes and being on their beds, as long as they’re sitting up. She had students show off their pets in an early class, and when a cat walked across the screen during a class, she said, “Oh, cute cat,” and moved on. “To not accept some of those funny moments is not really conducive to teaching middle school,” said Smith, “but at the same time, it needs to be harnessed so you can get things done.”

Teachers’ morale is also taking a hit, and many need some bucking up. “I think we really should remind teachers that they’re doing a great job, this is uncharted territory, and we’re all figuring this out,” said Ryann Fapohunda, a Washington, DC educator. “I would really encourage them to adopt a less-is-more approach. What success may have looked like when they’re physically in school will look different now… If students are adhering to guidelines in class – participating and showing up – I’m inclined to not call them out for wearing a hoodie or being in pajama pants.”

“Expectations for Online Student Behavior During Coronavirus School Closures” by Madeline Will in Education Week Teacher, April 8, 2020, https://bit.ly/2KeqZWl

Summary provided by Marshall Memo 832 April 13, 2020

Synchronous versus Asynchronous Instruction

In this article in Education Week, Mark Lieberman says teachers across the U.S. are facing a novel question: When and how often during the school day do my students need to see me? In other words, how much of daily instruction should be synchronous and how much asynchronous? Lieberman gathered ideas from several experts: • Don’t waste students’ time. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to do a 15-minute lecture live,” says Susan Patrick (Aurora Institute). Asynchronous communication (e-mails, text messages, videos) is efficient for basic instruction, launching a discussion, and setting deadlines. Synchronous communication (a videoconference) works best for discussions, sharing ideas, brainstorming, and spontaneous conversations. A big advantage of asynchronous lectures is that students can watch at their own pace, rewinding if necessary or watching more than once to fully grasp the content. • Don’t go overboard with synchronous teaching. Overly long live classes can be overstimulating for students and maddening for teachers. “Expecting students to be glued to their computers all day is especially unrealistic in households with more children than devices,” says Lieberman. “So relying too much on this approach could contribute to equity gaps, with students who have easy access to technology getting an edge over those who don’t.” • Asynchronous learning allows flexible pacing. Teachers can use a variety of approaches: an interactive game, a practice quiz, a supplementary video. Students can feel a kind of ownership of their learning that’s not possible in classroom settings, feeling less rushed by their classmates and able to go over material at their own speed. • Give parents clear direction. There are big differences in how parents should be working with elementary students (lots of structure) and what’s appropriate for high-school students who might, for example, choose to do all their English work on Sunday and all their math on Monday. • Synchronous learning can be informal. Teachers might conduct virtual office hours, inviting students to join them between certain times, or arrange for an optional lunch chat. Realtime class meetings or kick-offs for the day are especially helpful for younger students. 4 • Choose the best modality for different subjects and lessons. English might be best taught asynchronously when students are doing a lot of thinking and writing on their own. Math, on the other hand, might lend itself more to synchronous instruction, when students need to ask questions and get real-time help. • Asynchronous doesn’t mean absent. Because some students won’t take the initiative to get in touch, teachers need to be systematic about setting up individual video or phone check-ins, perhaps several times a month for each student. • Teaching is different for the time being. Effective synchronous teaching can be powerful, but it’s often difficult to engage students at the level of in-person classes, and this frustrates teachers. For many, online teaching is more facilitative. “You’re not leading through the learning process,” says Illinois curriculum director Jennifer Kolar Burden, “you’re guiding them, you’re pointing them in the right direction, you’re letting them explore on their own.”

“Virtual Education Dilemma: Scheduled Classroom Instruction vs. Anytime Learning” by Mark Lieberman in Education Week, March 30, 2020, https://bit.ly/2VKeJn0

Summary provided by Marshall Memo- updated May 2, 2020