3A: Communicates with Students: There is frequent communication between educators and students. This may be during our semiweekly Zoom video conferences, or through feedback and commenting on students' submitted learning activities on our online learning platform.
Using questioning and discussion techniques is one of my favorite and most efficient way to build communication skills in students and also to assess their learning. These are strategies I use on a regular basis. This has not changed, even through the transition to online learning. I still communicate with the students, via zoom video conferencing and commenting on learning activities, by asking questions, providing opportunity for students to explain their in-depth thinking and continue building communication skills by answering questions.
3C: Engaging Students in Learning: In a tech-savvy generation, we are lucky--especially during times like this--that even the youngest citizens are familiar with the basic in's and out's of general technology. They know how to access online apps, and scroll through them until they find what they are looking for. Thus, it has been fairly easy to engage students in online learning through virtual learning activities and educational games. The challenge here is promoting engagement in learning while off-line. While skimming through activities to assign the Kindergarteners, I usually look for something with physical activity, conversation with others, or ways that they can use their minds away from the computer, before turning to our online learning platform to report and reflect. Such activities may include, scavenger hunt around their yards and houses, interviews or questionnaires with family members, or dance and movement activities during our Zoom video conferences. It is easy to keep a child engaged with a screen. The question is, how can we extend that engagement to reflect mental and physical growth?
3D: Assessment in Instruction: Assessment online, looks close to what it did in the classroom, without the physical, face-to-face encounters. We still formatively assess students through their completed work. We use questioning and discussion techniques to deepen students' thinking and their ability to reflect on what they've learned, or what they think about given topics. Some assessments may require help from parents, since students are learning from home. For instance, my CT may send out a sheet of letters and sounds that the students have learned, and give assessment instructions to parents, asking them to perform the assessment and report back with results. This way, we can continue to collect data and track students progress.
3E: Demonstrating Flexibility and Responsiveness: School closure and transition to online learning due to the novel coronavirus is the ultimate test in demonstrating flexibility and responsiveness. This real-life scenario poses many questions regarding how and to what extent can we be flexible and responsive in our teaching practice. The transition from classroom to online learning platform shows flexibility of student, educator, and family. The ability to adjust daily schedules and routines, to be present for Zoom video conferences, and to intentionally make the space and time to complete learning activities at home further deepens that flexibility. The responsive piece reflects a sense of self-motivation and willingness to maintain flexibility. Responsiveness in an online learning environment is likely to be less timely, as most communication takes place through text, email, or online learning platform. Thus, managing time and motivation are key components in maintaining both flexibility and responsiveness in an online learning community.