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Parents/Families as Partners
Parents/Families as Partners
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, schools around the world were thrown into emergency remote teaching and the challenges were felt by everyone: students, teachers, administrators, and parents/families. This viral video from an Israeli mom humorously highlights some of the struggles at home.
(Video Length: 1 min. 32 secs)
The experiences described by this mom highlight the challenges we face when we don't involve all stakeholders in the decisions about learning online/at home. Consider creating a parent/family interest surveys/inventories to get a better understanding of home life and how parents/families can partner with you to support their child/children.
In brick and mortar classrooms, educators often ask students/families their preferred form of communication (email, text message, phone, etc). In online learning, that information is critical. We need to be able to connect with students and their families to share successes and discuss opportunities for improvement.
Note: If a student is not attending online meetings and/or not active in the LMS/Google Classroom, it is imperative that you use all forms of communication possible to reach that learner and their family to provide supportive accountability. We must be relentless in getting to our learners and their families so they know that we are here to support them, not shame them.
Listening to this mom and thinking about your previous experiences, how would you design a day or a week that includes synchronous and asynchronous learning as well as flexibility for families?
Co-Creating Shared Expectations
Co-Creating Shared Expectations
As we are building this community of learners that includes learners and their families, we need to establish and implement shared expectations. Across the board, teachers report that when learner expectations are co-created, students feel a sense of ownership and are not only more likely to honor the expectations, they are also more likely to help enforce the guidelines to support the community. Below are two resources that have helped online/blended teachers:
Forming Ground Rules (Creating Norms) - This face-to-face protocol can be adapted. Here is an example of a version adapted for online by Holly Steele, OCDE, Educational Services
Sample Online Learning Commitment Form (Google Forms Version; Also available on the Commitment Form page on this site)
Note: To use or adapt this Online Learning Commitment Form for your own class/school/district, click here. You will be prompted to make a copy. (Google sign-in required) Google Docs version also available here. If you do not have a Google account, select Download from the File menu and choose MS Word.
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