Switching Gears (Again): Back to Online Learning for Winter 2020
As expected, COVID-19 cases are rising around the country as temperatures drop. For many, this means that school, which was briefly opened for in-person classes, will go back to online-only formats.
The switch back is hard, we get it. Some students had a brief span of normalcy, from seeing their friends in the hallway to talking to someone who isn’t in your family. Even for teachers, being able to safely teach and see their student’s faces was a treat, if only for a few months.
As we all know, going back online, or staying online, keeps people safe. Not just students and teachers, but also the families they go home to. Here are some ways to help ease the transition:
Understand that the transitions back and forth are difficult for everyone involved. Show empathy and compassion.
Over-communicate expectations. Whether you’re a teacher, parent, or student, the holidays are a difficult time to pay attention. Set expectations upfront and stay on task. If you’re unclear about an expectation from a teacher, ask!
Structure your day. Now that you may be used to in-person classes, your daily routine has changed quite a bit. Set a routine for online classes and homework.
For teachers, it will be hard to keep students motivated online as the days get shorter. Here’s a great article from Edutopia which speaks on the difficulty of online-learning with high school students and looking to the future.
As it gets darker and colder—and motivation to learn virtually is likely to decline—I’m planning to reemphasize virtual projects and exhibitions of work, open conversations, and offline goals with students. As one student said, “It’s really hard to look forward to anything when everything you look forward to keeps getting canceled.” I am hoping that even a class presentation can be a date on the calendar that is, if not exciting, something to anticipate.
Stay home and stay safe,
Cirkled In
