Clif Mims

Tips to Transition to Virtual Learning Environments

With the Coronavirus continuing to spread throughout the country, schools are closing for and transitioning to online learning in order to comply with the social distancing recommendations by the CDC. Teachers around the country are thus being asked to transition their lessons to a virtual environment. The recommendations below have been curated from my personal contacts who have already been utilizing virtual learning environments for the last several weeks in other countries.

Keep it Simple: keep your lessons simple by including direct instructions so there is no confusion about what is expected. The example below is from a teacher in Beijing who is on week six of teaching online due to the Coronavirus (source).

Date – Wednesday 11th March
Task # (ex. Task 1 of 2) so that students know exactly how many things I have shared with them.
Expected Time (to complete this task)
Learning Outcome/s
Introduction (I have been doing this as a video from me)
Possible Audio – of the instructions, if they are complicated, to assist my second English learners.
Activities and provide all links to your resources.
For Active Tasks – I have Reminders and Safety tips as well as ideas for differentiation where required.

Be Flexible: You are not going to know what the environment is like at the home of all of your students. Small children may need adult assistance. Older children may be caring for younger siblings. Be flexible with your lessons. You may not be able to cover all of your content. Make a list containing the sections of your content that absolutely must be covered and focus on those items instead of trying to teach everything.

Manage Anxiety: walking into an unknown learning environment during an official pandemic can raise the anxiety and fear in everyone. Even though your lessons are online, you can still be a reassuring force of positivity and calm for your students. Stay positive in your videos and messages for students. Make learning fun. Encourage off-screen activities.

Stay Connected to Parents: parents are going to feel overwhelmed quickly with supporting the learning of their children at home. Be sure to communicate with parents regularly but remember to stay positive and calm. Send surveys to students and parents so you can gauge where they are mentally and adjust your lessons accordingly. You can even suggest offering phone calls or video chats with parents to assist struggling students.

When in doubt, Google it: there are a ton of resources online for creating virtual learning lessons so if your school is unable to provide adequate training use Google. Google your specific subject area and grade level with the term online lessons or virtual learning lessons. There are a lot of rockstar teachers out there creating helpful resources for transitioning to virtual learning environments. We are all in this together.

Take Care of You: whether your school is closed and/or transitioning to virtual learning environments for two weeks or eight weeks, remember to take care of you. Practice self care so that you are taking care of your physical, mental, and emotional health.

Interested in learning more? Check out the websites below for great information.

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above.

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

@hollandkaylah

Stuck at Home? Use these Non-Screen Activities

If you are participating in social distancing for the next couple of weeks as a precaution to the spread of the coronavirus or because your school has closed or transitioned to virtual learning, here are 25 non-screen activities to engage children. The original article by Pobble is available by clicking here.

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above.

@hollandkaylah

Google Announces New Features to Combat the Coronavirus by Utilizing Digital Environments

With schools around the world closing as a precaution against spreading the coronavirus, Google has announced several ways to help educators create digital environments so learning can continue without being gathered together (source).

Google announced that Hangouts Meet will now be available for all GSuite users and can include up to 250 people at once. The new features of Hangouts Meet will also allow for the live-streaming of up to 100,000 people so schools can have county wide assemblies if needed (source).

Other ways Google can assist educators with distance learning is through utilizing their already collaborative tools like comments in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides and implementing Google Classroom (source). Google has created numerous resources including EDU on Air and a teacher resource center to help educators get started with these products. You can read the entire article from Google by clicking here.

Next Steps

Interested in learning more? Check out the websites below for great information.

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above.

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

@hollandkaylah

Mr. Jenson Makes a Difference

A.J. Juliani says that this short inspirational video has changed the way he thinks “about being a teacher, leader, parent, coach, and friend” (source). The powerful video shares a story of how a teacher changed a student’s life. Who is your Mr. Jenson? How can you be a Mr. Jenson in someone’s life?

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above.

@hollandkaylah

Lessons Learned as an Instructional Coach

What: Making the shift from classroom teacher to instructional coach can be quite a challenge. I recently read an article by EdTechTeam that discussed five lessons to learn from being an instructional coach and in a time of reflection over my own career I thought about a few more. The suggestions below are blend the lessons offered from EdTechTeam in this article and my own suggestions for being a successful instructional coach.

Embrace the chaos, but set boundaries. Megan Purcell, in this EdTechTeam article, suggests that the biggest lesson to learn as an instructional coach is to embrace the chaos. With change being the only constant, instructional coaches should always be ready for the unexpected. Setting boundaries helps curb some of the chaos but I always understand that empty space on my calendar is never truly time to myself. Maintaining an attitude of flexibility at unending interruptions make a huge difference in how often people seek my help.
Don’t lose your street cred. Megan Purcell, in this EdTechTeam article, also suggests that instructional coaches are both a coach and a teacher and it is important to stay connected to what is happening in the classroom. A teacher told me once that I wasn’t a real teacher. She wasn’t being mean, she just meant that I was not in the classroom teaching a core subject all day every day. Maintaining my own credibility in the classroom became something that I made a priority and began teaching at least one class each year. Teaching added more work to my already growing load but it gave me credibility with teachers and a place to try out ideas and new tools.
Make every moment count. I cannot tell you how often great ideas and collaborations happen with teachers from discussions at the lunch table. Teachers want to do what is best for their students but do not often have the time for another meeting with me. I try to find small pockets of time throughout the day – lunch, recess, break, walking to and from assemblies, etc – to speak with teachers about a new idea or collaboration. They appreciate that I am not asking for yet another meeting and usually welcome new ideas.
Be visible. It is often easier to stay holed away in my space fixing devices and researching new tools than it is to be visible but teachers (and students) have a hard time making it to me for help. To make it easier on them, I make it a point to walk up and down the hall every day and I observe at least one teacher a day forcing myself to be present in the hallways and in their classrooms. My one observation and being present in the hallway has become a way for me to be visible. Students stop me for help or to ask questions and teachers welcome me into their classrooms (often to fix something broken). My observations became a talking point the next time I sit with them at lunch. I encourage them for something they are doing well and offer ideas for implementing technology and/or collaborating with a coworker. Being visible has allowed me to make more of an impact than waiting on teachers to come to me.

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above.

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

Making the shift from classroom teacher to instructional coach can be quite a challenge. I recently read an article by EdTechTeam that discussed five lessons to learn from being an instructional coach and in a time of reflection over my own career I thought about a few more. The suggestions below are blend the lessons offered from EdTechTeam in this article and my own suggestions for being a successful instructional coach.

@hollandkaylah

Teacher Halftime Interview

A little humor for your Friday…

Overcoming Writer’s Block

Educators often feel the need to engage students in their lessons in addition to educating while also adhering to set content standards and maneuvering around an ever-changing schedule. Writing great lesson plans is not often an easy task so what do educators do when they reach writer’s block? Matt Miller from Ditch That Textbook offers the following tips for overcoming writer’s block (source).

Think back on your best lessons: consider your favorite lessons or lessons that went well and use the same ideas on your new lesson.
Be proactive: being creative is difficult on-demand. Begin keeping a journal of great ideas so that when you feel stuck you can look at the journal for inspiration.
Take a walk: take a quick break to walk or exercise. Exercising improves brain activity which might produce exciting ideas.
Get inspiration: I am always inspired by the work of other educators. You can be inspired by the work of other educators by visiting their classrooms or by browsing through vetted social media and websites.
Brain dump: write down all the ideas you have about a certain lesson while also answering questions about the lesson you want to teach: content to cover, what excites students, etc.

You can see these tips and more by viewing 10 Tips for Lesson Planning Writer’s Block by Matt Miller.

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above.

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

@hollandkaylah

Inspiring Story of Generosity

A few weeks ago a businessman in Toledo, Ohio made a generous gesture for a class of graduating seniors. At a school assembly, he announced that he would pay for their college tuition, room, and board so that they can attend a college or trade school for free. He also said that one of their parents would be able to attend college or trade school for free. Pete Kadens, a philanthropist who offered almost three million dollars to this graduating class of seniors and one parent, offered the money on one condition – that the term ‘gift’ be replaced with ‘responsibility’. In an interview with CBS evening news, Kadens suggests that he has become successful in an unfair society and as such it is his responsibility and the responsibility of his peers to pave the way for those less fortunate that were not offered the same level of education as he was. You can watch the inspiring interview by clicking here.

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above.

@hollandkaylah

Spark Creativity in the Classroom

Image result for adobe spark — Image source

Adobe Spark is a set of three separate tools together including Adobe Video (an easy to use video creation tool), Adobe Post Graphic (an easy to use tool to create graphics combining images and text), and Adobe Page (a powerful tool to create reports). There are numerous ways to incorporate Adobe Spark into your classroom including remixing writing assignments, creating graphics to accompany six-word memoirs, and creating stunning reports (source). You can also create assignments using Adobe Spark for sight word proficiency, narrative prompts, creative storytelling, science fair presentations, and more (source).

Next Steps

Interested in learning more? Check out the websites below for great information.

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above.

@hollandkaylah

Kindness Matters

Kahil Gibran says, “Kindness is like snow. It beautifies everything it covers”. I recently read an article about bringing kindness to work. You can read the entire article by clicking here. The article states that “It turns out kindness at work has now become fundamental. While inclusion, fair pay, and development remain important, kindness and connection are now essential” (source). The article also discusses that, “after two decades of research…the most important things in our lives are compassion, empathy, forgiveness, gratitude, mindfulness, social connection, and awe. These are all human issues, and all revolve around kindness” (source).

Since kindness in the public business world is so important, how do we promote cultures of kindness in our own classrooms? In my opinion, we must first model kindness. Our students are watching us and often react to the culture we promote in our classrooms. Modeling kindness creates a culture of empathy and mindfulness in the classroom and is done by being calm, happy, understanding, and by being a good listener. Another way to promote kindness is to be purposeful with research, projects, assignments, and discussions. Every single moment counts in your classroom so make the most of them. In an article on creating a culture of kindness in the classroom, Scholastic suggests utilizing programs that promote kindness like the Be Kind Project and Random Acts of Kindness.

Creating a culture of kindness doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated. You just need to be like snow and make everything around you beautiful.

References:

All sourced information is hyperlinked as applicable above.

TLDR (too long didn’t read):

Kindness matters. Be like snow, make everything around you beautiful.

@hollandkaylah