I've been working on this for weeks and it's still "in progress." So I decided to publish as is and update along the way. We are so overwhelmed with resources and information, that just a few things is good to get started anyway...
At this point, most school districts have made plans for how to start the school year. Some have already had to change their plan, and we still have so many unknowns for the future months. Whatever you think about the decisions being made about school, the fact is that this school year will not be the "back to normal" we were all hoping it would be. It is up to the adults to make the best of this situation so our children feel safe and cared for. We want to model for our children how a community can work together even when there are disagreements and worries.
In my area, school begins in just a couple weeks. While the unknowns make it challenging to prepare for the school year, we are working together to get things in place so we can have a great start to the school year.
We know how to create learning environments that support our learners. We know how to design projects, lessons, and activities that engage, challenge, and excite our learners. We value collaboration with colleagues in our district and around the world. All these things are still true - we just have to get creative and transfer what we know to new or different settings.
While we all long to be back in the classroom with all our students doing all the "normal" things we do, we will make this year work. My colleagues do not give up. They power through challenges so they can best meet the needs of their students. I encourage everyone to also think about how you can make this unique situation a time to try something new and to find resources that will work with remote learning but that also could improve learning in a "typical" year. Embrace the opportunity to be creative, encourage student agency, and focus on community building, compassion, and equity, which is so desperately needed in our world.
Getting the Year Started
Just like in other years, it is so helpful to collaborate with colleagues! Once we got the conversation going, we didn't stop. I think we have enough opening activities to last us five months.
Here is just one idea that many of us have used for years, and is still a great activity this year International Dot Day - "Celebrate creativity, courage, and collaboration" is the message of International Dot Day, based on the book The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. Click on the link to connect to others and to find tons of ideas that will work virtual or in person. International Dot Day is September 15ish (any day works!)
Project Based Learning (PBL)
I often hear teachers say that they don't have time to engage in PBL or that they fear their students won't learn what they are supposed to if they working on projects. Neither are true. However, I understand that PBL is challenging. My suggestions is to start with a small project that students can do whether they are at home or in school or any combination. There are great resources to get you started if you are not sure where to begin. I have used PBL in grades 2-6, and I have seen the benefits in terms of student ownership of learning, skills and content growth, and, the biggest (and hardest) sell: you wind up saving time because you will be working on more than one subject area at a time. We all know that it is absolutely impossible, even without a pandemic, to address all that is required for a grade level. Why not use this "pandemic time" to try something new - you certainly will not be doing things as you always do anyway.
Video Conferencing
A lot of schools are using Zoom, Google Meet, and other video conferencing tools, but video conferencing has been available for schools for decades! This is the perfect time to reach out to organizations that offer virtual connections and see if you can make it work with your class.
Reach out to alumni - college students have a lot to offer!Family members - do your students have family members that can share their jobs or hobby?
Have a great year, everyone!
