What a Week of Distance Learning Can Be

In This Issue...

Reflections from Suzanne Herko, Student Agency Coordinator
RESOURCE: Distance Learning "Week at a Glance" Schedules
LINK: Everything You Can Do with the Smithsonian Learning Lab
VIDEO: How to Use Newsela for Remote Teaching
LINK: Please Do a Bad Job Putting Your Course Online
VIDEO: Mindfulness Classes for Kids and Families

“Starting with Empathy"

Reflections from Suzanne Herko, Gateway Student Agency Coordinator and 7th grade Humanities/ Learning Seminar Teacher

As educators, we talk a lot about having a "growth mindset," and that has become more important than ever as we and our students adapt to this new way of teaching and learning. What does that look like?

For one, it's recognizing that we are all, in one way or another, beginners at

this. You work as hard as you can to put out the best lesson or plan for the week that you can, and you learn from it and every iteration after that.

You really are going through the process with your students, so I've found it's incredibly important to operate from a place of forgiveness when things aren't perfect – for myself, for students, for each other as colleagues – and to keep our sense of humor.

For another, it's important to recognize how much we actually have to build on. Yes, there are a thousand and one different platforms and programs online we can use to engage with kids and teach them, but we need to start with what we know and are comfortable with, as educators, and branch out from there. That's what will give us the confidence to successfully lead our kids, who could easily become overwhelmed or get lost, because this is such a big transition for all of us.

Ultimately, all of our learning and interactions with students, families and our community has to come from a place of care and concern. Starting with empathy and figuring out where each student is at has to be the priority in this crisis – and the learning will happen once our students feel taken care of. And while I miss hanging out with my kids, I have found moments of joy and connection that wouldn't be possible otherwise: getting to see them in their own spaces with their favorite posters and toys, checking out what creative projects they're up to, "meeting" their siblings and pets and getting to see their dynamics together.

We didn't get into teaching to sit behind a desk all day, and these moments of connection via video or email are what will keep us centered and rooted even as our circumstances continue to shift. In these moments, I can feel the community we've worked so hard to build as a school, and it brings me back to my purpose and why I chose this field in the first place.

illustration of a laptop, mouse, to-go coffee and backpack

RESOURCE: Distance Learning Week at a Glance Schedules

There are about as many ways of doing distance learning as there are schools, and all are evolving week by week as educators learn more about what engages students and what is reasonable to ask of children and families sheltering in place. At Gateway, we remain firmly committed to keeping all mandatory instruction asynchronous while providing as many optional opportunities for students to connect “live” with peers and staff as possible. We believe this is the best possible balance between the most equitable instruction we can provide, given that most students are sharing limited technology and internet access with their families, and the social interaction adolescents really do need to thrive.

All of which isn’t to say that the asynchronous model isn’t without its challenges. It requires students to be largely responsible for their own learning during the day, which in turn entails an incredible amount of planning on the part of teachers. Students need a lot of support not just in mastering content, but in recreating some of the structures of the school day that are crucial for many students to thrive.

This week we’re sharing two sample schedules, one for middle school and one for high school, as a snapshot of what asynchronous distance learning can look like. These are very much living documents that are constantly being refined – some students, for example, find the week-at-a-glance format overwhelming, in which case staff are differentiating by breaking the week down into daily schedules they review each morning with the student.

The middle school version walks students through each day’s mandatory and optional activities. The school day “begins” with optional but highly encouraged morning meetings, which are opportunities for students to connect with each other and with staff, ask questions about the day’s work, and stay informed about announcements that impact the extended school community. Students are also encouraged to visit the virtual “Student Services Office” each afternoon for live support if they need help with issues not directly related to specific class content. The organizer also provides extension opportunities for students looking for stretch goals, and reiterates “schoolwide” norms – slightly updated and adapted for the new learning context.

The high school version is somewhat simpler, for older, (hopefully) more responsible students managing more of their work using Google Classroom. This document emphasizes instructor office hours (a term deliberately chosen to mirror the practice they’ll encounter in college) and contact information – many instructors opt for a fairly “open door” policy for students, while others manage meetings throughout the week.

Both schedules emphasize flexibility and student choice when possible – students are encouraged to work at their own pace, choose activities they find meaningful, and work breaks and fresh air into their day. Both templates are available at Gateway Impact for your team to customize – we hope you find something that inspires you! What does your weekly schedule look like? Show us to be featured in a future issue.

LINK: Everything You Can Do with the Smithsonian Learning Lab

If you haven’t already checked out the Smithsonian’s Virtual Learning Lab, make this the week you take a tour! Teachers have access to millions of digital resources from across the Smithsonian's museums, research centers, libraries, archives, and more. The site works like a cross between a very expensive research database and Pinterest, allowing you to search, organize and customize primary sources as well as lessons, activities, and recommended resources made by both Smithsonian museum educators and other teachers using the site.

Even better, Smithsonian educators hold weekly virtual office hours any teacher can attend for free, where you can ask questions about using the site or thought partner about a lesson you’re dreaming up. The site also hosts free webinars for students AND teachers across a variety of subjects almost every day, AND you can arrange a virtual museum tour for your class. The Smithsonian Learning Lab has the potential to be a game changer for your teaching both now and when you return to your “real-world” classroom in the near future. Read their guide to getting started, and have fun exploring!

VIDEO: How to Use Newsela for Remote Teaching

Usually a premium subscription service, the content library Newsela is offering free access to all educators through the end of the school year. Explore the site and you’ll find a wide array of lesson plans, activities, and standards-aligned articles – all at different Lexile levels, so you can keep students on the same page while differentiating for their unique needs. It’s a great service, but daunting if you don’t have previous experience. Let our EdTech expert Sam Kary be your guide in this 10-minute intro to Newsela’s many offerings and examples of how to implement them with your students.

LINK: Please Do a Bad Job Putting Your Course Online

Need a pep-talk/reality check? You might be interested in this piece by Rebecca Barrett-Fox, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Arkansas State University. While her piece is geared toward post-secondary educators, much applies to our work in K-12 and the realities our students and families are dealing with:

“They may be anxious. They may be tired. Many students are returning to their parents’ home where they may not be welcome. Others will be at home with partners who are violent. School has been a safe place for them, and now it’s not available to them. Your class may matter to them a lot when they are able to focus on it, but it may not matter much now, in contrast to all the other things they have to deal with. Don’t let that hurt your feelings, and don’t hold it against them in future semesters or when they come back to ask for a letter of recommendation.”

Ultimately, Rebecca exhorts us to let ourselves and students off the hook a little bit. The temptation to let perfect be the enemy of good can be strong, but a kind conversation or shared joke with your students is likely far more valuable to them right now then your most compelling PowerPoint. Read the full piece here.

LINK: Free Mindfulness Classes for Kids and Families

Wrangling your own little ones while you plan and teach a full course load from your dining room table? Not the easiest. Mindful Schools has developed an online mindfulness course for K-5 students and families, designed to be taken together as a 15-30 minute break in the day. Taking a moment to stretch and bliss out with your kids is a fantastic daily practice and can help improve even the most stressful days. Mindful Schools has many other resources and videos, along with live events being scheduled all the time, so take some time to explore the site. Are your middle and high school students helping take care of younger siblings? Offering an incentive for students who complete classes with their young charges would be terrifically kind, and would certainly be appreciated by parents, as well.

What Do You Need?

Gateway Impact’s mission is to serve as a free resource and partner to educators across the nation – and that means you! Email us with a distance learning challenge you’d like help troubleshooting and a Gateway educator will address your question in a future issue.

Alternatively, is something going well? Find a great resource to share? Let us know and we’ll highlight your bright spot.

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