There’s one thing we can rely on in education: change. As much as we try to prepare and plan, we can’t avoid it. However, the biggest change most of us will see in our teaching career came last March. We were all shook when schools started closing and fears started rising in the midst of a world-wide pandemic. All educators were asked to completely change what they know about teaching and adapt to remote learning. We had no idea how this was going to work and what the future would hold. But, in true teaching fashion, we changed.
At this point, many of you have your remote and distance learning plans on lock. However, the isolation has left me worried I should be doing more or different for my students. Seeing what other teachers do to be successful remotely, is so important in keeping me accountable. So, I’m here to share what I do. In hopes of helping another teacher out there.
Routine
Each morning, I send all of my students a Google Doc with their assignments for the day. Here is an example of what they receive:
I include the subject, assignment, and directions. The hyperlinks, underlined in blue, are used in a variety of ways:
- Hyperlink takes students to a Google Classroom assignment: Often there are more directions for completion on the GC assignment page
- Hyperlink leads students to a screencast video: Here they will see me working on the screen and explaining a particular concept. I use Loom as my screencast platform.
- Hyperlink takes students to Google Slide Presentation: If I’m not presenting this over a video call, students read the presentation on their own
- Hyerlink leads to another website or YouTube video
Students spend the majority of their day working independently. We have a video call in the morning, but after that, they complete the assignments at their own pace. I meet with small homogeneous reading groups via video conference every day. Each group meets twice a week, and my lowest group meets three times. Click here to see my reading group rotations.
Schedule
Here is my weekly schedule of subjects I teach (I teach 5th grade):
I find it works best for me to stay consistent with the subjects I teach each day. Students then know what’s coming and have a routine.
Video Conferencing and Screencasting
I learned early on that teaching new content through video conferencing was NOT great for me. Students were talking all at once, messaging each other in the chat, and missing content due to technical issues. This became so frustrating that I decided not to do it all together. Now, I only use live video conferencing to review, work in groups, or help a student individually.
So, all of my “whole-class” new instruction is done via screencast. I find this to be a way better option for me because I can put everything I need to say into one video that can be replayed at any time. Students who need more support can rewatch the video as many times as they need, and my high achievers can speed through it fast. I also then do not need to rely on all students having a perfect connection all at once. They no longer will miss out on information because they missed the video call. Click here to see an example of a screencast I made for a math lesson.
Conclusion
My hope is that you found something useful in looking at my daily routines & procedures. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like help. I truly enjoy showing teachers how to implement technology in their classrooms. I don’t have every answer, but together we can do what’s best for our students and ourselves.
All the best,
Alyssa
