Distance Learning
In mid-March 2020, Pennsylvania schools transitioned to distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here you'll find my experiences including how I supported my mentor teachers, activities I created, and resources I've compiled.
Co-Planning & Co-Teaching
Rather than switching classrooms each week as I had been doing prior to the closure, I supported both the general education and learning support teams each day. Both the 4th grade and the LS team met via Zoom 1-2 times each week to co-plan the next week of instruction. My 4th grade class met via Zoom twice weekly - once to go over the plan for the week and review academics, and once to connect as a class and socialize. I also met with my LS students at least once each week to check in. Sometimes these meetings are purely social; other times, we co-teach a live mini-lesson or review expectations. In addition to these large group Zooms, I co-taught small group meetings for three different math groups. Each day I logged onto Schoology to connect with students and give feedback on their work.
The school district deployed devices and hotspots to as many families as possible, so we focused on strategies to make learning accessible to families with varying devices and schedules, as well as finding ways to engage students. At the beginning of each week, we sent out a Google Doc or Slides with the lesson plans other materials for the week (e.g. Zoom links). Folders were set up on Schoology organized by date and subject to make navigation intuitive for students. Click here for samples of the weekly layout (identifying information removed). |
Resources I Have Created
Since I was involved in the team planning process, I had the opportunity to create activities and instructional videos for students outside of my own placements. The pages linked below contain some highlights of what I contributed to each team.
Distance Learning Resources
One of the silver linings of this transition was all of the professional growth opportunities. From the school district offering a variety of virtual PD sessions on instructional technology; to taking the initiative to become a Level 1 Google Certified Educator and Apple Teacher and begin the Level 2 Google Certified Educator program; to simply compiling a list of digital resources to keep in my back pocket, I've not only been able to familiarize myself with many platforms for online learning, I've reflected on how I might better integrate instructional technology into a live classroom.
Here are some of the resources my teams have taken advantage of, plus some I've gathered from colleagues: (Click on each image to visit the website)
Here are some of the resources my teams have taken advantage of, plus some I've gathered from colleagues: (Click on each image to visit the website)