What schools should do right now
Author: Kathleen Almy
Wait and see. It's the mode we're all in every day now. And yet, things are never boring. If anything, there's too much going on which it makes it challenging to get planning. Many colleges have made decisions for fall related to being remote or at least hybrid, so faculty are planning. But K-12 is a different situation altogether. It's an incredibly complex structure with so many people and norms that our society functions with, more than most of us ever realized until the pandemic. Even if someone doesn't have children, whether schools open or not affects nearly everyone. So many wait to see what will August bring. The good news there are things that can be done this month regardless of what is decided next month.
Leave time for learning
The most important thing schools can do this month is getting training for their teachers. It sounds self-serving of me to say this, but I believe it to be true even if I wasn't in business. Teachers need to increase their skill set with online tools, teaching techniques, and assessment techniques. Some teachers had a good end of last school year, but many didn't. Many felt like first-year teachers and that they were letting their students down even though they were working nonstop and often caring for their own children. It was an exhausting and frustrating time.
“My strongest advice to administrators is to get training for all teachers in remote, hybrid, and online teaching techniques, regardless of subject matter. ”
This is usually the time of year teachers would be planning their rooms, getting supplies, and getting excited about the next year. Teachers still want and need that to happen. My strongest advice to administrators is to get training for all teachers in remote, hybrid, and online teaching techniques, regardless of subject matter. This month is the ideal time to do because it leaves teachers with time to implement the skills they learn. They need time to talk with others, brainstorm, and to adjust existing lessons and assessments. If schools wait until August, teachers are left in the position of overwhelm again.
Teachers have spent their careers teaching in person. That skill can always improve for all of us, but let's table that for this summer. Focus instead on learning online teaching tools. Play with them, try them out, and see what suits you and what doesn't. Talk with other teachers and learn about what they're doing. These suggestions will not only empower teachers by feeling like they are doing something, they also cover the bases in terms of what could happen in the fall. The reality is that online learning is never going away. Its level of use will change over time, but the skill will remain essential.
We have multiple programs and offerings, live and recorded, free and paid, to get you started. We're particularly excited about our live offerings this month: Taking STEM Online for college faculty and Flipping STEM for any STEM teacher from middle school through graduate school. Flipping STEM is a great program for anyone who wants to be prepared to teach hybrid or switch from face-to-face to online at a moment's notice.
We also have great free offerings from these same teachers that you can check out.
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