5 areas where teachers can support students in learning, Part I
Naphtali and colleague Etti Siegel are running a Back to School Boot Camp that will address each of the below areas and more. Learn more and register.
For new teachers, the process of getting ready for the school year can draw mixed emotions. On the one hand, it is exciting to don your creativity cap and consider new ways to make school and learning exciting. At the same time, there can be some nervousness associated with your preparation, particularly when you’re not sure what the new year will even look like, as in whether it will include in-person instruction, remote learning or some blended variation.
Make no mistake, this is by far the most uncertain start to the school year that any of us have ever experienced. We don’t know what form school will take in a couple of months and we must figure out how to close academic gaps that were created by the pandemic; deal with issues of mindset (student and teacher); provide opportunities for social-emotional learning; and be prepared for the residual (if not current) effects of trauma and more. All while still managing our classrooms effectively and providing our students with engaging instruction that is differentiated to ensure that all learners’ needs are met.
As I see it, the following areas are the ones that are most critical for new (and even veteran) teachers to master if they are to hit the ground running during the first days of the school year and beyond:
Mastering the delivery of both in-person and remote instruction strategies,
Creating engaging, differentiated lessons to reach all learning styles,
Developing a systematic approach to assessment and to ensuring student accountability,
Supporting your students’ social-emotional needs and development, while growing your mindset and confidence to succeed,
Crafting a solid plan for the 1st 90 days, including relationship-building and a clear, consistent approach to classroom management
Delivering Hybrid Instruction
If the recent school reopening guidance issued by NYC is any indication, teachers nationwide will need to be prepared to deliver both in-person and remote instruction in the Fall. To master each form of delivery, teachers should be thinking about students’ UX, as in user-experience.
What is it like to be on the receiving end of quality as well as poor in-person and virtual instruction? Not sure what the answer is? Ask students. They’ll be more than happy to tell you.
With virtual learning in particular, study up on how it differs from in-person education and set norms and expectations for your students to follow when remote. This blog details many useful items for remote teachers to consider. Once you determine what needs to be done, practice, practice, and practice some more, and then ask for feedback, so that you are as close to unconsciously competent (Level 4) as possible on Day 1.
Differentiated Learning
It is more imperative than ever that teachers craft engaging, differentiated lessons for their classes. Student engagement means student interest, and it is a critical component for true comprehension and higher-order-thinking. Remote learning turned many lessons back to the frontal teaching model, a model that is not as conducive to learning.
Teachers that were most effective figured out how to engage students at every turn. From the regular thumbs-up/thumbs down to dressing up, from vocabulary scavenger hunts to riddle solving, their students were immersed in active learning. Some classes even put on plays and other multifaceted, complex productions.
Remember that nothing encourages misbehavior more than a class that fails to excite kids’ minds. Students are intrinsically curious; they constantly search for meaning and stimulation. Classes that are too one-dimensional, that fail to involve students sufficiently, are too challenging (we would all rather be viewed as bad than as academically weak), or are very much information heavy, leaving little room for discussion and consideration, will not satisfy students’ curiosities or needs for authentic intellectual stimulation.
When we differentiate, we consider all of the learners in our classrooms. This can be done by planning for different learning styles -- beyond the typical visual-spatial- and auditory-oriented presentations -- as well as giving students increased control over what they learn, how they learn it, and how they demonstrate mastery of the content.
Assessment and Accountability
Of course, we can’t stop once we have created and delivered quality lessons. We must also develop a systematic approach to assessment and to ensuring student accountability. Good educators know that evidence gathering is a central component of their craft.
Perhaps they don’t use the term “evidence” to describe what they search for, preferring instead “testing” or other assessment-related jargon. Regardless, we know that evidence is necessary to determine the answer to a most fundamental question: Did they learn what I taught?
There is, unfortunately, a gap (sometimes quite sizable) between teaching and learning. We cannot simply port information from our mouths and minds into our students’ brains. Instead, we must figure out the best way to organize and deliver content so that it supports complete transference, with deep processing and strong retention.
As we do this, we have to consider such factors as student readiness, interest and learning style. We also need to think about variables that we cannot control, like students’ home life and social relationships. These factors sit on top of the primary task of content delivery and our need to assess what they have or have not learned.
Assessment is one of the most important components of education, but not just in the summative or even intermediate sense of the term. Teachers ought to be assessing on a regular basis -- what is commonly called formative assessment -- in order to ensure that the students are grasping the content and are able to demonstrate their mastery in some fashion.
Whether they use quick, simple checkings for understanding, such as choral response or head nodding, or something a bit more elaborate (like having students complete a one minute paper or a graphic organizer), teachers need to be collecting regular evidence of student learning before simply moving forward. And if the feedback demonstrates confusion, then a re-teaching (partial or full, to some or all students) is in order.
Let’s be honest. For most teachers, assessment is the least enjoyable part of the job (faculty meetings and report cards notwithstanding). We would all rather be teaching, engaging and facilitating learning rather than go through the assessment process, particularly the grading component.
But without frequent assessments, we cannot really know if we are achieving our goals and making an impact. This might mean moving forward despite not having all -- or most -- students on board.
The good news is that formative assessment is not labor intensive. Often it can be completed in seconds without any work on the teacher’s part. (“All right, class. If what I just said is correct, indicate that by making a ‘c’ with your hand. If it was incorrect, show that with an ‘i.’”)
The key is being committed to soliciting ongoing feedback and then being willing to analyze it and use it correctly, even if that means adjusting your lesson and unit plans as a result.