6 Strategies Teachers Love About Distance Learning that can be used in an Actual Classroom

When schools closed nationwide due to the coronavirus pandemic, schools systems were quickly thrown into a distance learning environment. Many teachers were learning as they went – just as the students were. As teachers had to quickly adapt and figure out how to conduct their class from home, many just used trial-and-error to understand what would work and what wouldn’t.

As this school year is coming to a close, and educators prepare for the uncertainty of next school year, everyone is hopeful for a safe return to the classroom.  When that does happen, teachers have discovered practices that were successful in a digital setting that they’d like to continue in person. Here are 6 strategies that teachers discovered during distance learning that can be implemented when schools are back in session physically:

Provide Positive Feedback in a Quick Email

While working from a distance, it’s nice to provide a quick one or two line email to students on projects to let them know what worked.  It’s not something that has to be done on every single assignment, but when it seems appropriate based on the project, a quick positive email shows the students that a teacher is actually assessing their work and thinking of them.

In an actual classroom a teacher can just tell a student of the positive aspects of their assignment and help them with weaker points, and this should not be disregarded.  However the addition of these quick emails can be more permanent and private than saying something out loud.

Give Real-time Digital Feedback

When discussing projects digitally, it’s easy to comment on a group’s shared Google Doc while they’re on a video conference. The practice of providing feedback digitally while discussing a project in person is a nice tactic to bring back into the classroom because students will have the ability to go back later and follow up on it at a later date.  Sometimes in a physical classroom, feedback is only given verbally and not always at a convenient time for students to take notes.  By providing real-time digital feedback, students have the ability to go back and analyze teacher feedback later to modify their project if needed.

Utilize Exit Tickets

Using exit tickets is a great way to receive feedback on projects from the students when they’re finished with it. Whether asking students to summarize their process on a group project or to write about what they took away from an interactive lesson such as a movie, they’re a great way to understand your students and use their feedback to better prepare the lesson for the next class. 

Assign Interactive Assignments

Students seem to appreciate assignments that are more creative in nature, and that allows them to interact with each other through virtual breakout groups. Students also seem to enjoy offering feedback digitally through google drive or google forms, and this digital feedback is much easier to pass along as opposed to handwritten feedback or hard-to-come-by verbal feedback in the classroom.

Provide an Opportunity for Relevant Side Chatter

Although discussion in class should be focused on content, there is room for appropriate side chatter among students. In a digital setting, as a teacher is teaching, you can monitor the chat and laugh with students when appropriate. Allowing time for side-interaction allows students the ability to get things off their chest when it’s something they want to get out there, but isn’t necessarily something they want to interrupt the class with.  Allowing for this might make students more comfortable to participate in class, allowing teachers to interact with all students more frequently.

Use Warm-up Question to Learn about the Students

In an online environment, teachers see a small glimpse into their students’ lives that they normally wouldn’t in the classroom.  Online learning often is a little more personal, but it would be nice to make that part of the physical class every day too. One way to do this is to introduce warm-up questions. Some lighter questions to get the class going every day could be “What did you have for breakfast today?” or “What is something you enjoyed doing this week?”

Some heavier questions could be “What is something nice you can do for someone in quarantine?” or “What have you learned about yourself or others while at home?”

You’ll discover that some kids love to cook or enjoy some alone time.  It also can present situations where some answers are a little concerning, so a follow up with the student or their school counselor could be necessary. 

However, a recent survey suggested that students love this kind of warmup to a class because it feels familiar and comfortable. This kind of warm up is a great thing to bring back to the physical classroom because it’s a great informal way to keep things comfortable before the learning begins.

Story via Edutopia