.png)
Imagine this: it's the day that spring break begins. Excitement fills the hallways for both students and teachers. A long, hard trimester is coming to an end, and everyone is getting an opportunity to kick back for two weeks of some well-earned rest and relaxation. The clock strikes noon, and students promptly run out the door, determined not to miss a moment of their spring break.
This may sound like the beginning of another John Grisham thriller or the next installment in J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series. But actually, this story comes from Far Hills, and it took place just a few short weeks ago. As we set off for spring break, few could have predicted that not only would we not return to school at the scheduled time, but also that our daily lives would see such a dramatic shift. We could not have known that new phrases such as "social distancing" and "distance learning" would soon be ubiquitous. But indeed, that is the reality that we find ourselves in, and we must adapt.
The word that I like to use to describe this time is "unprecedented." It perfectly sums up the balance between the unknown of the situation and the opportunity for greatness presented to us.
Since diving into Mind, Brain, and Education (MBE), Far Hills Country Day School's faculty has learned how the brain works and essential factors for learning. We've even learned how to craft our teaching to make a difference for every student. Our faculty relies on research from individuals such as Pooja Agarwal and Patrice Bain that explains how to use "Power Tools" in the classroom. They also look to the work of institutions such as Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University. The research in the field of MBE is what arms teachers to understand how the brain learns best and allows them the opportunity to hone their craft accordingly.
However, there is little research around "distance learning" and its effectiveness, particularly as it relates to a PS-12 paradigm. That means that as we move forward, everyone is going to experiment, find success, and make some mistakes along the way. In short, every teacher, administrator, parent, and student is a trailblazer at this very moment!
With everything that we do in the classroom, reflection is an important tool for both teacher and student.
Since beginning this journey a few weeks ago, I have found myself reflecting more and more. How was my morning meeting going? Did I talk too long? Did I communicate my points the way that I wanted to? So much of what we are doing is brand new to everyone. We find ourselves in a rare situation where the first-year teacher and 30-year veteran teacher are in the same boat with the same challenges. I'm not about to pretend that I have figured out distance learning, nor do I want to suggest that I have all the answers. What I want to do is to take the opportunity to reflect on this experience and share my learning with you.
Using the tools as our disposal
While there isn't a lot of research out there about "distance learning" in the PS-12 paradigm, that doesn't mean that we don't have a starting point. Although not everything is going to be a seamless shift from a traditional classroom to online, there are still many tools at our disposal. MBE research has lifted the lid on how students learn best and has helped dispel some of the myths that were, and in some cases still are, believed by educators around the world. Here are a few ways that we in Grade 4 have continued to incorporate MBE research into our distance learning planning.
Research around feedback says that for it to be useful to students, it needs to be manageable and timely. While that doesn't mean the infamous red pen needs to go away forever, perhaps their usage can be reduced. How have we done this in Grade 4? A big part of our final trimester is the Grade 4 Expo, which has a significant writing component to it. We have made a conscious effort to give students feedback in manageable chunks and in a timeframe that allows them to act on suggestions (typically a one-day turnaround). Making use of apps, such as Screencastify (which allows a live recording of a screen on the user's desktop), helps students listen to the feedback while looking at their work. They can also go back and listen to the suggestions as many times as they see fit.
Another vital asset at our disposal lies in the research around memory. One of the first concepts that I took from the MBE research was how we can best support students to learn deeper and store the information longer as they continue to grow as learners. Much has been written about the use of strategies such as retrieval practice, spacing, and interleaving to support the storage of information into long-term memory. So I won't rehash all of that. What I will say on the topic of memory is that the tools that we used in the classroom can and will still be useful during this phase of distance learning. In Grade 4, we have incorporated retrieval grids into weekly activities, specifically in math. Students have more than enough time to forget the information, and the act of retrieving is helping those neurons fire in the brain!
Intrinsic motivation is a phrase that I find to be quite complex and a little daunting. How do we present work to students in a way that is going to engage them in the short term and pique their interest long enough that they sustain this excitement through the entire length of the assignment? Research around choice has shown that providing the right amount of freedom can significantly improve the motivation and engagement levels of students. Much like feedback and retrieval practice, distance learning lends itself to incorporating more choice into assignments from the option to type, write, or record an answer on a worksheet, all the way to continuing significant projects such as the Exposition of Learning that takes place in Grades 4 and 8.
Cognitive Load - It's real, alright!
As a faculty, we talk about reflecting on practice and using this to inform the next steps for instruction. An essential part of that reflection process is putting yourself in the shoes of others. Sometimes we have to sit through an hour-long lecture to understand the "drop off" that occurs in the retention of information and how this same thing happens with our students. Or, we have to feel the pressure of deadlines to submit grades to gain a sense of how students feel when they have multiple homework assignments due in a short space of time. A specific moment of reflection came during an impromptu Zoom call that was set up for educators to meet and collaborate about diving into distance learning. I found myself incredibly distracted by, well, everything! I could hear the laundry machine whirring in the background, I could see the cars rushing by the window, and I could smell the burning toast coming from the kitchen. All of these things served as a significant distraction from the task in hand, which was to listen to the speaker and attempt to absorb the information. It made me think what it is like to be a student sitting in front of the screen and having to absorb information, whether in the form of a live class or managing assignments independently.
Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) is predicated by the brain's ability to process information depending on the design of materials. CLT is also predicted by how information is presented, including complexity and pace, so that new information can be fully understood. That means that an environment that has many distractions along with incredibly complex material is going to result in an overwhelming cognitive load and, ultimately, an unsuccessful learning situation. In a traditional classroom environment, teachers work incredibly hard to ensure that the material that they are presenting is challenging but can also be understood by every learner. They utilize different modalities at different times from Smartboard activities, to dramatic reenactments, or even note-taking tasks. They design these activities according to how they perceive the best way that students will interpret the information. In short, everyday teachers put Cognitive Load Theory into practice and, trust me, it's a fine line to walk.
However, in a distance learning paradigm, this fine line becomes more pronounced because external factors that are generally not part of daily life now take center stage. The whirring washing machine, cars driving by the window, or the smell of burning toast all help to activate responses in the brain that take attention away from what is happening in the screen facing the learner. And if there is one thing that MBE research has taught us is that the brain can't multitask.
So what's the answer? Well, it lies in the research. Key components of CLT include the complexity of the work being presented and the mode in which it is being presented. From my own distance learning experience, I have found that less is more. Expecting students to listen to a 30-minute lecture on the causes of the American Revolution is not realistic. Even having them sit through a typical 20-minute morning meeting can also present a challenge. I have found success in lightening the load into smaller and more manageable chunks. When it comes to the mode we are presenting work to students, there are unique opportunities to take a deep dive into concepts such as Dual Coding. What is going to grab back that student's attention?
A simple tip for me has been including images and banners into my morning slides. When every slide is littered with writing and the same colored background, it can be challenging to stay on task and focused.
Another way to lighten the load has been the chance to offer a one-on-one check-in for each student to ask questions or seek some help on something they are finding difficult. We have been calling this "office hours" where the teacher is available for students to stop by and ask a question or to spend some time working on an essay. My students have used this time in a variety of ways; some have had a question they wanted to ask face-to-face rather than through email. They call in for a few minutes and then hang up and go back to other tasks. Others have called in and just worked quietly. They didn't have a question or needed any help; they just wanted to have that connection at that particular moment.
Emotional well being is still king!
I have purposefully decided to leave my biggest takeaway until the very end of this post. Far Hills is a Preschool through Grade 8 school, and like most schools in this age range, social and emotional learning underpins everything that we do in the classroom. From empathy to laughter, conflict resolution to teamwork, our students are regularly exposed to different social and emotional situations that help them grow as human beings. The most obvious downside of distance learning is the lack of physical and interpersonal interaction that students get every day. They miss the opportunity to see their friends as they walk through the doors. They miss the chance to bond with their peers at a lunch table. Seemingly insignificant moments during a typical day are now gaping holes in the daily ritual. And don't underestimate just how much students feel this void. Recently, I wrote a blog post about emotion that referenced the use of short check-ins to gain an understanding of how each student felt as s/he walked through the door every morning. Asking about their life both inside and outside the classroom or even how they slept the previous night are important ways to make connections with individuals and to demonstrate that you care about them not only as students but also as people. In that post, I stated, "Emotion is not something that can be ignored when considering student outcomes," and this still rings true in our current situation. In Grade 4, we have continued to use these check-ins with students to help understand just how they are feeling.
When we pose these questions, we are looking for answers to questions such as, "How can we help to lighten the load, academically or emotionally? What is something that you enjoy so that we can keep doing this?"
We know that students learn best when their emotional state allows them to do so. Leveraging laughter in the classroom, giving that high five after solving a problem, or even just the simple act of a hug to finish the day are small but significant acts that can be a gamechanger for the emotional wellbeing of students. Yes, the physical connection of being in the same building may be missing, but that doesn't mean that the emotional aspect of the classroom must also go on hiatus. If you take nothing else from this post, consider this: now more than ever, we must prioritize the emotional well being of our students. That should be our focus!
Falcons Rise
At the beginning of this post, I used the word unprecedented to describe this situation. We have never been here before, and we may never be here again. Teachers never expected that they would be delivering the final trimester of their curriculum through a computer screen while sitting at their kitchen table. Students never expected that when they left for spring break, the next time they wanted to see their friends, they would have to find the link to a Google Meet before doing so. So much is unknown, and sometimes it feels like we are navigating this situation on a minute-by-minute basis.
Times have indeed changed (temporarily), and that can make us uneasy. However, change also presents us with an opportunity to achieve greatness. Every day we are learning and reflecting on how to make our distance learning experience the best that it can be. Our application of MBE strategies continues to help us do just that. Make no mistakes about it: we will get through and be better because of it.
I leave with you a quote from the late Kobe Bryant:
"Everything negative—pressure, challenges—is all an opportunity for me to rise."