Dos & Don'ts of Teaching in a COVID-19 Environment

‘Don’t make assumptions ...’

E-learning. Distance learning. Virtual learning. No matter what you call it, the face of education has changed due to the coronavirus pandemic. This summer provides an opportunity for teachers to reflect on what worked and what didn’t last spring and how to plan going forward with the reality that remote learning may be a part of the 2020-21 school year. Here are some dos and don’ts for teaching virtually in this COVID-19 environment.

Don’t make assumptions about which students will do well in remote learning and which ones will struggle. Your students will surprise you. I made the mistake last spring of trying to predict which students would thrive with distance learning and which ones would be unsuccessful. I was totally wrong. You won’t be able to tell ahead of time.

Do create a sense of community and rapport with your online classes. Set aside time to connect with your students and have fun. YouTube has helpful videos demonstrating games you can play with young people on Zoom. Schedule Zoom or Google Meet calls with the class to build connections and to check on the social-emotional needs of your students. Incorporate rewards and positive- behavior supports to your remote environment. Check online for distance learning/ e-learning incentive ideas.

Don’t think you know why students are not engaging in distance learning. There are many reasons why students don’t participate. Often students don’t know why they are disengaged or how to express it. Sometimes they are protecting their family’s privacy. Take time to reflect and develop some theories. Then, collaborate with colleagues to test out your theories to get a fuller picture of their disengagement and brainstorm solutions.

Do ask students what they need and how they are doing. Pay attention to which remote lessons work and engage students. Ask often for feedback. Listen to how they are coping and what is going on in their lives. Be aware of any changes in engagement. For some students, the signal might be more contact and reaching out to you, and for others it might be less.

Don’t design lessons with multiple steps and new technologies students have not had practice using. Often, if things do not go as planned, students struggle to solve problems on their own. For many students, their problem-solving skills are limited and still developing. Assign technologies and websites for virtual learning with which students have had previous experience. Avoid steep learning curves and keep technology simple and straightforward.

Do reply as soon as you can to students when they have questions or concerns during distance learning. I found last spring many of my students gave up on remote lessons if I didn’t respond to their questions right away. I learned to check Google Classroom and my email vigilantly when I was on the clock. I also made sure students had several different ways to reach me including a Google Voice number.

Don’t expect to easily repurpose in-person lessons successfully to online formats without adjustments and trial and error. Covering curriculum like before is not realistic. This requires rethinking content, replanning tried-and-true units, and collaborating with colleagues to identify new directions and possibilities.

Do reach out to parents and families early to set up effective lines of communication. Many times this last spring I relied on my parents to give me feedback on students’ progress and to support completing assignments. I was thankful I had created positive relationships with parents early before switching to distance learning.

Don’t be afraid to change things if they are not working. We are all in uncharted territory. It is better to change for a thoughtful reason in order to improve learning outcomes for our students than to not change because we are concerned how we will be judged.

Do take time to support your colleagues and take care of yourself. As much as you can, set limits on your online availability. Make use of email auto-reply after hours to let students and parents know when you will be able to get back to them. Don’t be afraid to share with parents and older students what you have going on in your own life. Try, as much as possible, to approach this year with a growth mindset!