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Michelle Fenn 21st Century Learning, Constant Learning, Design, Distance learning, Engaging students with online learning, Inspiring Students, Inspiring Teachers, Making a Difference Through Education, Modern Learning, Professional Judgement, Professional Learning and Growth, Teaching online, The Arts, Use of Technology, Using technology well

Bitmoji Education

Love it or hate it, the app of Bitmoji has worked it’s way into education and particularly into distance learning.  From “digital” stickers for feedback to entire Google Slide Classrooms with doors to other rooms, Bitmoji is everywhere.  Bitmojis are dancing, pointing and fainting all over educational platforms.  Confession time?  I’m on the love it team and I’ll tell you why.

Bitmoji allows for a personal and creative touch to things that we share with others.  When I create short Google Slide presentations for students they are surprised to see my Bitmoji in the corners of my presentation.  Some think it is truly “geeky” but many students appreciate the effort at making the presentation a little more fun. Not having to put my real profile photo on something and being able to add a Bitmoji instead provides a small layer of privacy.  I began to make virtual, interactive classrooms on Google Slides and soon realized design and creating something so personal was a throw back to the many hours I spent playing with Barbies as a kid.  It was like planning to remodel my kitchen but without any cost what so ever.  It doesn’t feel like work.  It feels like play.  115,000 members on the “Bitmoji Craze for Educators” Facebook page all agree that it is a type of escapism and the membership grows daily.

Colleague Deanna Palmer and I created a webinar workshop for our fellow teachers about how to use Bitmoji to add some Pop to distance learning.  In the webinar we included a step-by-step slide show for educators to take away.  Find it here: Using Bitmoji to Make Virtual Learning Pop

Like with any popular craze or fad there are those who don’t or won’t buy in.  Some teachers are reluctant because they are conscious of their digital footprint-especially since in order to create the animated virtual reality Bitmojis you need to have a Snap Chat Account.  Some teachers don’t think that their students will want to see their teacher’s cartoon face all over everything in their classroom.  I can appreciate that it isn’t for everyone.  I am well aware that making learning “fun” or “cute” doesn’t make it deep or engaging.  However, if a picture can be worth a thousand words and Bitmoji can express precisely what we are feeling.  Using a Bitmoji might resonate with a colleague or student and just might make them smile. If that is what my little Bitmoji avatar does, then it was worth it.

 

Deb Weston Equity, Inclusion, Violence in Schools

The Future of eLearning

ETFO’s position on in-person learning remains unchanged. The union firmly believes that the daily, in-person model of instruction and support best meets the educational, developmental and social needs of students, provides the best experience for support, and is the most equitable learning model for all students. ETFO’s expectation is that elementary virtual learning in any capacity, including through hybrid models of instruction, will end once the pandemic ends.

Given that we are at a time in history where a pandemic is pushing school work onto eLearning platforms, I can see growth in the technology of eLearning platforms for many students.

In our immediate future, eLearning will allow students more flexibility in choice and mode as they learn. This means that students could take courses offered by schools, other than the school they attend. Options could include a blended approach which comprises of specified times where they attend classes for hands-on activities.

Note that I see students developmentally ready at a high school level, as I believe students in elementary school require more ongoing face-to-face support with their teachers. In addition, students who are at or below grade 3 level should be limited in their eLearning as they still require personal interactions to learn and socialize with others.

I’ve highlighted some applications that are being used or will continue to be used on eLearning platforms.

Transitioning To Mobile Learning Apps

Teaching students through mobile apps may also be an option in learning languages (e.g. Duolingo), practicing math skills (e.g. Prodigy), and practicing reading skills (e.g. How to teach your monster to read).

Virtual Reality

Augmented and Virtual Reality solutions may become a way to teach students about places they cannot directly visit or experience situations they should not experience. Examples include  visiting the Tundra where polar bears live or learning about the impact of drunk driving through Smart Wheels for grades 4 to 6  (a program I participated in with my students. There are even virtual reality programs for seniors now.

Personalized Learning

Personalized learning may also be developed to support students with special education needs. Here programs adapt the learning environment to meet each students’ profile of needs and accommodations. These could include having computer programs reading text to students (text to speech) and recording answers (speech to text). Learning environments could also adapt to students’ learning profiles presenting learning with more visuals to visual learners, more audio to audio learners, and the use of augmented hands for tactile learners.

As the learner spends more time with their learning platform, the program would assess how the student learns best and adjust the platform accordingly. There is a debate as to whether personalized learning can really deliver  the same quality of learning as being face to face with humans.

Caveats to eLearning

I have been using aspects of online learning for several years with my grade 4 and 5 students. We use Google Docs/Drive to share work with other students in a collaborative format. My students also use assistive technology like Google Read/Write to complete work and then share it with me via Google Docs.

I’ve been teaching my students with significant learning disabilities online for over 2 months now. As time has gone forward, my students who are very good at working on their own have done well in our online learning environment. My students who need a significant amount of support are struggling more and some students have stopped participating completely (33% not submitting any work, 33% submitting some work, 33% submitting all work on time). Note that all students do not have access to high speed internet and to their own technology (as they are using computers from the school).

The big challenge is that my students are missing the social aspect of school as they once worked and played with their friends. Also, many parents have reported students with increased mental wellness challenges.

The one big take away from this experience is that the parents, mostly mothers, are having to take on the role of a teaching assistant while they run the household, take care of children and the elderly, make meals, do laundry, and work at their own jobs at home. Downloading the work of educators onto parents is not sustainable. This puts further pressures on parents,  mostly women, who do most of the unpaid work in their homes.

In the end, online eLearning will only work for a certain group of students. It will support the students who are already self starters who work well with little supervision from instructors. For the students who need support to learn, online learning may leave them behind.

Ontario’s current flawed model of online learning

All I know, at this moment in time, is that the current model of online learning is flawed as it expands the digital divide between those who have reliable technology and those that do not. Further, the diversity of learners is not being met as students who work well on their own succeed. But some students will not succeed, especially those students with special education needs. Learning for all promotes a safe, supportive, and inclusive society of learners, where no students are left behind.

Collaboratively Yours,

Deb Weston

References:

2018 Training Industry Report

https://elearningindustry.com/future-of-elearning-technologies-hold-key

Kelly.McLaughlin 21st Century Learning, Celebrating Success, Constant Learning, Differentiated Instruction, Distance learning, Engaging students with online learning, Flexible Classroom, Inquiry, Integration, Modern Learning, Professional Learning and Growth, self reflection, Technology, Use of Technology, Using technology well

Looking on the bright-side during this dark time.

During this time at home, we are all probably having positive and negative learning moments. From seeing students thrive for the first time to having zero assignments turned in, the highs and lows have been a rollercoaster over the past few months. However, during this time for my sanity, I need to focus on the positive ones. I would love to share a few from my experience teaching grade eight online.

  1. Removing student anxiety: Many of my students have had a hard time in the classroom this year due to certain factors that make them extremely anxious. Attendance issues have made it hard for some of them to learn this year and that has always been something I have struggled with, how to reach the students who do not attend. Even the students who do attend have anxiety issues related to noise in the room, other students bothering them or starting the day in a terrible mood. My class is super respectful so I always had a hard time understanding what the exact factors were, but I came to realize it was just a feeling they carried with them and could not be easily fixed. With online learning, these students have submitted work daily and have been involved on our online teams meetings. They have been thriving in this environment and for the first time, I am learning so much about how intelligent they are and how much they have to share. The online platform has given them a voice and a chance to accomplish things.
  2. Reaching all learners: Now that the school day exists at all times, I can answer all questions at once without there being a physical line up or a limit on the amount of students I can help. When someone online needs help, I can help them right away as the odds that another student needs help at that exact moment is slim. Although my students are working at all hours of the day, I had informed them that I would be available (virtually) from 9-3 everyday. They keep their questions for the most part within these hours and I love that I can respond to them right away. Also, I am able to help students via platforms that work for them and I am so thankful that my students have downloaded all of the new apps that have been made available to us.
  3. Continued differentiation in a new and unique way: With the help of google classroom, I can assign specific work to every student at the click of a button. I can modify every assignment and make special ones for my students that go directly to their google drive. When creating an assignment or learning material, I can tailor the assignment to how they want to learn, what they want to learn and give it directly to them. I was already doing this in the classroom but I am happy I can continue to do it online. I was nervous about assigning work online and how I could make it specific to students so with google classroom I was happy to see it was an easy process. Then, once my students finish an assignment, I can assign them more work at their own pace. Right now I have students completing work at 25 different rates and I need to be able to keep track of what they have/have not done. Google classroom allows me to look at what they have handed in and then direct them to the next assignment.
  4. Small groups style learning: My favourite thing about teaching online is creating small groups live meetings. We have been using the apps “Teams” by Microsoft and it was has been an amazing way to teach in small and medium sized groups. Every Tuesday, I have a live math/literacy class with my students. I invite all of them but usually I only get half the class. From there, I create smaller groups to teach them the topics that they still need help with or to move them ahead in the unit. I also have a meeting on Wednesdays with my ESL students where we read a book and answer questions together. We also work on math topics and play simple word games. On Thursdays, all of the other grade eights meet together to play games and reminisce about the year. This Thursday, they will be sharing their favourite writing piece from the year and will be sharing to their classmates their strengths as a writer. Small groups is something I had done in the classroom but online now more than ever I have implemented small groups in a way that really reaches all learners. I really hope to bring that into the classroom at a new level more successful than ever before. That is my favourite success from the online learning environment.

Although there are days when I feel like I may be posting to no one, I know that there must be students who are benefiting from it. The online meetings have been such a blessing during this time as hearing their voices always remind me of how special this profession is and how lucky we are to have technology to help us through this time. I am desperately looking forward to the day where we can teach in the classroom again but for now, I am happy to have these successes to think on and to reflect about how they will make me a better educator. I hope everyone else has some moments that they can look at and reflect positively on.

Will Gourley General

Saying, “I am not racist” is not enough pt 2

This is the second of 2 posts about anti-black racism and being anti-racist. Here is a link to Saying “I am not racist” is not enough pt 1.

We are now witnessing some of the most significant events in recent history and they are direct responses to the overtly racist actions of those whose jobs are to protect the community. This is by no means the first time, nor will it be the last – regrettably. The death of George Floyd and other recent national news events have many ideological battle lines being drawn in the fight against racism.

I am hoping that these incidents will not be in vain if they can be used as the origins of how white people see themselves as complicit in perpetuating the racism that has led up to this point through their long and loud silences and that a genuine change can begin to end anti-black racism. Hence these posts.

Years ago, Desmond Tutu shared:

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. “

These words circle in my head right now as I consider how my actions as an educator, or perhaps more accurately, my inactions as an educator have allowed racism to continue without truly being aware of it? Seeing the streets filled with protesters seeking a change to a broken system has given me much to reflect on from the comfort and safety of my home far away. I am watching in fear as I see a system threatening to turn violently against them and at the racists who are using these tragedies as a tool to sew further seeds of their hatred and intolerance.

The events of the past week have amplified hundreds of years of inequality, inequity, and injustice in the social contracts of western society. Trevor Noah shared this so eloquently, that when the contracts that society pretends to adhere and uphold are continually broken, then what is keeping all of us from lashing out against the systems that are not honouring them as well? The only way I know how to answer this beyond changing my own actions is through education.

That got me looking for ideas on how to invite and be open to change. Here’s what I have gleaned from countless educators and activists so far that I am ready to do right now;

  1. Take a stand. Start by getting off of the fence. Stop saying “I am not racist”.
  2. Be prepared to be uncomfortable, to be called out, and to be challenged.
  3. Take stock of my past.
    Reflect on what needs to be done better to make a difference to stop anti-black racism.
  4. Excuse myself from having a saviour complex.
    Offering support not salvation.
  5. Ask and reflect about what are some of my privileges?
  6. Let my classroom resources reflect culturally relevant anti-racist convictions
  7. Let conversations with students turn into listening sessions where ideas and understandings can be turned into growth and deeper knowledge.
  8. Think about how I can leverage my privilege and position as a white male cisgendered educator to effect change.

I am sure there are more things to add to this list as I go forward, but I also need to be mindful of making choices and decisions that can be achievable without feeling overwhelmed or giving up the moment when things get tough. I am ready to apologize for mistakes I have made, am making, and will make. Relying on others is going to be a big part of my growth. Acknowledging that there is so much more to learn will play a huge part in going forward.

Consider the straight forward advice in this recent social media post from Mireille Cassandra Harper as a perfect place to ponder and equip for the journey to allyship.

We have the means to be on the side that helps change history. As educators, we can use our privilege of being agents of societal change and good citizenship to help change the values of students/society to be truly anti-racist. It will come with discomfort, change, and fresh perspectives that may not match past experiences. However, as change occurs, it will also come with a community capable of seeing everyone within it included, respected, and valued.

Accepting that meaningful change will not happen overnight is something else for me to work past, but I know that these are my first public steps to do so. I want all educators to understand the urgency that I share in this post and encourage you to be part of making this the change that needs to take place. It starts with saying, “I am anti-racist!”

Huge thanks to Ms E Ng for her genuine, supportive, and critical feedback in the writing of these posts.

Will Gourley Advocacy for change, Advocacy for public education, Anti-Racism, Building Inclusion, Challenging Topics, Constant Learning, Equity, General, self reflection, Social Justice

Saying, “I am not racist” is not enough pt 1

“One either endorses the idea of a racial hierarchy as a racist or racial equality as an antiracist,” Kendi writes, adding that it isn’t possible to be simply “not racist.”
from New Yorker Magazine article Aug 18, 2019

It’s not enough to say, “I am not racist,” and I feel that it is time for us all to join in the battle against anti-black racism and racists. Recent events and tragedies in the news are too numerous to mention (Arbury, Taylor, and Floyd). They have left my mind spinning, and I want to do something supportive and meaningful with the privilege I have as a blogger for ETFO.

I am a white, middle-aged, cisgendered male who has watched from the sidelines, trying to mind my manners and my business for far too long. I have become uncomfortable with the skin I am privileged to be born in without becoming part of the solution to overthrow the overt and ignorant racist actions of my predecessors, contempories, and self. I want to use my next two posts to encourage all educators to join me on a journey that leads to our collective allyship in the fight against racism.

Educators find themselves on the frontlines of many socially volatile spaces. It is impossible not to be in the middle of things that impact our world because we are responsible for teaching critical thinking skills as part of our work with students. More importantly, our students are directly affected whether it is by witnessing daily violence and oppression in media or because of way they are made to feel by existing systems because of the colour of their skin. They need to see their teachers standing up for them. We have fought for good working conditions. Now it’s time for another fight against anti-black racism.

This means asking questions, listening for understanding, and allowing for ideas to be shared that lead to growth and change – especially during times of great unrest in the news. This also means being uncomfortable when answers to questions cannot be found at the back of a textbook or anywhere else for that matter.

To be sure, teachers are dealing with torrents of important issues right now and we must prioritize one above the others if we haven’t done so already – that is racism. First, we need to know where we each stand before any of us can commit to overcoming the central issue of  the day, week, month, year, and history of humanity around racism? So where do you stand as an educator? Are you trying to keep your head down, your nose to the grind stone, and avoiding making any waves on the calm waters of your practice? Admittedly, there can be a lot of peace and safety by being a witness to someone else’s battle.

But that safety is not a privilege that everyone has, there is something bigger at stake than our comfort in all of this. It is the entire fabric of our existence as educators to be the ones who foster change and encourage potential in our students. We are also really good at taking a stand along side of the oppressed in order to make something good out of bad situations. It’s time we weave a new and stronger layer.

In some places we witness systems, employers, and staff working together and taking stands against racism in solidarity. I know school boards have been embroiled in significant issues to do with anti-black racism in the past years. Some have been making slow progress to correct their past mistakes and lead forward. Breaking down Structural/systemic racism is crucial, but it must happen at the same time as we identify the signs of individual racism. Check out the 9 slides on this post from @theconsciouskid:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAtmbeXJwOW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

In know that there are countless educators already learning and working together educate themselves and others in order to move from allies to activists through social and academic spaces.

Consider the wisdom in this quote from Ijeoma Oluo

“The beauty of anti-racism is that you don’t have to pretend to be free of racism to be anti-racist. Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward.”

There is so much being done already to equip hearts and minds for this battle. Yet, it seems that ideological differences continue to be amplified in the media, and allowed to build up until the pressure below the surface of a once capped/dormant social volcano rises up. A volcano has erupted somewhere else. Now, those lying dormant in our own backyards are experiencing significant seismic activity. So are you going to be standing at the bottom when the lava flows? Probably not, because like me, our privilege has us miles away watching out of harm’s way.

I understand that not everyone is capable of standing in the streets to demand justice and change, but of each of us can use the privilege of our voices to show support, demand change, and to state unwaiveringly, “I am anti-racist!” Once you’ve said it, it’s time for action.

This is a much bigger commitment than saying, “I am not racist,” because it is not enough to say that you are not something. The time for neutrality is over. Saying, “I am anti-racist!” means you are standing up against anti-black racism, and are willing to take action. It means that you are going to help others get out of danger when the volcano explodes.

Your turn. “I am anti-racist!”

If you said those words, most likely, you are already taking the steps to move from acknowledgement that racism is an issue that plagues our world. It means you are working as an anti-racist ally. As teachers, we are used to taking on challenges in the face of adversity.  Now how can the tragedy of recent events north and south of the border be used to support our students in and out of the classroom so that something positive can come from recent tragic events? It’s our turn to ask how we can help?

In Saying, “I am not racist” is not enough part 2 I will continue this thought stream and will share what I plan to do in my own life to grow into allyship and activism. For now, let’s say it together, “We are anti-racist”.

 

Tammy Axt General

Ideas for Distance Learning

Nine weeks ago, the teachers of Ontario were asked to do something most of us couldn’t have conceived of when the school year began. We rose to the challenge and in under two weeks we started to deliver distance learning to the homes of the students of Ontario. We did all of this while our own children cried in our arms, our puppies jumped on us, our computers and internet failed constantly and we became the sole earner in our home as our partners lost their jobs. I often am amazed at the skills the teachers of Ontario collectively possess but this was unbelievable. Teachers pulled together to meet their students needs so fast and 9 weeks later we are still sitting at our computer screens for hours at a time to continue this important work.

I teach a class of students with Developmental Disabilities which has made distance learning difficult since they have a limited ability to read or write and incredibly complex learning needs. It has taken a large amount of creativity and unconventional ideas to attempt to meet their needs. I ended up doing a mixture of weekly assignments, online platforms, postal mail and live synchronous learning to try to reach out to every one of my students.

(Just a note about synchronous learning… I used my professional judgement that live synchronous learning would meet the needs of my particular students because of their learning profile and emotional needs. However, live synchronous learning comes with a lot of challenges and pitfalls. I have been very cautious in introducing it to my students and have had at least one TA join me for every session. My team gathered online and spoke at length about parameters and rules for synchronous learning before we started and I have worked with parents to ensure that professional boundaries are maintained. I know that the teachers of Ontario will make the right decision about what kind of synchronous learning will best meet the needs of their students using their professional judgement.)

With four weeks left, I’m sure the energy level is starting to fade for many of our students. Keeping them engaged and excited about learning online is getting tougher and tougher every day. Today I want to share some ideas that I have come up with over the last nine weeks in the hopes that one idea can give you something for your students to do over the next four weeks to keep them going. These are ideas to do with your students if you are meeting with them on Google Meet, Teams or another form of teleconferencing service.

For my students with special needs, the goal for all of these activities was to have students actively engaged in communication with me and their classmates. The activities also focused on social skills such as taking turns, working with others and having patience.

  • Who is it? I took pictures I had of my students and zoomed in on one part of the picture such as an eyeball or running shoe. It became a guessing game of who they thought the picture was of. This game allowed my students to express how much they missed their friends and to celebrate their awesome classmates.
  • Charades The students and staff all took turns pantomiming an animal. The other students had to guess what the animal was. For my students muting and unmuting their mics has been very difficult, therefore, I encouraged my students to take turn guessing.
  • Find Something in Your House On plain pieces of paper, I wrote the colours blue, pink, black, red, green and purple. I showed them to the students one sheet at a time. When the students saw the colour, they had to go and run and find something from their home that was that colour and bring it back and explain what they have found. This is by far their favourite distance learning activity!
  • Freeze Dance I used my Bluetooth speaker to play music and we grooved and moved to some of our favourite songs. I stopped the music every once in a while, to allow the students to pose in their favourite dance move.
  • Pictionary The staff in my classroom all took turns drawing a picture for the students to guess. My students are amazing guessers at my less than perfect drawings. We work on taking turns and celebrating our friends when they get the right answer through this activity.
  • Show and Tell about your pet or stuffed pet My class and I are real animal lovers and we have had many, many conversations about our pets during this time at home. I can tell you so many things about Roxy, Sugar, Herc, Rona, Coco, Fenway and Pepples. It has been a great Segway for many of students to talk about their feelings when we talk about our pet’s feelings daily.
  • Making a Bird Feeder My students and I got the materials together for a very simple bird feeder and made them together as we chatted online. We each hung it up in our backyard and watched for visiting birds.
  • Art show and tell My students have done countless art projects from chalk drawings outside and poster boards for their friends’ birthdays. We often have a sharing time to show their art and discuss their pictures.
  • Exercise Time I lead a half hour exercise time for my students. We all bring our water and get our sweat on.
  • Lego building show and share I invite my students to build anything out of lego and tell us the story of what they have built.
  • Nature share My students have been noticing things that they have seen on family walks such as ducks, a bald eagle and a beaver. No alligators yet, but you never know in the last four weeks.

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you for going above and beyond to help your students through a profoundly difficult time. I have never been prouder to call myself an Ontario teacher. You are truly amazing!

Tammy Axt General

Resources for Jewish Heritage Month

May is Jewish Heritage Month. This relative new heritage month began in 2017 across Canada and in 2012 in Ontario. Recently, a good friend of mine was asked to write a letter to the teachers in my area about the importance of Jewish Heritage Month. While she prepared to write the letter, she shared her research and personal experiences of antisemitism as a student. I decided although many of you probably know about Jewish Heritage Month, others like me, may need an introduction to a few resources developed for teachers so that when we return to school you can introduce Jewish Heritage Month next year.

Websites with Jewish Canadian Content 

Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre- Toronto

This Jewish Heritage Month Guidebook is a great place to start when gathering resources for a focus on Jewish Heritage Month in your class. It includes answers to some questions about Jewish Heritage Month, a section on famous Jewish Canadians, a historical overview and introduction to Jewish history and Judaism. There are also some lesson plans to introduce Jewish food, culture and history to your students.

Also on the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre website is a section about antisemitism in Canada. “Hate crime statistics released earlier this year by Statistics Canada revealed that the Jewish community has remained the most targeted group for hate crimes, with 347 police-reported hate crimes in 2018 committed against the community.” Antisemitism is a serious problem in Canada that is not discussed enough in schools. The interactive map pictured below is a way to open the conversation of recent acts of anti-semitism in Canada with students.

 

 

Holocaust Museum- Montreal

The website for the Montreal Holocaust Museum has an extensive section for educators. Within the plethora of artefacts and video testimonials for students to view, their is a section called Activities for Studying the Holocaust at Home . This section supports study of the Holocaust from anywhere in the country and contains a user friendly teacher’s guide for educators.  The visuals used in the website help students deconstruct the events that happened during the Holocaust and understand Canada’s role. Within the teacher’s guide, there are also links to multiple interactive timelines that will answer many questions students have about the Holocaust such as how the Nazis rose to power and what the rest of the world did while the Jewish people were being brutally murdered.

 

 

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs has created a Jewish Heritage guidebook that gives introductory information about Jewish heritage and culture. It includes some introductory concepts about Judaism, some basic terms and an explanation of minor and major Jewish Holy Days. The end of the guidebook has some facts that could be posted in the classroom or shared with your students every day in May.

Arianna Lambert Teacher Wellness, wellness

Teacher Well-being

In the midst of a pandemic, this month in particular has me thinking about teacher well-being. I know that we often focus on student well-being – which is imperative – and I wonder if now might be a good time to stop and acknowledge that current events are taking a toll not only on our children but also on the people who are tasked with teaching them at a distance. How might months like this past one with the stories of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Christian Cooper, and George Floyd take a toll on educators, – particularly Black educators – compounded by the fact that we are in the midst of a pandemic? I write today to say that I am exhausted beyond measure. If I were to stop and really feel what I know is manifesting within my body, I’m not sure how I might react and so rather than taking that time, I push through because report cards are due in a couple of weeks and classrooms have to be prepped for summer and most importantly, I have students that I need to stay connected to. Not out of obligation but because it’s that connection that keeps me going through this time. The relationship is reciprocal. At least for me. I told my students earlier this week that our Meets are the highlights of my day. I know that on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I’ll have anywhere from 15 to 20 excited voices wanting to share something about their lives and it is a reminder that beyond content, there’s so much that these young people are learning about themselves and the world around them. What are our actions teaching them?

Today, I’m allowing myself to feel as I write. I’m frustrated with talks of reimagining education when there are voices who are never invited to speak on their own reimagination. I’m angered by people’s inability to hear and see what is happening in the world and their lack of understanding that it has a significant impact on our physiology. By asking me to do more without substantive proof that it will have an equally inverse impact, you negate my experience and expertise. I am saddened by personal loss and am overwhelmed by feelings of isolation in grief. I know that I’m not alone in this feeling, and I wonder how many of us are feeling this very thing while smiling away and trying our best because we have “responsibilities”? At what point does our own well-being become the biggest responsibility? With a month left to go of the school year, I worry for colleagues. There’s tremendous pressure to “perform” this next month and I ask you to pause and make sure that you are also taking care of yourself. Your well-being is important. You can’t give what you don’t have. Fill your tanks.  

For the most part, during the last 10 weeks that we have been away from the school building, I’ve been holding it together. Learning a new routine, balancing “work” and home, saying no to a lot that doesn’t grow and/or serve me or my students. But this week, wow. There’s been too much so I’m going to pause, keep writing, and work through these feelings that are stirring within me. 

Wishing true wellness to everyone,

Arianna

Arianna Lambert Design, Distance learning, The Arts

What’s Working?!?

Ok…so the title is truly a reflection of my uncertainty of what is in fact working in this thing that I have called distance learning. Over the past 10 weeks, I’ve been engaged in this process with students and as we approach the final month of the year, I’m taking some time to reflect on what has – in my opinion – worked, at least for me and my students. Don’t worry, it will be a short list so not to worry about a never-ending post here!

Google Meets

Since our first week of distance learning, we’ve had Google Meet sessions that have been audio only. During these times, we’ve done check-ins and it’s also been a great tool for helping small groups through mini-lessons. Over the past couple of weeks, they have shifted slightly where students have been the ones to suggest things that we might do during our Meets. We had a Connect4 tournament and we’ve also had a couple of students who created and shared short trivia games. What I’m noticing is that these times are becoming more and more social and less and less about “the work”. Which is an education in itself. Don’t get me wrong, we work through any questions students have but it’s becoming a more comfortable forum to share in a more social way. I’m still navigating some of the ideas of great uses for Meet and would welcome any suggestions people may have. 

Podcasts

Last month, I introduced my students to the Six Minute Podcast and I must admit that it’s the one thing that is probably the most talked-about or the activity that is most tried during the week. I’m actually surprised at how many have enjoyed listening and having discussions about it. The podcast is a serial story about an 11-year old by the name of Holliday. She is pulled from the icy waters of Alaska with no memory of who she is or where she came from. She is “adopted” by the family who found her and when she begins to develop incredible abilities, she soon discovers that she’s not alone in the world. There are so many twists and turns in each episode and many can’t wait to find out more. As we have listened, we learned about writing summaries, making and justifying choices, character analysis, and more! I think when we start again in September, podcasts might be something that we keep.

Design

While I personally understand the impact of the trauma caused by the current pandemic, I felt it necessary to speak about it in an age-appropriate way with students. Having a number of students with parents as frontline workers, I knew that their experiences would definitely have an impact on our learning. We’ve been doing a design sprint – well…maybe more like a marathon at the moment – and it’s been incredible to see how it has empowered students to think about themselves as being incredible problem solvers. Today I had 3 students pitch their ideas during our whole-class Meet and I was blown away by what they designed to solve problems for people. They thought of it all. From holographic watches to stay connected with family to a new company designed to train and employ individuals to make personal protective equipment for the community, when implemented, their solutions can have an amazing impact! Through this work, they are really understanding that they have the power to bring about change not just for themselves but for others. 

Art & Physical Education

While the Arts and Physical Education haven’t been the focus of the Ministry of Education during this time, I’ve been adding them to our weekly schedule. It’s made the world of difference for some of my students. The ability to express themselves through the Arts and Physical Education has been incredible. We’ve created a classroom Art gallery and many of my students plan weekly Phys. Ed. challenges for their classmates. When I see schools re-opening and subject areas like Physical Education aren’t being included, I wonder what further trauma this might be on students who rely on these subject areas as an essential part of their school lives and their general wellness. I worry.

As I reflect on this past month, I think we’ve had many successes and these are just some of the reasons why. I’m not sure what June will hold and I guess we’ll see!

Deb Weston Engaging students with online learning, Teaching online

Strategies to Engage Students in Online Learning

ETFO’s position on in-person learning remains unchanged. The union firmly believes that the daily, in-person model of instruction and support best meets the educational, developmental and social needs of students, provides the best experience for support, and is the most equitable learning model for all students. ETFO’s expectation is that elementary virtual learning in any capacity, including through hybrid models of instruction, will end once the pandemic ends.

This is a personal reflection on how I have improved my skills as an online teacher of students with learning disabilities. It is my hope that this reflection will support teachers with their own online learning journey.

  1. Teachers need to know the technology and how to support students with this technology

As teachers we are expected to lead by example. In the transition to online learning, teachers were tasked to provide our students with an online learning platform in a short time frame. Many teachers had never used any of the platforms provided and had to stumble through the first weeks following a very steep learning curve.

This meant that I had to investigate many applications that I thought would work with my students. I quickly learned every week what format and applications kept the students’ interest and what did not.

Teachers do not have to be experts all the time and it is perfectly acceptable not to know how to use every application and platform immediately. With time and support from others, teachers can build enough efficacy to support their students in learning how to use the technology.

As a teacher, I have also been supporting parents on how to support their children with on line learning as parents are now acting as adhoc teaching assistants.

A caveat: Even with my 2 years of teaching teachers online, this still did not prepare me for the colossal task of trying to keep my students working on schoolwork and engaged in their learning.

  1. Give students the opportunity to add to their own learning.

Getting my students to help develop our online content was not as challenging as I thought as my students already ask to investigate things that matter to them. This meant getting and using suggestions made by students to post as online class assignments. An example of this was our class’s “Message of Hope” where students were ask to create a message that I could Tweet out through our school’s community.

In our weekly meeting, the students decided that they wanted to visit different parts of the world using Google Earth. This created a chance to talk about many things we saw in our visits. Further, the students also decided that each student should take a turn to run our Friday meeting.

In building an opportunity for students to learn what they find interesting, intrinsic motivation can be maintained as their love of learning new things and new technology will likely promote further engagement in student’s learning online.

  1. Provide a time for sharing to build community

During our weekly online meetings, students share how they are feeling (similar to the daily community check-ins). When I ran this activity, my questions were often met with short answers. Now that students are running the meeting, they ask questions such as “What did you do yesterday?” which are apparently far more engaging than “How are you feeling today?” As a regular part of our meeting, we usually end up telling stories about happenings in our lives. This is also a powerful way to connect students with their peers as they ask questions and add on to these stories.

In order to keep students connected to their school community, I invite surprise guests to visit our weekly online meeting. To date, the VP, the office manager, and the kindergarten teachers/ECEs have visited our meeting. I think our VP had more fun that the students did with her visit!

  1. Updating online learning content every week

I found out very quickly that I needed to keep my Google Classroom fresh with new content. This meant that I had to delete content that students did not engage in or gave poor reviews on such as “I didn’t like that site/activity , I think we should do something more interesting”. With this feedback, I try and keep the content engaging which included writing a journal on Slime in Space. I also included quizzes on learning styles and future careers which turned out to be a big hit!

In keeping content engaging, I need to get feedback from students as I am not 10 years old anymore and my students are the experts about what they find interesting.

  1. Get students to help other students

Some of my students are very solid users of technology and some are not. As I would in my classroom, I ask students to support other students in helping them learn certain applications as they have already had the lesson from me. This strategy is very effective as students who need support get it and this gives an opportunity for other students to develop leadership skills. It is interesting when the support flips and the student who usually provides supports needs it from a student who usually gives support.

  1. Making sure work gets done

Keeping students accountable during the time of online school is a challenge. Students are not accustomed to learning online and prefer the more social face to face learning in classrooms.

The Ontario Ministry of Education has been very clear about not assessing students and only providing feedback for work completed online. This also means that students do not have to complete work as there is no source of extrinsic motivation. Instead, teachers must rely on students’ intrinsic motivation demonstrated through their love of learning online.

Further, parents must be onside. Parents, mostly mothers, have been put in a place where they are acting as their child’s teaching assistant. This means that parents must monitor and encourage their child to complete the 5 hours of assigned work per week without the teacher in place to support schoolwork. As a teacher, I do everything I can to support parents in getting their child to turn in their work. I am now meeting with each student online to go over their assignments and support them as needed. Some parents are having a very challenging time getting their child to do any work. This is a reality of online learning as some students cannot sustain their engagement in learning without a teacher’s support.

In addition, some parents are overtaxed with supporting their child’s learning at home. During the , parents have been working from home and caring for their children. For some parents, it is so overwhelming that they cannot support their child with their schoolwork.

Even during the pre-lockdown school days, I could not help my son with his homework which he rarely completed. It was not worth battling with my child to get his work finished. I am glad he is an adult now, responsible for his own work.

The bottom line is that since I am accountable to tracking and reporting on work completion, I must continue doing this as I am my students’ teacher.

Overall, this challenge of solely teaching and learning online has not been something I want to maintain. I plan to keep some aspects of our Google Classroom as it is a good way to track work and grow students learning of new technology and applications.

With our current online learning reality, what I miss most is working directly with students seeing their faces and reactions to learning new things. In being able to read students’ level of comprehension, I can make the work harder or easier so we are in the sweet spot of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development. If work is too easy, students learn very little. If work is too hard, students give up.

In using visual cues, I can be highly effective in teaching my students more. Without being physically present while watching my students work, I am teaching blind.

Wishing you health and wellness,

Collaboratively Yours,

Deb Weston