Remote

[Unkotare]

Mainly asking other teachers here, but any reasonable views are welcome.

What has been your experience with remote or hybrid learning so far? Many expected unexpected challenges are popping up all the time. Just curious to see what others think so far.

 

[Rye Catcher]

Mainly asking other teachers here, but any reasonable views are welcome.

What has been your experience with remote or hybrid learning so far? Many expected unexpected challenges are popping up all the time. Just curious to see what others think so far.

I'm not a teacher, though I did teach probationary officers at the academy. That said, I learned more doing homework in High School than sitting in a classroom with someone going on and on with the same lecture they've done dozens of times. Giving small groups of probies a scenario and having them work together to come up with a solution was effective. With today's technology small groups of classmates can see and talk to each other to solve problems in Math, and to discuss history and the merits of decisions made by past Presidents.

My 8th grade science teacher had a competition by dividing the room into two teams, and having each member write questions for the other team to answer. It was fun, and I still recall things learned by this process to this day.

 

[Unkotare]

It is interesting and encouraging to see more and more of the students starting to get the hang of the new format of learning and becoming more adept with the various online platforms that they have to navigate. It’s amazing what a lot of these young people can do when they are given the right information, the tools, the encouragement, and a sense that some people really do give a shit about them.

 

[Unkotare]

The longer that this "remote learning" paradigm persists, the more adept some students (including some who had virtually no familiarity with computers before all this) have become. Working with some functions and on some platforms that they had found daunting and intimidating a few months ago has become almost routine for many now. It's impressive how bright and adaptable young people can be.

 

[Unkotare]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/fairfax-schools-more-failing-grades/2020/11/24/1ac2412e-2e34-11eb-96c2-aac3f162215d_story.html

 

[Unkotare]

Another issue that illustrates the different circumstances students face in remote learning is with the physical location a student may or may not have in which to study. Some students may have a dedicated 'study room' in their house bigger than the entire apartment another student shares with several relatives. Sometimes you will actually see a parent standing just off to the side monitoring their son or daughter, or bringing them healthy snacks during online classes, while in other cases students have a hard time even hearing the class because several other people are in the same small room trying to do the same thing at the same time; several siblings taking different remote classes and creating cross-volume. Sometimes students are actively caring for younger siblings while trying to attend class. You can't expect these two different students to have a reasonable chance of doing equally well, although you'd be amazed at the effort some students devote to trying just that.

 

[Unkotare]

Some cities have attempted to mitigate the above issue by setting up remote learning centers where students can have reliable internet access and dedicated (distanced) study areas.

There is a lot of uncovering challenges and improvising solutions going on during all of this.

 

[mgh80]

I teach 11th and 12th grade English. Currently We're hybrid the rest of the year...my classes are about 50/50 brick and mortar and online learning. My brick and mortar kids are doing the norm and progressing. My online learners for the most part aren't doing the work and are struggling. Most of those who tried it out, were trying and doing poorly have returned to face to face.

I usually have 1-2 kids per class failing. I currently have about 7-8 kids per class failing...almost all are online learners.

Here's the kicker: most of my failing online learners log in for attendance every day. They get distracted with everything going on in their environment. I think it's an example of the effects that being connected 24/7 and them having shorter and shorter attention spans.

 

[DGS49]

As a point of reference, my three grandkids are learning from their daycare center. Ironically, they cannot learn from home because their mother is a HS French teacher - same school district - and she cannot teach with the three of them about. So they go to daycare and take the online classes from there, in a dedicated classroom. I presume they are wearing headphones to avoid being distracted by other kids in the room who are in other classes, virtually.

We believe they are progressing normally.