Category Archives: distance learning

Learning Happens Everywhere!

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I wanted to reflect on my classes that I had this past week and the awe and amazement that I experienced after thinking about my classes. Learning truly can happen anywhere. 

These have been some insane months lately: pandemics, protests, elections, illness, online learning, hybrid learning, fires, remember murder hornets??? I admit, when we made the move to online learning, I was stressed, reluctant, and longed for the times when I was in a classroom, with my students, in person and I was teaching and they were learning. I feared that with the online move, my students’ learning and progress would suffer. I feared that my students would not bother to log in the Zoom, and we would all be completely disconnected. Maybe this is the case for some, but as I’ve recently discovered, I am having quite a different experience…

This is a video of one of my Zoom classes where we were practicing prepositions and location with stuffed animals (and a Buddha) 

Last Thursday, I conducted my Zoom class as I normally do, only to see that one of my students was participating in the Zoom from her car, and another student was participating while she was in Tahoe with her family. The week before, another student was in my “class” while she was in the passenger seat of her car en route to who knows where…I have had many students engage in my class from areas that I would not deem a traditional classroom or even from the rooms or a desk. At first, I was a little bit annoyed that these students were not participating from home or at a desk, and I worried that they would be distracted, or not really be involved in the lesson of the day. These students not only participated for the entire duration of the class, but they were active, and engaged, and volunteered answers to questions, more than they had in a traditional setting. Recently, I also had another student email me and say that she was not feeling well, but I encouraged her to at least have the Zoom open so that she could listen to the lesson and get the instruction, even if she didn’t feel well enough to participate. She attended the class and thanked me later for still being able to participate in the lesson even though she wasn’t feeling well. Instead of focusing on the negative that they were not following “protocols” I decided to take this as a positive, and here are some of my takeaways:

  • Students can attend class from any place. They don’t have to be limited by vacations, or sports tournaments that are far away. 
  • Students can still attend class even if they don’t feel well enough to participate. In an in person setting, students would typically miss school, and have to make up all of the lectures and assignments and come to office hours to catch up. With online learning, students don’t have to miss the entire lesson, and still remain in the comfort of their homes. 
  • Parents who are near their children (in this case, my student’s mom was driving the car) can witness all of the magic and dynamic lessons that are happening in their child’s classes. I don’t mind parents seeing what cool things we’re doing in class so that there is some transparency. This might be intimidating for some, and I agree, but I think that having a glimpse into what is happening in their child’s class is beneficial. So often parents ask their child: “what did you learn in school today?” and the kid typically responds with: “nothing.” This opportunity gives parents a window into what is happening in their child’s school day. 
  • Teachers can collaborate and observe classes a lot easier, and less intrusively. I have had the opportunity to observe some colleagues on Zoom, and I find that it’s efficient, beneficial, quick, and perhaps not as intimidating as having a person sitting in a chair in the back of the room. I can unobtrusively observe a colleague and cause little disruption.
I was truly amazed to see how engaged my students are in my Zoom classes from literally EVERYWHERE. Learning is not confined to the classroom, nor the traditional environments from long ago; good education can happen in Tahoe, in the car, a dining room, classroom, Innovation Center, you name it. Some may disagree, and I still prefer to teach in a classroom and in person, however I think that online education opens the doors for so many students and families and teachers that a new way of learning is continuing to expand. 
I will add this caveat: not all students have the same access to reliable internet and the online tools that other students have, however perhaps the roads will be paved so that more students have more access to quality education from anywhere.
You know what they say about lemons and lemonade…

How do you know if you are being a successful teacher?

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Spending this first month of the school year doing distance learning has made it hard for me to evaluate my own teaching. The measurable data I had from class interactions previously, doesn’t exist anymore and this can lead to self doubt as a teacher. This can (and does) lead to taking every comment about our teaching as more valuable.

I recently had a conversation about one of the classes that I teach that I believe is going really well. Very well considering that it is via distance learning. The conversation didn’t include what I believed was happening. I discovered that the virtual world is more isolating and invisible than when someone could come into the class and see learning in action. What is visible to the outside world (those excluding the teacher and students) is a Schoology page. The conversations via zoom have been and gone, the laughs and “now I get it” moments have been left in the virtual realm. Sadly my impression to the outside world is minimal.

This week after hearing voices in my mind questioning whether I am a good teacher, I decided to do something about it. This isn’t new or revolutionary. In fact it’s a requirement as a teacher here at Carondelet. I did class surveys asking what items helped the students learn new concepts and what parts of my class have and haven’t been successful for learning (Schoology included). Simply I went to the source to find out whether my self doubt was accurate.

I know you’re wondering what my students said. Before I tell you I invite you to ask your students too. They see you every week and know all the hard work you’re doing. The responses that I received that were about all their classes expressed an appreciation that every teacher is truly doing his/her best.

So the results came in. Simply I can tell you that my students don’t see my as a non-effective teacher, one that is unclear about what he is teaching, or even as someone who doesn’t care. My most positive response was that they feel that I am approachable. That is huge for me. It has actually been my most positive evaluation from students in regards to helping them (in teaching and assessing) to be successful students. The written comments were positive, especially the ones that were specific to me. My favourite was “I really enjoy how you do distance learning.” Also a shout out to Ms. Orr, Mr. Ward and Mr. Buckles that students gave praise to on their online teaching. Basically my students expressed that they are happy, they are learning, and that what they do in class is valuable.

I finished teaching my last period on Friday and I’m thankful to have positive voices in my mind acknowledging that I am doing a good job in the classroom. I hope you take the time to hear from the students and take those same positive words to heart.