Remote Learning Reflections, Tips, and Insights

This past school year certainly provided an opportunity to look at teaching and learning through a different lense. As an instructional coach/technology integration specialist and a mom of teen boys who are 16 and 13, I was able to see what was and wasn’t working for educators and learners, as everything shifted to being virtual. It’s been a whirlwind to say the least! As an instructional coach, my role focused on supporting teachers with technology integration through professional learning and one-on-one support to help with blended learning. I worked alongside hundreds of teachers to help everyone through the process. We certainly all learned a lot together! In the year to come, I can only imagine how we’ll continue to grow.

At home though, my husband and I were able to see through the eyes of our children. I believe all educators did their absolute best, particularly considering that it was an emergency remote teaching and learning situation. Although both of our boys did relatively well with remote learning, both initially struggled with feeling as though they needed to primarily sit to engage in school work on a computer as this kind of learning was completely new to them. It took both time to adjust.

As my husband and I worked from home and our boys learned from home, we watched both move more frequently throughout the house over the course of the day. From the couch, the kitchen island, to the floor, or the bench in our bay window, both moved to spaces that best suited their needs. As the weather warmed here in New York, we watched our boys begin to engage in their learning from the front porch or while sprawled out on a blanket in the backyard. Eventually, they grew more creative in their work as teachers gained some confidence with remote teaching and learning. Within this post, I’ll share with you some insights that we found helpful as educators/parents.

Flexible Seating is Beneficial

While some may believe that kids need a specific ‘space’ to learn, I found that what my children did naturally, was exactly what I promoted in the classroom. As a classroom teacher, my room was complete with flexible seating. We had bean bag chairs, wobble stools, lap desks, rugs, a standing table, and a coffee table where kids sat upon pillows. There were spaces to collaborate and other places where they could work independently. Children had choice where to learn based on their needs. We built this structure into our classroom culture, so learners understood how to use our space.

As for our boys at home, they had a materials/resource center of sorts, but they kept themselves engaged through movement, even though they required a device to complete assignments. As our region of NY gradually re-opened, I even began taking our 13 year old out and about more often to engage in learning. He was able to pick up his iPad and safely take his learning on the go. With that said, I know that flexible seating may not be an option while teaching in-person due to health and safety protocols, but encouraging our learners to find what works best for them when remote (as many are in a hybrid model or 100% remote) can be beneficial. Below is a fun video Nolan (13) created with me and our dog, Chloe (edited by our 16 year old, Julian), demonstrating how learning doesn’t necessarily have to be confined to a desk or table.

Devices Can Offer Different Opportunities

On many days, our children utilized both a laptop and an iPad for different purposes. Fortunately, they received a laptop from their school district, but had access to an iPad at home. On the iPad, they could scan a document to upload straight from the device to submit to their teachers and even create an iMovie for projects that they developed individually, which they couldn’t do with the laptops they had access to. They were able to take pictures directly with the iPad and then upload to iMovie, Flipgrid, Google Slides and more!

Our 13 year old’s two favorite assignments were when he had to explore reverse engineering and then had the opportunity to redesign a home through a website that allowed learners to drag and drop furniture, decor, and even change the wall colors and more. With the reverse engineering process, he was tasked to take apart any item at home and document the process, then reconstruct the item (he chose his gaming chair). With both activities, he utilized his iPad so that there wasn’t a need to transfer photos or use a mouse/finger pad. He created digital products that captured his learning and really enjoyed creating the projects as they were meaningful to him since he had choice, and could add his own unique touches to both.

Every individual benefits from something different, and as educators we saw what worked best for various ages. In fact, we had many younger learners (from the district I support as instructional coach) who had access to iPads or tablets and appreciated the ability to use touch screens as opposed to keyboards. iPads seem to more developmentally appropriate for younger learners because they can easily engage in activities and learning through the use of apps and touch screen. Plus, they’re simply more conducive to children who are on the go or ‘travel’ around the house to learn as our boys did.

Learning is Meant to Be Both Meaningful and Active

The experience of remote learning and providing support as an instructional coach confirmed my belief of how our learners aren’t meant to be stationary or simply complete worksheets or multiple choice assignments. Although they may have their time in place, it’s important that we remember that when children have the opportunity to work on assignments or projects that feel meaningful, they experience more ownership over their work. Ownership can lead to greater intrinsic motivation to put forth their best effort.

Children are meant to engage in active learning that empowers them as creators, communicators, collaborators, designers, and innovators. Designing remote learning isn’t quite the same as in person, but as we gain confidence, we can begin to explore how to create more dynamic learning experiences. When creating lessons, we need to be cognizant of the kinds of devices learners have access to (if any) and the types of lessons we are creating to ensure we are engaging our learners and providing opportunities for them to share their voice and be empowered in their learning.

When designing a lesson it’s beneficial to consider if the lesson contains at least one or more of the following:

Have I allowed for choice?

Does this activity encourage the child to get up and move or go outside?

Am I creating activities that allow for creativity and individuality to shine?

Are learners provided time to collaborate with others and supported through the process?

Is our school identifying how to provide hands-on learning experiences to learners in one way or another?

Are learners engaging in reflection and providing feedback to peers?

Am I incorporating learning protocols and strategies in similar way remotely as to what would be done traditionally in the classroom?

Are learners actively exploring, creating, or engaging in designing projects?

Am I mindful that every child is in a different situation and may require varying levels of support?

Whether in person or remote, it’s essential that we keep in mind that we are encouraging learners to have choice and share their voice- even from home. Remaining connected through communication and providing opportunities for collaboration is important, too. Within our lessons it’s ideal to build in opportunities for active learning and also help children to understand that it’s okay to stand, move about, or find a spot that works best for them. The last thing most educators want is for learners to sit all day, staring at a screen.

Lean On One Another and Continue to See Through the Eyes of Learners

Although this time is trying for everyone, I believe we are learning how to incorporate instructional strategy and classroom activities remotely in a way we might not have imagined pre-Covid-19.Finding the right balance may feel overwhelming, but we are fortunate to have one another. During this time, let’s give one another grace and show empathy, while also taking the time to share resources or what works for us and our learners. It’s also helpful to consider what we can tolerate as educators, too. In fact, this summer while facilitating virtual PL sessions, many participants preferred 3 hours of differentiated learning as opposed to full day sessions. As facilitators, we didn’t keep participants online the entire time. Rather, we purposefully built in breaks, choice (in readings and activities), independent work time and opportunities to collaborate with others. With all we did, our goal was to model what learning can look like for students.

One tip I always share with individuals who may feel overwhelmed is to start with one idea or strategy and then go from there. If not sure where to start, begin by focusing on relationships, team building and cultivating your classroom culture. Afterall, relationships and culture are the most important. From there, you can always begin to integrate choice, opportunities to share voice, and then other learning strategies to empower learning. If you’re looking for ways to cultivate authentic relationships and a meaningful classroom culture, deeply engage learning and shift to empowerment so that your learners reach their full potential, check out my book, Take the L.E.A.P.: Ignite a Culture of Innovation.

If you’re looking for a few resources to support your learners with movement, organization, or opportunities to regulate while learning at home, here are some of my favorites!

*To note, every home life is completely different, but providing tips for organization, flexibility, and opportunities to move or self-regulate can be beneficial for all!

• Since our boys benefit from moving around or getting outside to learn, we prefer iPad cases from Rug-Ed. Plus, some models come in a variety of colors! We have the yellow case and between the handle, stand, and the fact it can withstand just about anything, it’s our favorite! Their cases are available at https://rug-ed.com/collections/all. 
• Portable utility totes allow for children to organize materials and take them anywhere they’d like to learn.
• Utility carts can also beneficial since it allows learners to have all resources organized. Plus, it’s on wheels so you can move it anywhere!
• Even though our boys are teens, they still like to fidget on occasion. In our dining room (currently our ‘resource center’) I keep a bin with Kinetic Sand, a couple containers of Play-Doh, a stress ball, and small container of bubbles. Even big kids benefit from taking breaks!
• Wobble Stools have always been a favorite of mine since they allow kids to move as they engage in learning. Even as an adult, they’re at the top of my list!
• On a side note, as a mom, I’ve found that I too need more organization to manage everyone’s schedules. There are many command center styles available, here is a sample to help life flow more smoothly.