U-M School/College Guidance for Teaching Remotely in an Emergency If you are faced with a scenario that will potentially disrupt the regular meeting of your class: Take care of yourself and remember this is … One thing I can always count on … 5 Fantastic Chess Movies to Watch at Home with Your Kids, School Doesn’t Have to Be a Drag: Ways to Encourage Your Children to Love Learning, How Brain Training Works for Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. As a first-grade teacher for nearly a decade, I enjoyed nothing more than teaching early readers to unlock the code and discover the joy of books. Please try again. I miss the clamor of a full classroom talking excitedly about a favorite book, the coming together around the carpet for meetings and lessons, and the expressions of friendship you see on the playground and in the cafeteria. So, let’s consider how that can be adjusted for virtual learning. This is customized information to help with your immediate needs as you meet the challenges of teaching remotely, adhering to IDEA, maintaining student privacy, and other important topics. Jul 22, 2020 | Teaching and Learning Remotely, Teaching Resources On Thursday July 2, 2020, DCAL hosted a panel discussion about collaborative projects in remote classrooms. The following tips have helped me, and I hope will do the same for others tasked with teaching reading and writing virtually. As teachers analyze the learning to assess this year, in either a remote or in-person setting, there are a multitude of tools and strategies to help with this process. While many adults prefer to read a physical copy, there is a plethora of online tools that can assist children in learning to read. Space out reading and writing tasks throughout the day, so students avoid becoming exhausted from trying to maintain intense focus for too long. For educators, it’s been a struggle to adapt lesson plans and strategies for the very subjects that make up the foundation for all future learning. 7 Life Lessons Chess Can Teach Your Child, Establishing Good Study Habits from an Early Age, 5 Easy Christmas Gifts Your Kids Can Make at Home, Copyright © 2021 Kids Academy Company. Teaching guided reading remotely starts with finding leveled digital books to share with parents. Teaching Strategies, Teaching Remotely Thank you to Brian Page for sharing his insights after his first week of teaching remotely with his students at Reading High School (Reading, OH). Try to read different types of texts with children, including informational articles on topics that fit personal interests. Give tips for families about how to navigate booksDr. Understandably, most parents are not experts in reading instruction. But if we get creative, focus on what matters, and work diligently to meet students’ needs, we can still teach in joyful and effective ways. There’s no doubt that the coronavirus pandemic has changed the way teachers teach and parents support their children in learning basic foundational skills such as reading and writing. Whether you plan to re-think your course for the online space, or adapt existing structures to a virtual format, the following four principles can help you get started. Something went wrong. Deirdre's top five tips for practical skills teaching at home Make an equipment list for each teaching session, summarise it on an excel spreadsheet and print in large font. Jan. 18, 2021. But others, like the three strategies I share below, have worked well enough that I … Using gamification as a tool for assessment gives teachers another strategy for assessing student understanding and keeps students engaged during synchronous remote learning. Make it a fun way to kick off the day, begin a lesson, or wind down from lunch. Final checklist for remote assessment. Everything I had been teaching other educators involved in-person, hands-on instruction. Coaching students through their learning journey is often a rewarding part of teaching. Students need to read to learn to navigate text. In preparation for Fall 2020, Duke Learning Innovation has developed a new resource, Flexible Teaching, which features a series of guides for course design, delivery, and materials. The book doesn’t have to be digital, but feel free to expand your book selection by utilizing apps or finding informational articles about topics kids love! In this role, I led professional development sessions on teaching reading in the primary grades, training teachers and support staff on explicit, systematic instruction, and managed committees on English language arts curriculum. Let’s take a closer look at what to keep in mind during online learning, before discovering ideas for reading instruction that can be done from home. Whether you’re an educator or teacher, try the following strategies: If you’ve ever been on a Zoom call, then you already know that staring at a screen for a prolonged amount of time is brutal. Studies have long shown that one the best ways to improve reading comprehension and fluency is through independent reading. Then you can dive into the comprehension strategy itself with anchor charts to teaching reading comprehension remotely….Here are a few from my different comprehension units. Let’s take a closer look at what to keep in mind during online learning, before discovering ideas for reading instruction that can be done from home. Okay… I know online teaching is very overwhelming…but teaching is so much more than just pushing out activity after activity for our students to do at home. Have the students turn on their cameras, set a timer on the screen, and let them work at their own pace. We now exist in this new world of social distancing, isolation, and quarantine. In March of 2020 as schools closed due to COVID-19 and concerns for keeping students and communities safe, millions of students and teachers began engaging in remote learning. Teaching Music Remotely Strategies for Students with Disabilities By NAfME Member Ellary A. Draper This article will appear in the April 2021 issue of General Music Today. By engaging them in the world of the story outside of their reading sessions, they learn to see reading as something they love to do and will want to read more often! Once kids have all the building blocks to develop fluency and comprehension, the next step is to practice, practice, practice! But keeping them attentive when students face distractions all around them can prove nearly impossible. Over the years, there have been many theories about the best methods for teaching reading strategies. You can also see Brian in a bonus video as part of our documentary project, The Most Important Class You Never Had. After setting up expectations, create five breakout rooms. Just as you would in the classroom, pop into each room for a few minutes to answer questions, check progress, and monitor behavior. Create different Google slides, each with a prompt, and assign two students to each slide. When we think of books, most of us think about the experience of holding one in our hands and perhaps the aroma of a freshly bought book. One of the biggest complaints I have heard from teachers (and students) amid the pandemic is that they are teaching whole-group lessons for long blocks of time. Click any image and it will take you to that unit. You can schedule a breakout room or office hours for students who need more one-on-one support. How could we ever reproduce literacy instruction in a distance learning format? Providing feedback within a few days has an outsized impact on the motivation of the student. For example, our third-grade students have to find text evidence from the nonfiction book Giant Squid: Searching for a Sea Monster by Mary M. Cerullo. Can we just pause for a second. Teaching Reading Remotely Blog Post. For instance, teaching students to read and write often means utilizing hands-on activities and manipulatives that help them recognize and form letters. Then, come back together to check on their status and make instructional decisions based on their progress. If you’re a teacher or a parent who is still faced with ongoing virtual learning, it might be helpful to keep a few basic rules in mind: As children learn to decode words and make meaning from them, teachers shift to focusing on a couple key aspects to literacy: developing both fluency and comprehension. Then in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, our district moved to remote learning. Tell them something about yourself—your background, your interests, a book you're currently reading. Thank you for submitting your request! I was dismayed. This makes it easier to read when collecting equipment for Offering evidence-based information, practical guidance, advice, ideas, and resources for teaching remotely. Jennifer Serravallo is the author of New York Times’ bestseller The Reading Strategies Book as well as other popular Heinemann professional books, The Writing Strategies Book; Teaching Reading in Small Groups; and The Literacy Teacher's Playbook, Grades K–2 and Grades 3–6.Her newest books are Understanding Texts & Readers, and A Teacher's Guide to Reading Conferences. In that capacity, she delivers professional development and coaching to educators around the United States. ×, Top 10 Most Read Literacy Now Blog Posts of 2020, International Literacy Association Announces 2021 Children’s and Young Adults’ Book Awards Winners, ​ Identifying Your Students' Strengths and Needs, The Screen Time Dilemma: Picture Books as Tools to Guide Reflection on Social Habits and Cultural Practices, “He’ll Be Our Inspiration, Still”: Remembering Robert B. Ruddell, Former IRA Board Member and Influential Author, Five Steps to Address Anti-Blackness: Black Immigrant Literacies. Not only is collaboration one of the 4 C’s of 21st-century skills that will prepare students to be successful contributors to the workforce, but virtual collaboration in the workplace is becoming more widespread (even before sheltering-in-place began). Furthermore, adults who don’t have a background in teaching might find it difficult to support learning when they aren’t familiar with the strategies. It’s easy to wonder how any of this can be possible during this period of virtual learning. In a remote setting, rather than using printed letter cards, use an online letter program such as Really Great Reading. 3 Ways to Promote Student Collaboration When Teaching Remotely Promote student collaboration using shared text, video conferences, break out rooms, discussion forums and more. Engage kids for an appropriate amount of time given their age and take a break. Utilize these strategies and remember that the most important aspect to teaching reading remotely is about promoting a love for text and practicing as much as possible! As you would with a traditional lesson plan, begin with your goal in mind and then consider how it can be achieved through the screen. Using polls and other interactive technologies to get a sense of students' experience, comprehension, and reactions ("reading the room") Inviting specific students' answers (cold calling) Opening the floor to general discussion of particular questions What do you want the students to learn? In other classes, it may be at another designated time of the day that promotes reading as a positive daily activity. Educators can select different books to engage a whole class with during a designated read aloud time, while also providing children with leveled readers that are appropriate for each student’s personal reading level. For instance, from home, it may be easier to task students with going outside to find inspiration for their reading. Please try again. As remote learning continues during COVID-19 school closures, educators have shared a plethora of creative and useful ideas for effective distance learning. Here are some of our top Canvas suggestions for remote teaching: This guide is intended to help all faculty, instructors, and TAs prepare for teaching a fully or mostly online course. How can you get them there? About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features What if you create small groups for learning centers? This is not something we typically do in elementary school. © 1996-2021 International Literacy Association, The username and/or password you entered was not recognized. The kids not working with you are doing asynchronous learning at that time. Subscribe to the Talented and Gifted app today to find fun ELA lessons, games, storybooks, and worksheets your kids will love! Is there an opportunity for students to work in pairs, writing together? Teaching Reading Vocabulary Remotely or In Person Date: Monday, April 5, 2021 Time: 6:30 - 8 p.m. CDT (Not sure what time this is in your time zone?Click here to convert it!) Let’s talk teaching reading comprehension remotely. One common theme of the above tips is to keep reading engaging, interesting, and downright fun! Make it an exciting celebration in your home or classroom. It’s easy to wonder how any of this can be possible during this period of virtual learning. Welcome your students to the learning community. Here are a few strategies that were used for remote instruction that are valuable to bring into the brick and mortar classroom. Cost: There is no fee for this training, but your tax-deductible donation will support our tutor training program and literacy learners across Minnesota! Keep this same routine in your digital classes, choosing a big colorful book that will hook your students’ attention. When teaching reading, replicate good practices virtually. As the coronavirus spread and schools began closing across the country, I began thinking about how we can best provide guided reading instruction to our students at home. Strategies for Online Teaching This guide is intended to help all faculty, instructors, and TAs prepare for teaching a fully or mostly online course. That is, the delivery of content, assignments and due dates, assessments, and all information is displayed and given in a reliable, simple, and expected way. Yet, all our years of preparing, planning, teaching, and pivoting did not prepare us for this! I put together a bitmoji classroom for parents. To make it purposeful, come back together and have partners share out with the whole class. Interactive presentations with embedded assessment Parents should also choose and offer a wide selection of books by taking advantage of public library services, or by inquiring with teachers and schools. All students can be empowered to access and interact text within their reading zone of proximal development when working remotely with the right tools. Think about it: managing student behavior and keeping them all on task and focused is tough, even on a normal day in any classroom. This page includes a range of videos, from the technical side (the five pillars of literacy) to the practical (what is phoneme segmentation, and how can I do it at home?). Understandably for some subjects, like reading and math, teaching such foundational skills from a distance may make the job even tougher. By now, it’s obvious that the pandemic has disrupted and complicated the way we teach every subject, especially for our youngest learners in preschool and elementary school. Have students interact with peers other than their friends in various ways. The strategies below share successful practices and address specific areas of concern in a manner that aims to be manageable for instructors. As parents, sessions can be hosted outdoors for a change of scenery. Try connecting other activities, such as art projects or games to the books children read. Contact ILA Customer Service. Please look for a confirmation email from us. Just like a teacher may create a nook or corner in the classroom, encourage kids to make their own at home, and to share their favorite space with the class! Teaching Early Literacy Remotely — Sessions for Staff and Caregivers Wednesdays from 10:00 - 11:30 AM Each module will be 1.5 hours and emphasize strategies for supporting struggling readers in small group sessions. In addition to these resources, educators might also be interested in what researchers have learned through systematic studies. You might reach out to your school or district literacy coordinator and see what resources they have access to or are working on getting access to for teachers. Some of my efforts have been less than successful. For those who are not easily able to help with work at home, they can at least build an understanding of the work their child is doing. Another instructional tool which offers possibility when reading remotely is Newsela, which offers teachers content that is automatically differentiated in five different lexile levels. Many educators plan reading time into their daily routines. For example, our primary-grade teachers deliver daily phonics lessons with the learning goal that students will accurately encode and decode words with a targeted skill. Another remote teaching strategy that can benefit students is to assign group work. Katy Tarasi is an elementary literacy coach in the Avonworth School District near Pittsburgh, PA, and a fellow with the Great Minds’ Wit & Wisdom English Language Arts team. Reading aloud to students or just guiding them through activities is not enough. But I encourage you to give them off-screen tasks and gather feedback on how they do. 2: Clearly outline course expectations Send a welcome email before the first day of class to greet students, convey important information, and set a positive tone for the semester. Our Support Team will review your case and get back to you with a resolution or response promptly. If your school has access to a digital literacy library, this step will be easy for you. Whether you teach online or you're considering it, here are some teaching strategies that will help you engage kids in the remote classroom. If you prefer to watch my video about this topic, click below! Sharing the purpose of strategies and routines and offering specific ways to help at home is critical. During this unprecedented time, we strive […] Part of our job during remote learning has been to provide parents with tools to support their children and give parents context and background about the instructional practices we use. Quick Takes Quick Takes are a series of short videos, with each episode focused on a specific topic or question that has risen to the top during this time of transferring instruction into online formats. The information on this page was prepared in Spring 2020 for the transition to emergency remote teaching. Understandably for some subjects, like reading and math, teaching such foundational skills from a distance may make the job even tougher. Kids Academy offers innovative digital tools to help kids learn to read and write. Encourage participation by asking different groups to answer a question using a cue such as “Everyone wearing a red shirt unmute yourself and share out.” For individual practice, have students submit a picture of written work through digital platforms like Seesaw or Google Classroom. While the thought of the potential learning loss is frightening, we must learn to adapt practices until school can get back to something closer to normal. Now that we have some basic ground rules in place, what can be done in class and at home to support a child’s literacy learning? That there is a lot lost during remote learning is true. Creating emergency innovations the past few weeks, to teach writing remotely during the pandemic, I have followed the dual mandates of keeping things as simple as possible while also maintaining human contact with students as they work on their writing. Your comment must be approved first, You've already submitted a review for this item, Thank you! When I communicate with parents, I offer this page as a resource for at-home practice. Recent uWaterloo instructor and student surveys (PDF 105 kb) have highlighted what is working well and what measures could improve online and remote courses. Teaching Reading Remotely Video. Give students time to read away from the computer screen. that address the current situation. So, here we are, grappling with how to teach our small reading groups remotely. Less can be more: You’ll be teaching kids who will be in a house full of other kids and adults … An important key idea for remote teaching is having consistency in your Canvas site. Accept the “Silence” Your newest ELL students will undoubtedly experience a “silent period” when … Remotely this can be providing feedback on submitted work, meeting students in virtual office hours, and sending kudos through Starfish. Let parents know about opportunities to purchase or borrow books, even if those texts are online. Students can use this information to create something—a paragraph, a drawing, or a diorama—allowing students to express creativity, own their learning, and demonstrate understanding. Strategies for Online Teaching. But no matter the venue, whether on-site, remote, or a hybrid format, teachers can continue delivering high-quality literacy instruction. 3 Key Rules for Teaching Reading Remotely, First and foremost, foster an early love for reading, Microsoft’s Immersive Reader tool that reads text online and highlights and enlarges words, Apps that contain eBooks that offer audio narration, Document cameras that teachers can use to project text from a physical book copy to children online, Virtual magazine subscriptions and/or articles. Virtual classes can actually offer a bit of flexibility when it comes to lessons and the time spent on classwork. Strategies for Teaching Reading Remotely. Remote teaching gave us the opportunity to learn new strategies that are considered best practice for online instruction and face-to-face instruction.