Can we talk about remote learning for a minute?? So, we've been doing this since March. Which means that every teacher & school staff member is now an expert in what works/doesn't work far above every single district bureaucrat or politician anywhere. They have ZERO experience.

So...what are we seeing?? (Keep in mind I teach 1st-3rd)

1) Whole group lessons should be kept to a minimum. Some community building, announcements, maybe a quick read aloud. That's it. Small groups & 1:1 instruction is far more effective.
2) Less is more. Teaching through a screen presents unique problems. Tech issues, not being able to see student work in real time...Teaching ONE concept thoroughly with practice is so much better than more complicated work.
3) Reduce Screen time. I mean, duh. But seriously on this one. Doing RL should not mean staring at a screen all day. Quick, targeted lessons in small group/1:1 settings, then allow choice in follow-ups to practice. And the indep work MUST be work than can be done without help!
4) I'll repeat this one: Less is more. Shorter school days, more breaks, targeted small group/indiv lessons works best. The push for RL to mimic the pre-pandemic in-person school day is absolutely ridiculous.
5) Grading must change. We all know this. Depending on the needs of the kids & the abilities of the families to support learning. We need to stop punishing families who for whatever reason, cannot hold their child's hand through the school day.
6) Flexibility. Like for real. For families, for staff.
7) Consistency. And at the same time consistent routines, trying to minimize disruptions to schedules (um, like going Hybrid, closing due to outbreaks, opening again, forcing weird "simultaneous" instruction.) Just no.
8) Focus on relationships. We hear this often and it's true. Our dist leadership says this and then forces us into positions that break trust. Not having flexibility, watching kids and families break under the strain of a far too long school day with far too much screen time.
9) This has been said MANY times before, but kids are not falling behind, they are surviving a pandemic. Families need supports to get through this (like, safe, affordable/free childcare &/or pay families subsidies so they do not have to work!)
10) Quality over Quantity. For real, when I have time to design quality, targeted, individualized lessons kids learn so much in a quick lesson. We need TIME to do this. Time to really prep. Everything is different. We are revamping everything.

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