Lessons Learned

Hi Team Remote Families. As this year winds down, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the lessons learned from our collective experience of teaching and learning during a pandemic. First off, there truly is a Bitmoji for every occasion--Thanks for indulging me all year long!

On a more serious note, learning remotely has been a challenge as technology isn't always reliable, body language cues are difficult to perceive, and the feeling of isolation is a drain on mental health. Nonetheless, families made sacrifices to ensure their children's safety,  teachers established new pedagogies to deliver instruction, and students proved to be resilient as they adapted to learning remotely. While some talking heads will focus on "learning loss" as we head into the next school year, I am more inclined to focus on the learning gains as our remote students picked up lots of technology skills and demonstrated resilience, responsibility, and independence. Our remote teachers, too, learned how to leverage an entirely digitized curriculum and I am hopeful that some of the lessons learned from this challenging year will continue moving forward.

Screencasting

In the absence of in class lectures and "over the shoulder" support, many teachers used Screencastify to create their own custom screencast videos in which they pre-recorded their lessons for whole-group direct instruction as well as for individualized feedback. The advantage for students is that instruction can be available 24/7 and lessons can be played, paused, and repeated as needed until mastery is achieved. My hope is that more teachers embrace this personalized approach to instructional delivery.

Video Instruction

In addition to screencasting, many of our teachers augmented their instruction with YouTube or other video resources. Using tools like Edpuzzle, teachers were not only able to share instructional videos, but also check for student understanding by posting questions at various points of emphasis. My hope is that teachers continue to find innovative ways to deliver instruction and assess students digitally. 

Formative Assessment

Who says tests can't be fun?! Many teachers turned their assessments and quizzes into games using tools like Kahoot and Quizizz to engage students. These platforms are fun for students, but also provide teachers with actionable data to address individual students needs. Further, teachers used tools like Seesaw, Flipgrid, and Padlet to provide students with a platform to demonstrate learning. My hope is that teachers continue to engage students in creative ways.

Home-School Connection

Keeping families in the loop is always a key to a successful partnership, but was especially essential during remote learning. Many teachers used platforms like Google Sites and Google Classroom to establish a workflow with students and provide updates to parents/guardians. In doing so, students and families had reliable access to teachers' resources 24/7. My hope is that teachers continue to partner with families to support student learning.

Social-Emotional Learning

"Maslow Before Bloom" is a popular phrase among teaching professionals. It essentially means that students have a basic need for safety and belonging that must be addressed before tackling higher order cognitive tasks. Using tools like Google Forms, many of our remote teachers were able to "check in" with students. Further, teachers spent time building relationships with students over Zoom despite the physical distance to make sure students felt like they were part of their classroom community. My hope is that teachers will continue prioritize students' social and emotional well-being.

Asynchronous Instruction

When students are present in a classroom, teachers oftentimes design activities based on a "station rotation" model or "centers" in which groups of students are able to work on various tasks for a given amount of time. This practice proved to be challenging during remote instruction, but teachers were able to leverage Zoom's Breakout Rooms for small group instruction. Further, teachers used Google Slides, Jamboard, and HyperDocs to provide students with an opportunity to interact with content either collaboratively or independently. My hope is that teachers continue to innovate in their lesson design to provide students with time for independent practice and collaboration.

When we return to in-person school next fall, there will be some adjustments for our remote students and teachers. I am confident, however, that we will return to something better than "normal" thanks to the effort students, families, and teachers have put forth to thrive during a pandemic.

WGHS Remote Student Yearbook Pickup

Remote students can pick up their yearbooks between 2:45 and 3:15 today, Monday, June 7, in the upper gym. Students must bring an ID.

Important Dates

• Thursday, June 10th: Last Day of Classes for WGHS Seniors
• Friday, June 11th: "Senior Walk" at Elementary buildings
• Friday, June 11th: Last Day of Classes for WGHS Juniors
• Tuesday, June 15th: Last Day of Classes for WGHS Freshmen and Sophomores
• Wednesday, June 16th: Remote Student Material Drop Off at WGHS
• Wednesday, June 23rd and Thursday, June 24th: Remote Student Material Drop Off at WGMS
• Thursday, June 24th and Friday, June 25th: Remote Student Material Drop Off at CMS
• Thursday, June 24th and Friday, June 25th: Remote Student Material Drop Off at Elementary Bldgs.

Please be sure to check out the various Principal blogs (links on the right of this page) for building-specific information.