Benefits of Teaching Online

Back on September 4th, I was crying ugly before dinner. I remember thinking, "This is harder than the divorce," because I hadn't cried like that since 2009.

This past week, I was just getting into some sort of a groove. I can handle this. I might not like it; it might not be the best way to teach, but I'm getting better. Then we were told we were going to go "hybrid." I have no clue what that will look like. I also had no clue what teaching "remotely" (from school, however) would look like. So... it's time for me to share the benefits of teaching students through a screen. I will be losing some of these benefits in a couple of weeks.

• None of my books go missing.
• I don't have to clean up blood.
• No sign out sheet for a break. In fact, breaks do not disrupt the class.
• I get more breaks.
• We can't get each other sick.
• There's not a lot of in-class drama (that I know of).
• There are fewer distractions to our class (besides students being on Netflix or YouTube while also "attending" class, and not responding when I call on them or want to give them a shout out).
• There are no drills.
• I can eat stinky food at lunch, because I'm not breathing on anyone.
• Students can have their pets in their laps.
• I can leave all my supplies out - all over the room if I'd like.
• We can have 1:1 conferences without disturbing anyone else (THANK YOU, breakout rooms)!
• It's easier to differentiate by using breakout rooms.
• I receive fewer emails on the weekends.
• I now dance and sing at the start of each class as I'm letting students out of the waiting room.
• I've slowed down my speech and taken my time with my words, as I feel as if everything I say is being recorded once that camera light appears. This has helped me formulate what I want to say, and I hope it helps those kids who have internet problems.
• I've gotten better at looking at one screen, figuring out who's talking in the other screen, and managing the chat with its private and public messages. 
• I can teach without wearing a mask.
• I can head outside the last 5-10 minutes of class.
• I can yell down the hallway - in frustration or celebration or just when I'm feeling especially loopy after a crazy day.
• I don't have to wear pants (no worries - my husband won't let me out of the house without them).
• I don't have to wipe down tables and chairs except the table I may use at lunch.
• It's pretty quiet.
• I don't smell student farts after lunch. (It seems as if every year there's that one student...)
• The "touch up my appearance" button on Zoom works wonders.
• I have an actual routine.
• I have our supplies way more organized than ever before.
• I can still visit with my family outside.
• I've learned more about how to take care of myself, as it's a true necessity.

My students added my name to our question of the day!

I hope to find ways to recreate some of these with some of my students being in front of me two days a week, and some of my students not coming into the school yet. My gut says that those at home will be receiving LESS of an education than they are now. I really wish anyone besides classroom teachers could come in to a typical class and see what goes on. Maybe then community members could see the physical and mental strain we're under. They may also have ideas for hybrid that we haven't yet thought of.

How I'm taking care of myself:

• I rarely leave work after 3:30.
• I don't look at my email from 3:15 until the next morning.
• I'm finding time to send good notes home to students.
• I don't let myself feel guilty for reading an adult book (as opposed to a young adult book).
• I'm getting outside - sometimes between classes, at lunch (when the weather is okay), and after school.
• I'm not on a screen a ton when I get home.
• I read fiction at least an hour before bed.
• I'm eating well.
• I have a regular sleep schedule (9pm to 5am).
• I'm using the pens I like. (Yes, even tiny things like not saving the best for later helps my head.)
• I'm wearing my mask, washing my hands, and staying 6 feet apart from peers.

Please let me know what I'm missing. What are benefits I've not documented? What are other ways you're taking care of yourself?

A Tidbit of Success

In the first quarter of the school year, many teachers don't have a lot of grades. When you're "going gradeless," or not putting points or marks to be averaged in the grade book as I am, it's even fewer. Going into our sixth week, we currently have six assignments that have narrative feedback attached.

The "Article of the Week" actually already has three pieces of feedback embedded in the one assignment. I change the date on that one and move it up to the top when we have a new one to add.

I've got 7th graders, and first quarter for them is all rainbows and unicorns when they're not getting points or marks averaged.  In fact, I saw this on a locker the other day and thought, "Yup. That's where we are right now."

Time will come soon enough when I sit 1:1 with each student to look at their evidence and put it all into one little letter. So far, however, there has been no mention of grades. No extra credit, no late penalties... we've just been working at learning how to be better readers, writers, and grammarians.

Here's the tidbit I need to share that I heard from a student when we they went into the feedback they had for their article of the week...

"It worked! The feedback you gave worked, and I did better this time!"

THIS is why I put myself through the extra work of adding "next steps" to each student's personalized feedback.

That's really all I wanted to share today. Thanks to Jimmy Casas's latest post about blogging.  "Write like you talk. Start writing. Write for you." Tag - you're it! Time for YOU to share another story!

My "gradeless" resources so far: "FaR" tabs of our classroom Weebly

                                    Feedback Instead of Grades LiveBinder for parents to inspect
                                    My own reflections on this journey

Benefits of Comprehension Checks in a "No Grades" Classroom

They are not called quizzes in a "no grades" classroom. They are called by their purpose - to check comprehension. They also do not have the downfalls of typical quizzes. They do NOT affect a student's grade.

The first comprehension check I passed back had mixed responses from students.

     "I thought you said you weren't going to grade us."      (I'm not.)
     "Does this go in the grade book?"      (As a comment.)
     "Will we have more of these so I can raise my grade?"      (Yes... and no.)
     "Can I retake this?"      (No.)
     "What does this mean?"

The first comprehension check had five questions. In my spreadsheet, these were the possible comments students received in the online grade book:

Yes. It looks like a mark, but it does not get computed in the gradebook.

As a result, it is ONLY INFORMATION. It is feedback for the student and parents.

As a result, we had a valuable conversation about literal vs. inferential questions.

As a result, students were curious about why they had one or more wrong.

As a result, their final grade does not get knocked down a notch (or boosted).

As a result, students read more closely the next time we had a comprehension check.

As a result, students were not inclined to cheat.

As a result, students do not groan when I hand them out. They know they are checking their comprehension on this one piece of text. They do not have to use this piece for evidence in their final grade if they have better evidence from which to choose.

As a result, I have never given so much formative assessment. I used to despise how it kept raising some grades and kept knocking down others. I felt guilty putting the grades in the grade book. Now I truly view it as formative assessment in its pure form.

Three comprehension checks later...

I am "grading" the four literal questions. The backside of some students' work was not completed. One wonderful benefit of this type of learning - I do NOT feel guilty marking it as "2 out of 4 literal questions answered correctly." Students will know it is because they did not follow the directions.

Hopefully, as a result...  they will follow directions more closely next time. In ALL of their classes.

My resources so far: "FaR" tabs of our classroom Weebly

                                    Feedback Instead of Grades LiveBinder for parents to inspect
                                    My own reflections on this journey

Let It Go

What are our issues with giving students control in classes?

Why do we have a difficult time letting go of control?

“There is no time to cover the curriculum I’m supposed to cover.”

“They won’t get enough preparation for the standardized tests.”

“Other teachers will walk by the room and think I’m crazy.”

It's time to get over it.

We are here to teach CHILDREN first.

If you say you want your students to be creative and prepared for the world ahead of them, you need to give up your control - at least for part of your school year! Our students need to be adaptable, flexible, creative, innovative and leaders. They can NOT practice these skills unless we give them the time. Allowing time during your class for students to pursue their own passions does get loud, confusing, and it just might be your most difficult and rewarding part of your week.

Genius Hour, 20% Time, Innovation Day, Passion Projects… By any name, this is student-driven learning. Your job is to give students the map so that they can create their own journey, with u-turns and break-downs along the way. They may fail, but we'll be there to help them reflect on wrong turns and show ways to get back on the right path.

Why should we “give up” part of the day or week to let students learn or create what they want? If you can’t answer, then try this question: What do you remember about your elementary and high school years? We remember the teachers who were nice, and those that were not. But really, what specific curriculum do you remember? And could you find that curriculum by Googling questions now? Did you ever get a chance to do what YOU wanted in school? We remember those things that are personal to us - those times we were truly engaged in the learning, because we were allowed some choice. Kids are naturally curious - they DO want to learn - but they probably want to learn many things that are not in our curriculum.

I used to think it was all about the CHOICE students are given, and that’s a HUGE part of it. With more choice, they are more motivated to learn… but there is more.

The shift to Common Core invites creativity, freedom, deeper thinking and understanding. The only way for more of this to happen in schools is for teachers to give up the control. I want a student-centered classroom - one where my students learn how to become lifelong learners - how to seek out experts and ask the questions that will get them further along in their exploration… how to pursue answers, rather than memorize facts.

During Genius Hour, students have to first find their passion. This shouldn’t be difficult, but it is so very difficult for some, because we have beat that curiosity out of them. School has become a place (in some instances) where we don’t have time to find out what students like - we have too much we need to teach them! WE tell them what WE think they need to know. They get used to years of this, and by the time they reach us, they don’t know how to be curious anymore - they lose some of the urge to share what they know with us. In fact, some of the students that have the hardest time during genius hour are the ones who have learned to play the school game well. Your “straight A” students will have a difficult time without rubrics, deadlines, and the openness of this year-long project. They want to be told what to do. This won't work in the world in which they're heading.

For these students, you may have to scaffold their learning. It begins with a conversation. There are many questions you can ask students to lead them to ideas. First, you’ll need to generate ideas for their passion. You can ask a multitude of questions (list here) in your one-on-one conference. You can also, as AJ Juliani suggested in this blog post, ask students to create a “March Madness Interests” bracket. Once students find something they’d like to do, it’s time for them to set their own parameters. If they need a deadline, have them come up with it. They could create a calendar with dates on it when they’d like to be done with certain parts of their project, and select a date in which to present. If they want to be graded, they should be tasked with creating the rubric, and given parameters with which to do so. If they will be doing more than one project for the year, they may find it easier to begin in this fashion, with rubrics and deadlines becoming unnecessary for their next projects. What you should do, to make it easier on all of your students, is come up with steps to follow. It can be as simple as “Brainstorm ideas, research, and present,” or as complex as you’d like (depending on what you’re willing to manage).

Benefits for students: They take ownership of their learning. The develop social skills. They learn how to work smarter at solving problems. They become better at asking questions. They develop a more trusting relationship with you, which hopefully spreads to other adults. They have increased motivation to come to your class. They are more engaged during class, which leads to learning.

Benefits for teachers: Having time built into your week when you can sit down with kids individually helps them feel valued, and it will also help you. You will learn what makes them tick. You will learn what type of learner they are. You will learn what they are skilled at, and what they wish they knew. You will learn about their life outside of school. You can use all of this information during the rest of your week - and your students will, too. It’s suddenly all about the students, the way it should be - they’ll trust you because you know them. You’ll show them you trust that they can make decisions for the class.

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All of your lessons will revolve around your students - their skills and their needs. And isn’t THAT what it’s all about?

So… How do teachers pull this off? I recently wrote a post about decisions you’ll have to make - it may look daunting, but it will be one of those decisions you won’t regret.

Students' ideas will provoke change in your classroom & in your thinking!*

*Disclaimer: Be ready to be the loudest and most engaged class in your hallway…