The requirement to end the year teaching students at home left many administrators and educators struggling for answers. There was not much time to plan (perhaps what ended up being declared a week for Spring break) and many obstacles to overcome – homes without broadband access and young students (and parents) lacking skills with the delivery tools that were selected. Teachers might also have not spent much time with the tools they were expected to use or at least didn’t have the depth of experience necessary to troubleshoot the inevitable problems that arose.
Some districts simply gave up and called it good for the year. Parents complained of the additional demands they faced and the challenge of finding a way to supervise their children if they were able to work. Districts reported a high rate of no shows. Many were frustrated.
All of the issues aside, I hope educators and administrators have gained some insights as we may be facing the same situation in the Fall and not finding a way forward will not be an option.
As the year ends, I hope administrators query teachers and parents to find insights into what were productive tactics and that these positive experiences can be shared. I found this article from EdSurge that identified a source I had not considered. The article was titled How online learning research can improve remote instruction. My initial reaction was puzzlement as I missed the point. For some, teaching students at home is not novel. There are some students who learn at home online and some who work with students in this fashion. These students and educators have committed to this form of teaching/learning for a variety for reasons, but this commitment has resulted in tactics that work for such circumstances. Certainly, everyone involved has made a commitment to the approach and there are not issues of bandwidth, hardware, or experience involved. These are different issues. What might be helpful from what has been a niche approach at the K12 level are the experiences that been found useful.
