Month: March 2020

As one who taught online in the earlier years of my educational career and one who  completed one of four graduate degrees online, the current crisis has prompted a favorable teacher-student opportunity.

This virtual experience includes high school students participating in At-Home learning and dual credit college students moving from an on campus format to a full online learning platform.  What has proved rewarding for both teacher and student is that there are many opportunities for one-on-one communication.

School administrators often advocate building connections with students. We’ll here’s another unexpected opportunity.

Every student who logs into the present online course management system has a one-on-one communication moment with me because I acknowledge the emails, the posts, the private messages, the assignment submissions, or even phone conversations–almost immediately. Student have even paused to comment on the encouraging quotes I post through an announcement board.  I am very sensitive to what students are going through, so the words of the quotes are intended to speak to what students are feeling/battling/suffering.

In the face-to-face encounters and specifically with classes of 20+ students, on-on-one conversations with every student are rare; in this context, every student gets several one-on-one encounters.  Is it exhausting? Yes, but is it rewarding from a learning and relationship building opportunity?  Absolutely!

The one-on-one virtual contacts allow students to see a new side of their teacher/supporter.  Maybe it’s me or maybe its just a less formal context, but I seem to see that one student in that one moment as my only student.  Consequently,  my tone becomes more approachable and more centered on that one student, strengthening the student-teacher relationship.

Furthermore, my students are writing more and they are more focused on their writing choices.  In this context, I do not always model an assignment.  As my late mentor instilled in me–writing is partly problem solving and models assert that their is one answer–this is far from true.  Thus, I am enjoying their approach and the attentiveness I can give in one student’s feedback.  Students are taking writing risks, and I am their greatest supporter; sometimes it only takes asking a question about their choices that prompts them to think about a piece of writing.

Granted the assignments are brief, but nonetheless their texts are obtaining unique attention–immediate, isolated, and frequent. I’m glued to my computer because I am most sensitive to the fact that I want each student to know that I am here just for him or her.

Finally, I am hopeful that many of my high school students will contemplate online higher education– a thought some may not have considered but a seed I am intentionally planting.  On more than one occasion teaching during this COVID-19 crisis, I have encouraged some students to consider literature courses for their analytical skills are sharpening; the less than engaged student in this context has now become a consistent participant; and, that student who use to exceed an appropriate number of absences in just one week has now submitted ever assignment.  For each of these students, the conditions of  online learning has revealed successful learning skills–skills they should consider utilizing in an online post-secondary certificate or degree.

From the above there have been many positive experiences in a less than desirable time  period in education.

Avis

After great thought and planning, I launched a new unit to support my senior reading classes as they prepare one more time for the spring English I and II STAAR exams.  Though I have several students who passed their final English EOC(s) during the fall testing and others  who completed the IGC project that affords graduation, my students  have participated with stellar engagement–giving required test takers more support and confidence to do well.  Their attention to collaboration, annotation, discussion, and correct answer selection have tremendously improved.

The process is as follows.

1. Developing 3 stations, each student strategically grouped to work with partnered peers.
2. Utilizing labeled packets with instructions,  students at each station had at their disposal a list of complimentary literary elements, example annotations and/or graphic organizers, reading passages and questions, or a writing prompt and note taking sheets and lined paper.
3. Using the aggressive monitoring approach, I completed three laps around the classroom.  The first lap checked for annotations coupled with brief questions about student initial responses to texts or prompts, the second lap monitored for small group discussion or individual pre-writing, and the third lap allowed me to cover multiple choice answers or review essay outlines (hook, thesis statements, supporting points, and evidence).

   Students in the TEKS writing station were given two days to complete their packet with drafting taking place the second day; the other stations completed one to two reading passages from the following packets:  poetry, drama, short stories, poetry, autobiographies, and informational texts.  In a three-week period, all students completed all packets and began a second round.

Fridays have included whole class discussion and completion of the editing/correction section of the English STAAR.

At the end of a long testing week–TELPAS and SAT–my students were still fully engaged in the process which prompted me to share photos with the school’s administrative team.

As their teacher, I could not have been more proud of my seniors.  It’s moments like these that I feel so fortunate to be an educator.  Granted, the TEKS station approach has not been an easy accomplishment because most of my seniors believe they are finished and ready to walk across the stage, but they know I believe in them and they have become accustomed to my work ethic–many times modeling it as well.