The delivery of instruction changed and left educators rediscovering the learning inequities as the environments flipped from virtual, hybrid, and in person. We can look at how these changes have caused us to pause and rethink homework, relationships, and assignments.
In addition, recognizing building relationships is essential and prioritizing working intentionally together. Being connected is not about technology but individual human relationships. We can look at learning and relationship building during the shifts we continue to experience.
Changing venues from virtual, hybrid, and in-person provided teachers with opportunities to learn along with their students on how these changes impact the learning environment. No longer would homework be looked at in the same way. Building classroom community took a mind shift as the virtual world flipped to the students to help take a more significant lead for sharing the responsibility of defining a safe and supportive learning community. They were helping to hold each other accountable.
Teaching Approach-Student Leadership
We can either use our strengths or abuse our powers as leaders; the choice is ours to make. It is always a choice to be part of the problem or the solution. Our future leaders sit in the seats in front of you today.
- Explain the value of the learning and the connections to real life.
- Increase ownership in education by providing students with choices.
- Teach students goal setting.
- Create opportunities to learn how to reflect on the work completed, the planning process, the steps in monitoring, and make adjustments based on assessments.
- Model effective strategies for assigned tasks, projects, or assignments.
- Provide direct and specific feedback.
- Teach study and organizational skills.
- Build vocabulary and background knowledge daily for students.
- Establish an environment where it is safe to make mistakes and encourage students to justify responses.
- Understand there is always a solution to every identified problem.
Homework was used to practice skills taught at school, but now we look at homework to complete the work not achieved in the workday. It is also used as an extension to enrich and apply critical thinking. We do not want to add stress to homes during times like these, but continued learning growth is essential for our students.
Learning journeys are individually driven. Each individual has a different skill set, interests, strengths, and weaknesses. We have common goals we want to achieve, and some will get there faster than others. We must provide what they need along their journey and feed their intellectual, emotional, and physical well-being.