8 Tips for Teachers: How to Master Remote and Hybrid Teaching

Regain your joy in teaching and keep students enthused and engaged.

Forced by COVID-19 suddenly into the demands of remote and hybrid learning — often without the necessary training and/or equipment — and under the weight of omnipresent stress over health concerns, K–12 teachers, students and parents continue to struggle on a daily basis. So much so that many veteran teachers are retiring or taking leaves of absence. If your joy in teaching is becoming stretched thin under the circumstances, here are some approaches that can help you regain it. 1. Reset your expectations. During this extremely difficult time, it's impossible to do your job the same as before. Accept that there are new limitations. Acknowledge what is achievable and what's not, and prioritize accordingly. Giving yourself permission to shift expectations of yourself and your students will help everyone achieve better results. Eighth-grade science teacher and NJEA consultant Michael Mason recommends: Grade 20% less. Give 20% less work. Grant 20% more time. Go 20% more asynchronous. 2. Command the screen(s). — Multiple display screens will allow you to see all students on one screen while showing classroom material on the other. In the classroom, your computer and Smartboard can be used as two separate screens. At home, you can use a computer and a tablet, or connect your laptop to an external monitor to double your screen space while controlling everything from your laptop. You may even be able to use your television as a second monitor by connecting your tablet or notebook computer to it with an HDMI cable or using “AirPlay!” This video explains the basics of connecting to an external monitor. — When teaching hybrid classes: If you have a tablet with a built-in webcam, take advantage of its portability. Use it to display the “virtual gallery” and take it with you as you move freely around the classroom and interact with in-person students, while remaining in view of those at home. This way you can cater to both groups of students at once in a balanced manner, without losing anyone's engagement or being locked into a two-foot-square space in the classroom because that’s all your stationary webcam covers. — For teaching from home, choose a simple and appropriate virtual background that will minimize distractions and keep your students focused on you and the material — instead of on a busy background. Here are some great virtual backgrounds for teachers, all free. 3. Keep students engaged with polls. You can use a poll in Zoom or G Suite for Education for tracking daily attendance and ensuring students stay engaged. This not only streamlines the attendance-taking process, it also puts some control and responsibility in the students' hands to actively sign in at the start of each class and answer the poll on time. During class, use polls to ask questions about the material, to make sure they're paying attention and to gauge comprehension. Make the poll last only two minutes. If 75% of your students haven’t responded by then, you’ll know they've dropped focus and you need to re-engage them. 4. Find fun and creative ways to keep kids focused and involved. You may think this sounds like it would only work for elementary school students, but we know several college professors using these methods too!

For example:

— Drive participation by putting stickers on your face or pipe cleaners in your hair. What? Yes! For every new student that answers a question, put a sticker on your face or a colorful pipe cleaner in your hair. This works so well to drive engagement that students begin to encourage other students to answer your questions just to watch you do it again and again. Remember to reward participation over the “right” answer.

— Incentivize with rewards. Have your students earn participation points toward a pajama day or some other enjoyable, tangible reward. Use a visual tracker like marbles in a jar, or an Excel pie chart (if teaching math) to show progress towards the goal.

— Think out-of-the-box and do the unexpected. We have all seen kids dread going to virtual class because it is boring. Don’t forget that improvisation, re-enactments, and small group work are all still viable options when teaching virtually. Instead of stepping through another math problem, ask a student to present and make them the host. Instead of reviewing and summarizing the reading from homework, assign character roles to the class and ask them to improvise the scene. Breakout rooms for older kids are extremely effective for small group work when set up for success (no policing required). Have students self-moderate by assigning a timekeeper, secretary, and presenter — they will need to organize themselves to be successful and you have now ensured they all participate!

5. Flip the classroom. In the flipped-classroom model, pupils first explore new course content outside the classroom by completing a preparatory assignment [such as watching a recorded video, completing a digital module, or doing advance reading]. They then come together prepared to engage in collaborative coursework and active learning strategies.

Christopher Emdin, associate professor at Columbia University's Teachers College, says that this time of remote learning is "a ripe opportunity for the flipped classroom....Because asynchronous learning allows the young folks to create their own pace, allows them to have their own space, and allows them to have time for reflection. When we look at remote and think about remote, we get so tethered to on-time, live instruction that we don't give enough attention to that sort of asynchronous reflective process."

This approach can also free you up to work one-on-one with students who need support, and give students more opportunities to interact with you and their peers. It's also an opportunity to reduce screen time in favor of tactile, "real-life" learning experiences and creative assignments.

6. Elementary educators and special education teachers: Encourage your principal to arrange for “Teaching by Proxy” and “Train the Parent” workshops. Many teachers of our youngest students and those with special needs are now in the position of having to teach parents and caregivers how to be "assistant teachers" at home. We call this “Teaching by Proxy." If you've never trained in Adult Learning Methodology, getting coached in this area can help you gain a better understanding of how adults learn and what they need to be effective as at-home teachers. Likewise, the parents and caregivers need education on how to teach their children so they can better support you. If you need help in this area, contact us for a free consultation.

7. Remember, you're not alone. Ask for the support you need. Take a few minutes to identify where the stumbling blocks are, and ask for help with any that are too big to overcome by yourself. Use M3E Change Associates' free Virtual Learning Readiness Checklist (page 2 is specifically for teachers) to self-assess where your biggest challenges are. This can help you be better prepared to talk to fellow teachers and school leadership about what's working and what's not, and find solutions.

8. Get help mastering virtual teaching tools and techniques. If you've had multiple new technologies thrust upon you without sufficient training, you may be overwhelmed and/or not familiar with all the great features that can make virtual learning easier and more enjoyable. Investing a little bit of time having someone show you how to make the most of each platform can not only save you time and frustration, it can also spark your creativity. Don't forget that your own students can be a resource in this area, as they're often quicker than adults to master digital resources and you can learn from them, too!

M3E Change Associates' professional development course "The ABCs and 123s of Virtual Teaching" can help you harness the power of remote-learning tools and techniques in a highly focused "crash course" that can make this school year easier, more effective, and more enriching for all. You'll learn how to convert brick-and-mortar lesson plans into dynamic virtual lesson plans, new approaches for keeping all students engaged, Zoom and G Suite for Education tips and tricks, adult learning methodology so you can "teach by proxy," and more. It combines a two-hour virtual training session with three weekly, hour-long workshops where you'll join other teachers and the trainer to troubleshoot your actual lesson plans in a supportive and collaborative environment. Those who complete the program earn 5 Continuing Education Units. We can work with you to schedule the sessions at a time that's convenient for you.

We want to help you feel confident and arm you with the knowledge you need to be successful. To learn more, please call 862-362-2M3E (2633) or schedule a free consultation today.