The stress and chaos of the rapid shift to remote learning is hard on everyone: teachers, students, and parents. However, the impact doesn’t affect all students equally.
Students are now expected to do their learning at home, self-regulating their schedule and their productivity, while navigating new tech platforms and learning to engage in an entirely new way.
Students with learning and attention differences, those exposed to trauma, or students living in poverty all have unique risk factors that may be amplified by the demands of remote learning. (Check out our Remote Learning series for students’ perspectives on remote learning.)
Tracey A. Benson, professor, activist, and consultant, hosted a webinar entitled, “Developing Virtual Learning Plans with an Eye on Equity”. He laid out a number of tips for designing remote learning lesson plans that can support all students. The following three strategies are especially relevant when we consider the executive function demands of remote learning.
Weekly Surveys
Benson recommends sending a weekly survey to all parents to collect data. Parents will have unique insight into how well their student is able to handle the time management and homework demands of remote learning. This is also a great way to make sure parents are aware of the executive function expectations and the strategies students are learning. I love this idea, and why not also have a weekly student survey? Ongoing reflection is key to promoting self-understanding (for students and adults) and surveys will give students a voice during a challenging and chaotic time.
Minimize Independent Work
When students are assigned independent work, there is a lot that can go wrong. With asynchronous learning becoming an increasingly popular option, many students are struggling alone as they attempt to break down the directions, manage their time efficiently, overcome tech problems, and persevere when they are feeling stuck. By minimizing the amount of work students have to do on their own, and making sure students feel supported, we can reduce the risk that students will get stuck.
Aim for a 0% Failure Rate
A big part of equity is maintaining high expectations for all students and helping them achieve those expectations. While many schools are turning to pass/fail grading during distance learning (which is fine), we need to make sure we do not adopt a pass/fail approach to supporting our students. This means finding ways to differentiate our support and help every student to engage with remote learning materials and develop the strategies they need to be successful.
- Michael Greschler, M.Ed., SMARTS Director
This post is part of our Real-Life Experiences with Remote Learning series.