What a difference a month makes. By now, you will have been working for weeks to meet the challenge of online teaching and learning. So, for our final Research and Findings of this school year, herewith a variety of strategies and support resources for remote teaching and learning that have sprung up like mushrooms after a spring rain. We start with the increasingly worrying phenomenon of COVID-19-induced anxiety. May we all be well and whole by the fall!
- Everyday Anxiety Strategies for Educators (EASE) – Developed for students in British Columbia, EASE “is a collection of evidence-informed anxiety management and resilience-building resources for use with B.C. students in grades K-7. The resources use cognitive behavioural strategies to address the thoughts, feelings and behaviours associated with anxiety.” Organized by grade, EASE suggests activities related to each of their target areas, such as “Movement,” and “Creating Rhythms and Routines.” For example, the latter offers cues for conversations at dinner, suggests a morning snuggle to discuss dreams, and singing the same song at bedtime.
- Information and Resources for Students on the Autistic Spectrum – If you are working with autistic students, Autism Speaks Canada will provide guidance on talking with them about frightening events; communicating with them in ways they prefer; and recognizing changes in routine and signs of distress. The association has developed a centralized resources hub “to weather this storm together.”
- Explore distance learning resources for schools affected by COVID-19 – By now, you’re likely well into the technological requirements for distance learning, but in case you’re not up to speed, Google Education offers online training programs that walk you through their resource package, from creating a new class in Google Classroom to creating different assignments to using grading tools.
- Hope Matters … 10 teaching strategies to support students and help them continue to learn during this time of uncertainty – This is designed for teachers in post-secondary institutions. Mays Imad, coordinator of the Teaching & Learning Center at Pima Community College, offers suggestions to deal with students working from home. These range from the basic—emailing students to show you’re there for them, repeating lessons taught in class, talking about COVD-19 fears, and inviting students to seek your help.
- 4 ways COVID-19 could change how we educate future generations – When the COVID-19 crisis is over, how might it have affected the future of education itself? Writing for the World Economic Forum, Poornima Luthra and Sandy MacKenzie identify four ways our education world will have changed: 1) We will understand better the importance of education navigating across boundaries in an interconnected world; 2) The role of educator is being redefined: “With students being able to gain access to knowledge, and even learn a technical skill, through a few clicks on their phones, tablets and computers, we will need to redefine the role of the educator in the classroom and lecture theatre;” 3) We will recognize the need to teach resilience and adaptability, for example, as life skills for the future; and 4) we will take the next step in using technology in teaching and learning. “The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in educational institutions across the world being compelled to suddenly harness and utilize the suite of available technological tools to create content for remote learning for students in all sectors.”
- Benefits of Being Home During COVID-19 – Being home isn’t all that bad—in fact, it can be downright beneficial! Writing for Canadian Teacher Magazine, elementary school teacher Carrie Powers takes a positive view of being home these days. Among the benefits: more sleep, more family dinners, more time to figure out technology and more time to think about loved ones. “My list was created from the heart and from looking at the glass “half-full” instead of “half-empty.” See for yourself! Everyone’s experience is different when dealing with adversity. Yet if you can read my positives and identify a few yourself, then that would make my half-full glass a bit fuller.”
For other Research and Findings topics, please go to: https://nextgenedition.com/research-findings/