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I’m adding this post to THE “BEST OF THE BEST” RESOURCES TO SUPPORT TEACHERS DEALING WITH SCHOOL CLOSURES

As regular readers know, the week prior to school closures, I had developed an online teaching plan (see HERE’S MY ONLINE TEACHING PLAN IF OUR SCHOOL CLOSES DOWN BECAUSE OF THE CORONAVIRUS) and went over with students extensively in the days prior to our district’s decision to shut-down.

Those actions have clearly paid-off – yesterday about fifty percent of my IB Theory of Knowledge (TOK) students participated in voluntary class video conferences (using the 8 X 8 app) check-ins, and I’m able to communicate directly with the majority of my ELL Beginner students.

An even greater percentage of TOK students are continuing to work on our assignments.  However, I can’t say the same about my ELLs.

Yesterday, I called and was able to speak with the parents of about two-thirds of my ELL students to learn how they were doing (those certainly resulted in an uptick today on students doing online work!).

Our district has not yet determined a formal online distancing learning plan, but these video conferences and parent conversations (along with many students’ texts – they all have my phone number) have led me to make adjustments to my original strategy and, with luck, they won’t end up in conflict with whatever district-wide policies are eventually announced.

Of course, as we have all learned this month, things can change quickly.  It’s possible all these plans may go out the window!

In addition, as you review these plans, keep in mind that I have no children at home who I have to educate – I just have to periodically check in in with grandkids via Face Time.   I don’t think this plan can necessarily be viewed as a model for teachers who have to home-school their own kids at the same time.

Finally, I’m healthy now, as is my wife (who works in health care).  If that changes in the coming weeks, so will this plan.

 

THIS WEEK:

Theory of Knowledge Classes

My TOK students are either working on their own or in small groups to develop an outline for an Oral Presentation.  IB has eliminated year-end tests for this year, but have approved students do presentations online for their “Internal Assessment.”  The pre-closure deadline for this outline was last Friday but, obviously, I delayed it until this coming Friday (deadlines will obviously continue to be very flexible).  I need to start reviewing the ones that have already been turned-in through Google Classroom and return them with detailed comments.

I also need to review which TOK students were on the video conference calls and which ones I’ve been in touch with either through Google Classroom or text, and make a list of the ones with whom I have not been in contact.  I need to then send those students individual messages on Google Classroom.  If I don’t hear back from them, I will need to follow-up with phone calls to their parents.  The primary purpose of these contacts is not to nag them about the assignment – it is to make sure they are okay and to ensure that we have an effective two-way communication system going forward (it’s possible, for example, that they are not getting notifications from Google Classroom).

Motivation is generally high in these classes, and there’s a strong sense of community.  I believe the vast majority of students will want to remain connected through this process.

 

ELL Beginners Class

Few students have been working on any of the sites for one hour each day.  I did have good conversations yesterday with most of their parents yesterday and hope that changes this week (it definitely has today).  I’m also in regular contact with most of them through the Remind app.

Neither the school or I have accurate contact information for three of my students, so this week I am going to try to use creative means to track them down.

 

WEEK OF MARCH 30th:

Theory of Knowledge Classes

I want to get written feedback on their outlines back to all students by mid-week.    Sometime near the end of the week I’d like to have another video conference with each of the classes explaining the process going forward (with luck, by that time the district will have decided on its distance learning plan and I will have made adjustments if mine is in conflict with it).  I’m hopeful that a greater number of students will participate in the calls this time, and that most will have completed their outlines by then.  I want to check-in with how students are doing, and review the next step – creating a slideshow.  All the instructions are online.  I will also tell them that I plan to create a calendar on Google Classroom and that, after the following week (which is our spring break), I’d like to have an individual/small group  (if they are working in a group) video conversation once a week for the two weeks after spring break, along with one full-class video check-in.  In addition, I’ll record summaries of the full-class video check-ins on video and put it on my YouTube Channel, so students who didn’t make it can still get the most important info.

 

ELL Beginners Class

I want to have one voluntary video conference call with my students to check in with how they are doing – similar to what I did with my TOK classes during the previous week.    I will text students AND call parents to encourage as many students as possible to participate, as well as support them in spending one hour each day learning English on one of the sites (particularly Brainpop) on our class blog.

 

WEEK OF APRIL 6th

Our regularly scheduled Spring Break

 

WEEK OF APRIL 13th

Theory of Knowledge Classes

Students sign-up for individual/small group video meeting “slots” on our calendar, and I have those conversations.  Each class has an all-class video conference check-in, and everyone turns-in a revised outline and slideshow by Friday (this may or may not be delusional on my part).

 

ELL Beginners Class

This week, I try a roll of the dice – I’d like to try one thirty-minute live video class with my ELL class at least four days each week, in addition to the expectation that they are spending one-hour each day on a learning English site.  I think that at least one-third of the class might participate and perhaps more.  I have to spend a lot of time figuring out how to make those classes as engaging as possible.

 

WEEK OF APRIL 20th

Theory of Knowledge Classes

I get final outlines and slideshows back to all students with comments by mid-week, and we have full-class video conferences by the end of the week.  We decide who are going to be “guinea pig” groups – each year I have one-or-two volunteers present first and agree to get publicly critiqued by me.  Then, the rest of the class has a few days to make adjustments to their presentations based on those critiques.  Students sign-up for individual/small group conferences with me during the following week.

 

ELL Beginners Class

We’ll see if and how my video lessons are going and if students are continuing to work on the online sites.  I also try setting-up individual video conferences with each student.

 

WEEK OF APRIL 27th

Theory of Knowledge Classes

I have individual/small group video meetings and then at the end of the week we have the “guinea pig” presentations.

 

ELL Beginners Class

Same as the previous week – we’ll see if and how my video lessons are going and if students are continuing to work on the online sites.  I also try setting-up individual video conferences with each student.

 

WEEK OF MAY 4th

Theory of Knowledge Classes

Students have several days to refine their presentations (and their formal presentation planning form that is submitted to IB) and we develop a presentation schedule.   I plan on splitting my IB classes into groups of ten-to-fifteen each, so that all students end up just needing to watch six-or-seven presentations (they also give feedback to the presenters).  Of course, I will watch them all.

 

ELL Beginners Class

Same as the previous two weeks – we’ll see if and how my video lessons are going and if students are continuing to work on the online sites.  I also try setting-up individual video conferences with each student.

 

WEEK OF MAY 11th

Theory of Knowledge Classes

All Oral Presentations are done by the end of the week.  Students begin work on the TOK essay following steps on our class blog.

 

ELL Beginners Class

Same as the previous two weeks – we’ll see if and how my video lessons are going and if students are continuing to work on the online sites.  It will be unlikely that I can have individual video conferences with each of the students because of the TOK schedule this week.

 

WEEK OF MAY 18th AND BEYOND

Theory of Knowledge Classes

Students work on their essays.  I’m not at a point that I can think about this part yet.

 

ELL Beginners Class

Same as the previous two weeks – we’ll see if and how my video lessons are going and if students are continuing to work on the online sites.  Or, by this time, I will have been forced to make radical changes in what I’m doing.

 

What do you think?