Posted on September 24, 2021October 13, 2023 by

September 24, 2021 8:00 am

Nine Tips for Success with Virtual Learning

Whether you are new to the virtual classroom or an experienced online teacher, here are a few tips for success with virtual learning.

Right now, schools everywhere are utilizing some amount of virtual instruction to keep students learning, regardless of educators’ comfort and experience levels with delivering instruction virtually. Whether you are new to the virtual classroom or an experienced online teacher, there are a few tips for success with virtual learning you can utilize to make this easier for you, your colleagues, and your students.

Offering targeted training and online learning resources will ultimately help students (and your school) succeed. Our nine tips for success with virtual learning are great both for educators who may be new to online learning and those who want a refresher on how to be the best teacher in their virtual classroom.

Nine Tips for Success with Virtual Learning

Set Up Your Workspace. At this point, I think we all can agree it’s time to relocate our “office space” from the kitchen or couch! As we adapt to the “new normal” of learning, creating a quiet, comfortable workspace will help you stay organized and on track. What resources would you usually keep on hand? Is your area equipped to support you technologically? These are things you shouldn’t have to worry about while schoolwork is underway.
Set Aside Time to Prepare for YOUR Week. Set aside time over the weekend to plan your school week. Take this time to not only focus on grading and lesson planning but also on how you can connect with students and create activities to encourage engagement. Doing this will help you sleep better and be able to start Monday off in the right frame of mind.
Be Available for Quick Help. It’s easy to say, “I am there for my students,” but it means so much more to show up to the virtual classroom alongside your students. When you teach in person, you’re almost always available when students need that extra support. So, log in to your class a few minutes early and stay those 10 extra minutes after—provide consistent support, and your students will reap the benefits.
Don’t Forget to Log Off. Teaching virtually doesn’t mean you need to be on call 24/7. Let your students know your hours of availability for extra help, and keep to your schedule. You need downtime now more than ever, so make sure to respect the time you spend away from the classroom.
Encourage Students to Create Their Own At-Home Workspace. Just like a student has their desk in school, students should have that personal space for learning at home that is free from distractions. Ask students to send you a picture of their “at-home classroom” as part of your introductions to students, and share a photo of yours. Make it exciting for them to have their own space!
Get to Know Your Students. Schedule one-on-one time with each student, even if it is just for five minutes. Students are most likely not going to make the proactive decision to get to know you or their peers; however, by cultivating a positive and fun environment, you can drive student engagement. Your number one focus every day should be connecting with students and helping them stay connected to their peers and education. Are students communicating? Are they collaborating? Are they asking questions? Are they answering questions? Just like in your physical classroom at school, you need to help facilitate connections with other students, so keep pushing them forward!
Keep Students Interested and Engaged. Easier said than done, we know. However, if there is one thing students have lost during the pandemic, it is their independence. Give students the opportunity of choice. Creating decision-making opportunities allows students to feel in control of their education. And importantly, you are recognizing a student’s voice while also keeping them engaged and involved in activities and discussions.
Create a Community. Group projects and class time could be the most interaction with others that a student is getting. Encourage students to not only come to you with questions and conversation but to also go to each other. Provide discussion topics to help steer conversations, and promote the community for when you are not available: outside of school hours and weekends. Let students know they always have support within their virtual classroom!
Address Common Questions or Issues from Students. It is important to remember that there may be technical challenges or issues with students’ coursework. If you are receiving frequent complaints or questions regarding a topic or process, take the time to address the problem for the whole class. Some students won’t come forward with their questions or concerns, so plan for that by doing things like designing a how-to section or students. Providing these resources that are specific to your classroom and coursework prevents students from falling behind due to technological or directional error. And don’t be afraid to contact IT if you can’t resolve the problem—you are not expected to also be a technology expert!

Additional Resources and Tips for Success with Virtual Learning

There are so many great resources available to help teachers (and parents) engaging in virtual learning. EdWeek has published a number of helpful articles full of tips for both teachers and administrators, including the following:

The Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) has also launched a COVID-19 webinar series for administrators setting up their schools for 2020–2021. Hear from various international education experts as they share their tips for success with virtual learning, including how to support teachers and why you should offer SEL resources for both adults and children. Access the entire series, or watch the specific webinars that help address your learning needs.

And for more information about supporting your students and staff, check out our tools for building school reopening plans.

SOURCES

DARBY, F. (2019, APRIL 17). HOW TO BE A BETTER ONLINE TEACHER. CHRONICLE. HTTPS://WWW.CHRONICLE.COM/INTERACTIVES/ADVICE-ONLINE-TEACHING

KRAUS, C. (2020, JULY 14). EMOTIONALLY CONNECTED LEARNING IS POSSIBLE ONLINE: START WITH RELATIONSHIPS. EDSURGE. HTTPS://WWW.EDSURGE.COM/NEWS/2020-07-14-EMOTIONALLY-CONNECTED-LEARNING-IS-POSSIBLE-ONLINE-START-WITH-RELATIONSHIPS

LAMBERT, D. (2020, MAY 13). A LOOK AT DISTANCE LEARNING STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS: EDSOURCE WEBINAR. EDSOURCE. HTTPS://EDSOURCE.ORG/2020/A-LOOK-AT-DISTANCE-LEARNING-STRATEGIES-FOR-SUCCESS-EDSOURCE-WEBINAR/631433

TATUM, J. & FAGAN, E. (2020, JULY 13). 5 WAYS TO BUILD A STRONG ACADEMIC SCAFFOLD FOR 2020-2021: PART 1. ESCHOOLNEWS. HTTPS://WWW.ESCHOOLNEWS.COM/2020/07/13/5-WAYS-TO-BUILD-A-STRONG-ACADEMIC-SCAFFOLD-FOR-2020-2021-PART-1/?ALL

Posted on July 21, 2021October 13, 2023 by

July 21, 2021 8:00 am

More than an Add-On: Incorporating SEL Everywhere

Discover why integrating social-emotional learning reaps significant rewards for school communities, especially when incorporated with core subject instruction.

Interest in social and emotional learning (SEL) has been steadily increasing for years, but the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have accelerated this momentum significantly. As a result, schools and districts exploring ways to incorporate SEL into their programs will find scores of options in the education market, so it’s important to understand how SEL works to make the best choice for your communities.

Students sitting at desks with face masks, holding their hands up

Making the Connection

Understanding SEL means recognizing that social and emotional skills impact students’ success in school and life. Social and emotional learning programs equip students with skills to:

Develop their own identities
Hone their social skills for interacting with others
Build and maintain supportive relationships
Find productive ways to manage their goals, ambitions, and emotions

With those skills and relationships in place, students are better positioned to process and manage common struggles, including bullying and cyberbullying, family issues, and peer pressure. Focusing on social and emotional learning can also equip students to handle the challenges brought on by COVID-19’s destabilization of comforting systems and routines.

Finding the Right Fit

Just as no single educational approach fits every school community, there are various ways to integrate SEL into education initiatives. Some schools and districts use separate, SEL-focused programs alongside core curriculum, while others seek out curricula with built-in SEL components.

As an example of the latter, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) explains that:

“English Language Arts (ELA) can be enhanced when instruction and teaching practices are explicitly designed to promote all five core competencies of [SEL]. We know from research that when curriculum and instruction are intentional about giving students the chance to develop core social and emotional competencies[…], this significantly increases academic achievement, improves attitudes and behaviors, decreases negative behaviors, and reduces emotional distress.”

Putting SEL into Practice

Whether you prefer a dedicated SEL program or curriculum infused with elements of SEL, seek out math and ELA programs that promote the development of SEL skills as students learn grade-level content. For adaptive curriculum options, this sometimes means providing instructional design that supports students’ self-management through goal-setting, self-monitoring and self-motivation, and organizational skills.

What does that look like in practice? Imagine Learning’s ELA and math programs, for example, support goal-setting within instructional sequences as each learning session concludes. Students view a personalized log-out screen, providing an opportunity to review the individual progress necessary for setting and achieving their goals.

However schools can manage to do so, providing SEL is “an integral part of education and human development” (CASEL, again). Moreover, research from The Aspen Education & Society Program & Council of Chief State School Officers indicates that students who acquire SEL skills are more likely to meet College and Career Readiness Standards than students who do not. So where standalone SEL programs aren’t an option or aren’t desired, teaching with core programming that includes SEL integrations will be rewarding for the whole school community.

Posted on June 30, 2021October 13, 2023 by

June 30, 2021 8:00 am

Engaging Families in Math Learning

Family members are important partners in student learning, but how do we best to engage them in the learning process? Imagine Learning undertook a two-year-long research study, and these are the results.

Educators know that parents and family members are important partners in student learning, but some may not be aware of how best to engage family members in the learning process.

To help answer this question, Imagine Learning undertook a two-year-long research study, specifically around middle-years mathematics learning with a focus on third-grade students and their families.

At the outset of this study, Imagine Learning positioned family engagement in math learning as a design challenge, not a social problem. Imagine Learning did not want to perpetuate the idea that family engagement with low-income, Black, and Latino families is a social problem, meaning the problem resides within families and needs to be solved. Instead, the work was framed with an asset-based lens, which acknowledges that family members want to and do support their children in learning mathematics.

To partner and collaborate with family members to increase student academic achievement, it is essential for educators to support families and, most importantly, know how to recognize, honor, and acknowledge all efforts made by family members throughout the learning process. This is particularly important with low-income, Black, and Latino families, whose efforts supporting their students have commonly been unacknowledged or leveraged in mathematics.

By redefining family engagement and partnership as a design challenge, a pivotal change happens, in which family members — specifically those from low-income, Black, and Latino families — are properly seen and recognized as a child’s greatest asset in the learning process.

Our recent white paper describes the lessons learned from this study, which educators everywhere can use to further engage families as collaborators and partners in all learning, but particularly in math learning.

Here, we’ll share the research study’s five key lessons — “Lessons to Design By” — that may help other educators develop or further enhance approaches for increasing family engagement in mathematics, building stronger community relations, and accelerating academic achievement for students.

parent congratulates child with a high-five

Key Lessons and Takeaways for Engaging Family Members as Partners and Collaborators

As a result of this study, Imagine Learning determined five key lessons related to the importance of communication, establishing trusting relationships between schools and families, and inviting families to be partners in supporting their child’s learning. These lessons should all be considered when working to engage families as partners and collaborators in learning.

Lesson 1: The Importance of Invitations to Families. Family members do not always feel that teachers and schools welcome their involvement as educational partners, and this can be a particular issue for low-income families and families of color, even though they reported wanting to be engaged in their child’s math learning. Helping families feel welcome and as equal partners in their child’s learning is an important contextual factor that needs to be considered.

Lesson 2: The Importance of Family–Teacher Trust. Family members trust teachers as the primary source of information regarding their child’s learning. For families to engage with online supports or other resources, messaging about their value and importance needs to come from the teacher. This trust goes both ways, so building relationships of trust in which family members can share concerns is an essential precondition to a successful design. Research finds that low-income families of color and families of varying linguistic backgrounds are often underrepresented in school-level decision-making and family involvement activities. This speaks to differing needs, values, and levels of trust rather than families’ lack of interest or unwillingness to get involved.

Lesson 3: The Importance of Family–Teacher Collaboration. In general, teachers are frequently only in touch with families when discipline issues arise. Hence, there is value in establishing collaborative relationships and proactively communicating with positive and learning-related news early and often. Families value invitations to discuss their child’s learning as an equal to educators. Family members demonstrated that they sometimes do not feel like equals in decision-making relative to their child’s education, which supports the notion of empowering parents as partners in supporting learning. Not all parents know where to look for help, and some may not come to the school for assistance when they are not sure how to help their child.

Lesson 4: Honoring Family Experience Over Theoretical Models. To fully engage in community work with restricted resources, challenges with poverty, public trust, and language barriers requires significant energy, attention, and nuance. This is particularly true in math, as this is a subject in which parents and families tend to have less confidence in their content knowledge and skills, and are therefore more reluctant to get involved in their child’s learning at home.

Lesson 5: Community-Based Work with Families is Resource-Intensive. Implementing this project was resource-intensive work and given that, Imagine Learning concluded that there is a need to identify additional strategies that are more cost-effective in building math efficacy. We know that there is a need to develop community-specific, family-responsive designs, and one potential solution could be to provide coaching and support to families at the community level instead of individual schools.

Imagine Learning continually seeks design solutions to support the relationship between teachers, families, children, and mathematics content, as we recognize that family members are the greatest asset in children’s learning and development. Learn more in our white paper about this research study and the effects COVID-19 also had on the body of work.

Posted on June 9, 2021October 13, 2023 by

June 9, 2021 4:01 pm

Combining Virtual Learning and Hands-On Experience

When Keith Marsh, Executive Director of Indiana Agriculture & Technology School, launched a charter school in 2018–2019, he was looking to combine virtual learning and hands-on experience.

“The key thing that makes it work is engagement,” said Keith Marsh, Executive Director of Indiana Agriculture & Technology School. “Every student here has an individual plan,” he said. “That’s why our kids do so well.”

When Marsh launched a charter school in 2018–2019, he was looking to develop a school that combined virtual learning and hands-on experience. Focused on agriculture and technology sciences, the school is designed to offer career pathways through partnerships with agribusiness and corporations, leading to promising career opportunities after graduation.

Indiana Agriculture utilizes Edgenuity Instructional Services as its core curriculum and pairs it with enrichment experiences on a local farm. Through carefully cultivated partnerships designed to prepare students for college and career, students can choose from a variety of specialized courses such as robotics and welding. Students also have the opportunity to earn certifications through the IATS Agriculture Pathways or Drone Certification Program offered at the school.

student does assignment on handheld device

“The key thing that makes our program work is student engagement. They’re not just online by themselves.”

Keith Marsh

Executive Director

Maximizing Distance Learning

Indiana Agriculture also got creative by integrating virtual learning and hands-on experience by livestreaming activities on the farm. This method proved successful throughout the pandemic, and they plan to continue to use video to scale up their capacity and build a curriculum archive.

For routine procedures like inoculating livestock, their teachers can record the video and make it available to students for review. Unique and often unpredictable teaching moments like the birth of an animal can also be recorded and incorporated into the curriculum, regardless of when a student takes the course.

“The goal was always to grow slowly and deliberately to ensure our students are getting the best experience possible,” said Marsh. And now, he and his team are realizing that a video archive gives them the scalability needed to provide consistent, engaging experiences to more students. This also opens up the possibilities of satellite campuses across the state, which could focus on other areas of agribusiness such as greenhouse production and goat farming.

Setting the Standard

“The key thing that makes our program work is student engagement. They’re not just online by themselves. They’re engaging with Edgenuity teachers, watching livestreams, attending Zoom classes with our teachers, and visiting the campus when appropriate,” said Marsh. “When people talk about kids losing learning because they’re on a virtual platform, it’s not because of the platform, it’s because the student is not engaged.”

He emphasized the importance of the teacher–student relationship and noted how their students have open communication with the teachers and each other.

Through its evolving partnership with Edgenuity, Indiana Agriculture has also amplified the resources available to students with special needs. “We don’t give up on kids,” said Marsh, who added that if a student is willing to put in the work, “we stick with them and give them the tools to succeed.”

“We want to set the standard for this type of program,” said Marsh. “Virtual learning is going to continue to grow across school communities, and students can be successful in this platform if we engage and support them appropriately.”

Posted on June 1, 2021October 13, 2023 by

June 1, 2021 8:00 am

Rethinking the Future of Digital Learning

COVID-19 forced a revolution in digital education — and opened a path to a more connected future.

It has been just over a year since schools across the globe were forced to shift to digital learning environments and new ways of teaching and learning. The experience was disastrous for some, imperfect for many, and preferable for others.

There’s no denying the past 12 months represent a revolution in education that will fundamentally impact how educators, students and parents think about learning going forward.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic massively disrupted learning and left a host of challenges in its wake, it also catalyzed a breakthrough in digital learning that has been decades in the making.

As we close out this school year and plan for the next, the education community has critical decisions to make, knowing there’s no going back to the “way things were” before the pandemic. Our collective focus must be on taking everything we’ve learned from this year — the good and the bad — to build a more connected, collaborative, data-led future for education.

A Decade of Advancement in Just 12 Months

Before the pandemic, personalized and adaptive learning experiences were widely available, but not widely adopted. A shortage of devices for K-12 students and a widespread belief that the technology was better suited for supplemental learning prevented most students from benefiting from a truly connected digital learning experience.

The past year has seen an explosion in digital learning in North America and around the world. By mid-April 2020, UNESCO estimates that around 1.6 billion students around the globe were learning fully remotely. To accommodate this sudden shift, districts across the country ramped up their device distribution. In March of this year, Education Week reported 90% of middle and high schools are providing one device for every student. In contrast to a 2018 EdWeek Market Brief report, where only 40% of district IT directors said they had a 1:1 student to computer ratio.

By mid-April 2020, around 1.6 billion students around the globe were learning fully remotely.

Nearly every teacher in America has been experimenting with new technology, and we have more data than ever before on how that technology can best support teachers and students and enable learning breakthroughs. Beyond these insights, many districts and schools now have a much more robust infrastructure for online learning.

In a non-pandemic world, it would have taken years or even decades to reach this level of adoption, device distribution, and real-world data. All of these developments have created a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine learning.

Real Challenges to Learn From

As with any sudden, widespread adoption of technology, there were plenty of growing pains. Through our work partnering with over 5,000 school districts and supporting over 10 million students across the country, we shared a front row seat to many of those challenges.

COVID disruptions exposed and exacerbated the digital divide and inequities of our education system. Initial studies suggest millions of students were without access to the internet, the right devices, and family support — falling further behind.

A recent study we conducted with Oliver Wyman (2020) reported that educators from across the country suggests that more than 50% of their students are performing below grade level. This staggering reality is compounded by millions of students who must be supported to catch up academically, address their social and emotional well-being and even process trauma, something that educators say will take several years.

Despite the heroic efforts of educators, many students, parents, and teachers have come away from this experience with varied views of the benefits of digital learning. What we know for sure is that technology cannot replace teachers. Teachers are the center of student learning. And when paired with the right resources and support, students feel more supported, and achieve higher levels of learning and overall growth.

The True Value of Digital Learning

Even in the face of challenges, everyone involved in education has seen enough to realize the potential value of digital learning.

When utilized effectively, digital learning solutions can dramatically improve the learning process. They can help support the relationship between student and teacher and drive learning breakthroughs, in part by:

Managing time-intensive tasks like practice and assessment
Providing actionable, real-time data on student progress, and
Creating personalized learning paths that allow students to work at their own pace

Used as designed, digital learning technology frees up teachers to thoughtfully plan lessons, focus on social and emotional needs, and develop deeper relationships with their students. The goal is to let the technology do what it does best, so our teachers can do more of what they do best.

“In a non-pandemic world, it would have taken years or even decades to reach this level of adoption, device distribution, and real-world data. All of these developments have created a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine learning.”

Sari Factor

A Better Vision for the Future

For the vast majority of students who will be returning to in-classroom learning, we expect digital learning to remain a fundamental part of their education. Many districts have seen enough value that, according to a recent RAND Corporation survey, nearly 20% of districts across the country are at least considering a virtual school offering for the coming year — and many years beyond.

We’ve seen how purposefully integrated digital learning tools can complement classroom learning and ignite breakthroughs for students.

So the question before us is not if but how best to integrate digital learning into the classroom?

As U.S. Education Secretary Dr. Miguel Cardona recently asked “What do we want our system to look like?” Rather than going back to the pre-pandemic status quo, we imagine a collaborative, connected, data-led future for learning in which teachers, curricula, and technology work together to ignite learning breakthroughs for students.

Here’s how we can do it:

1. Embrace Personalized Learning.

Each student is on their own individual learning journey, and instruction should be personalized and differentiated for them. A 2019 study by The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) showed that educational software can effectively overcome traditional classroom challenges like “large class sizes with a wide range of learning levels,” which can “make it hard for teachers to personalize instruction.” Just as products like Waze design a route for drivers in real time — accounting for traffic and other roadblocks and delivering the driver to their destination as efficiently as possible — teachers should be able to pick students up wherever they are in their learning journey and take them where they need to go. While the destination may be the same (3rd grade reading proficiency or the successful completion of Algebra 1), each path will be different depending on the learner and her environment. Personalized and adaptive technology empowers teachers to identify and overcome those roadblocks without losing precious instructional time. Teachers can then scaffold up in areas where a student needs assistance or provide more rigorous material that encourages her to stretch, building confidence and enabling her to perform at her maximum potential.

2. Reimagine Assessment.

We must rethink our approach to assessment, which has long been used to sort and label kids in unproductive ways. An overwhelming majority of teachers (81%) believe students spend too much time taking district- and/or state-mandated tests. (Center of Education Policy) Adaptive technology can improve the efficiency and fairness of formative assessments by reducing bias and freeing up valuable instructional time. And this type of assessment enables more personalized learning: when teachers have real-time data on which students need specialized attention and instruction, they can better tailor content to each students’ unique educational journey.

3. Address Unfinished Learning.

To address unfinished learning, districts from Los Angeles to Atlanta are considering adding summer sessions, lengthening the school day or even the school year. But after a particularly draining year, some parents are pushing back on plans to adjust the academic calendar. And for those students who were already behind, we simply can’t make up all the time that has been lost. We must consider the essential skills that are prerequisites for grade-level learning — prioritizing the most important literacy and mathematics skills to succeed. Digital learning companies, together with teachers and administrators, need to collaborate to create plans that help students get to grade level and beyond. Rather than focusing on acceleration — which doesn’t make sense for students who may already be several grade levels behind — we should be coming together to develop on-ramps to help students reach their potential.

Nearly 20% of districts across the country are at least considering a virtual school offering for the coming year and may years beyond.

Implementing this technology in the classroom with fidelity requires leadership and continued professional learning opportunities for educators and district leaders. And the digital learning industry needs to be true partners in making that happen.

When it comes to digital learning, there isn’t just a light at the end of the tunnel of a truly difficult year — there’s a very bright future for our students and our educators. I hope we have the courage to embrace it and collaboratively create new learning experiences that enable every student to grow and thrive.

About the Author – Sari Factor

Vice Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer, Imagine Learning

Sari began her career as a mathematics teacher but soon thought of much bigger ways to impact students. Recognizing that technology could greatly transform the way students learn, she made a career move into education technology and has been working to leverage technology to help students, teachers, schools, and districts ever since.

Sari joined Imagine Learning in 2011 and has held leadership positions at successful educational publishing and learning technology companies, including Kaplan, McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin, and Everyday Learning Corporation. “I knew that I could fulfill my vision to combine technology with research on learning to make education truly student-centered.”

Posted on May 5, 2021October 12, 2023 by

May 5, 2021 8:00 am

Teachers Deserve Our Appreciation — and So Much More

This Teacher Appreciation Week — and every week — it’s more important than ever to recognize the selfless and critical work that teachers do for students, families, and communities.

With all the stories this week about how teachers went above and beyond this year, it’s tempting to see teachers as superheroes. But it’s important to remember that they’re not superhuman. Teachers need acknowledgment, gratitude, and, most importantly, support every single week of the year, so they can continue to do their critical work for our students and our communities.

When Stephany Hume arrived at the hospital for emergency surgery in December, she wasn’t thinking about herself. She was thinking about her fifth-grade students, and the book they had yet to finish. “I thought ‘I can’t leave these poor kids hanging,’” she told reporters, after her 11-day stint teaching from a hospital bed caught the attention of the media and warmed the hearts of a pandemic-weary public.

Her story is inspiring — and unsurprising to anyone who knows teachers.

Teacher is assisting a student, both are wearing masks

If there’s one good thing to come out of this incredibly difficult year, it’s the renewed appreciation we have for the heroic work that our teachers do every day. As the often invisible frontline worker, teachers have persevered through unpredictable schedules, ever-changing guidelines, and unimaginable trauma to provide hope, stability, and support to their students.

This Teacher Appreciation Week, it’s more important than ever to recognize the selfless and critical work that teachers do for students, families, and communities. But appreciation is not enough—we must also listen to and learn from the teachers in our lives, and do everything we can to make the noblest profession as rewarding and empowering as possible.

“There is a very strong sense of social solidarity at the moment; people recognising how we all depend on each other.”

Professor Tony Gallagher

Queen’s University Belfast

Learn from teachers’ resilience

Teachers are the greatest driving force behind learning. And they have taught us all a lot this year.

As a digital learning company, we had a front-row seat to many of the ways teachers used technology to meet students where they are and embrace and celebrate their differences. From teaching tactile concepts in a digital environment to orienting children to COVID safety protocols in fun and age-appropriate ways, teachers were masters of innovation and resilience. They found new ways to engage students who learn at different speeds and struggled to adjust to unsettling circumstances and new environments. “Instead of being so focused on making sure all the kids get the same thing,” said Amanda Brooks, Virtual Support Specialist Counselor at AVA in Georgia, “Individual kids get what they need.”

A recent study by the University of Texas at Austin on Trauma, Teacher Stress, and COVID-19 found day-to-day student connections are a big part of why teachers teach. And when schools went remote last spring, they really missed that connection. But teachers adapted quickly, using technology to scale their time with students and offer safe, consistent, individual support. “Our teachers are always in beta mode. So they’re never done,” said Lesley Clifton, Director of Online Learning at Classical Academy in California. “They’re always learning, trying, growing.”

While educators are increasingly confident that we won’t have to return to an all-remote model, teachers have seen firsthand how different kinds of students shine in different environments—and they’re adjusting their approach accordingly. “We’re learning that some students just need to learn a little bit differently than everyone around them,” said Jamie Max, Director of District 308 in Illinois.

“When we talk about teachers and teaching, it’s not just the students they’re impacting, they’re engaging and impacting families and — by extension — whole communities.”

Kimberlin Rivers

Vice President, Imagine Learning

Uplift teachers as pillars of the community

While teachers are known for juggling increasingly difficult circumstances with magnificent grace, teaching is still undervalued.

An Ipsos/USA Today poll found that nearly three-quarters of Americans said that a teacher had a significant, positive impact on their life, and a majority believed teachers are not fairly compensated for their work. And their belief is borne out in the data, which shows that teachers in many parts of the country earn less than the family living wage. “The profession isn’t as respected as it used to be, when teachers were pillars of the community,” said Kimberlin Rivers, Vice President, Instruction at Weld North Education.

But the pandemic has introduced a shift in the public narrative around essential workers, and teachers are no exception. “During a crisis, assumptions start to fall apart a little bit and people start to question things they had previously accepted and taken for granted,” Queen’s University Belfast Professor Tony Gallagher, who tracked the shifting public perceptions of teachers during COVID, said. “There is a very strong sense of social solidarity at the moment; people recognising how we all depend on each other.”

We’ve always known that teachers have influence extending far beyond their stated role. The numerous roles teachers play for students and the community—mentor, coach, counselor, social worker—were brought into sharper focus this past year as the pandemic underscored many systemic issues in American education.

“When we talk about teachers and teaching, it’s not just the students they’re impacting,” Rivers said. “They’re engaging and impacting families and—by extension—whole communities.”

Advocate for a more supportive, flexible future for the profession

While professionals in other fields benefit from pandemic-induced workplace flexibility, teachers will likely return to a more rigid schedule as they head back into the classroom. But schools can and should learn from this experience and find ways to use technology to create efficiencies and flexibility for their teachers.

In a piece titled “Why Schools Should Embrace Flexibility and Innovation Beyond COVID-19,” the Urban Institute argued that making flexible school options permanent could benefit many students, including the significant portion of students who work while attending school.

The same argument could be made for teachers, who are already dealing with enormous amounts of stress and burnout. According to the 2019 PDK Poll of the Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools, half of public-school teachers were considering quitting their jobs before COVID. And the stress of the pandemic has only intensified the crisis. Retirements are up, morale is down, and schools are scrambling to fill open positions as their teachers decide not to return to the classroom in the fall. If we want to keep teachers in the profession, we need to find ways to embrace flexibility and give teachers more, not fewer, options for when and how they connect with their students.

Posted on March 31, 2021October 13, 2023 by

March 31, 2021 8:00 am

Motivating English Learners

Read one Texas teacher’s creative strategies for keeping English-learning students energized and motivated.

Teachers across the country are finding innovative ways to engage English learners (EL) in the classroom and online.

In Austin, Texas, Webb Middle School has been incorporating Imagine Language & Literacy curriculum in their classrooms for over four years to help students learn and practice the English language.

Genoveva Zamarron, who herself was an English learner, now leads the English Language Development Academy (ELDA) for Webb Middle School. In recognition of her excellence, Genoveva was awarded the Top Imagine Language & Literacy usage teacher in February 2021!

We sat down with Genoveva to learn how she inspires and motivates her students to achieve their academic goals.

“I didn’t speak English when I was little and now, I teach English. My experience helps me motivate them. I want [students] to be a success story because I consider myself a success story!”

Genoveva Zamarron

Literacy and Language in the Classroom

For EL students at Webb Middle School, a typical day includes three to four hours working in the ELDA program before moving onto their elective or additional core classes.

In the ELDA program, Genoveva incorporates Imagine Learning content and in-person lessons so students further develop their English skills.

And in her classroom, Genoveva pairs students who speak Spanish with others who speak Arabic to encourage them to learn outside of their comfort zones and build confidence in speaking English.

To ensure that the platform is accessible to students and families who speak and read in another language, Genoveva provides instructions in various languages so students can get started on their work right away.

Additionally, students are taught how to monitor their progress and grades to drive self-discipline and accountability for their own success. Genoveva explains that “the confidence of the student is powerful,” because they need to see how their efforts directly affect their progress and grades.

As part of the curriculum, students record themselves completing oral assignments to practice their English. Genoveva has adopted the practice of sitting down with struggling students to listen to the recordings together.

This helps students understand how they are being graded on oral assignments — for comprehension, fluency, phonics, etc. — and hear the improvements in their English.

Students sitting on the floor listening to a story

Keeping Students Motivated

Genoveva reflects a lot on what it was like for her to grow up in the United States as an English learner, and shares these experiences with her students to help inspire them to become proficient English speakers.

Some of her students would be the first English speaker in their family and the first to attend schooling in the United States, so it’s important to keep them motivated and confident in their education.

One of the amazing ways students stay energized in the ELDA program is with the Imagine Learning wall (pictured above). Students note each day’s progress — including completions and successes — on activity cards, which they then add to the wall.

Seeing their progress and successes allows for some healthy competition between students, and further motivates them to work hard to reach their goals.

This is also a great way to get students active and out of their seats as they work on their online schoolwork.

Another special experience students can earn is the opportunity to attend field trips outside of the classroom.

As many of her students are new to the United States, Genoveva rewards them with short trips to practice and experience their new English skills in the outside world. Just this month, the students with the highest number of active minutes got to go to the theater to see a movie in English!

Getting Parents and Guardians On Board

We asked Genoveva what advice she would give to fellow educators, and she confirmed that building relationships with students and their families is how you can best drive success.

From day one, she expresses the importance of building those relationships so students feel supported and motivated in and out of the classroom.

She also holds her students to the same standards as her son, and expects them all to do their best.

Genoveva also sometimes shares pictures of the student’s homework so parents and guardians can help them continue working on their skills at home. This provides families with the tools they need to provide their students with that additional one-on-one support they receive in the classroom.

By building relationships with families and empowering students in and out of the classroom, Genoveva’s program has given English learners the confidence to reach their goals and set them up for success outside of the classroom.

Motivate Your English Learners

Discover how Imagine Language & Literacy can deliver targeted support to students acquiring English.

Learn More

Posted on November 9, 2020October 13, 2023 by

November 9, 2020 9:08 am

The Value of SEL in Schools With Daniel Budzinski

Social emotional learning (SEL) is an educational concept that recognizes that social and emotional skills impact students’ success in school and in life.

What is SEL?

Social emotional learning (SEL) is an educational concept that recognizes that social and emotional skills impact students’ success in school and in life.

SEL is the process through which students develop their own identities, hone their social skills for interacting with others, develop and maintain supportive relationships, and find productive ways to manage their goals, ambitions, and emotions in making responsible decisions for their lives.

Why is SEL Important in the Classroom?

Social emotional learning is essential to effective learning and impacts academic performance. Integrating social emotional learning in classrooms enables teachers to connect with students, help them develop skills for managing learning and daily stresses, build trusting relationships with peers and adults, and make responsible and healthy decisions.

SEL concepts can also address inequities in classrooms as students are empowered to co-create learning communities that are safe, healthy, and just—supporting all students in becoming the best versions of themselves.

“Cultivating a Social and Emotional Connection Across Our Schools and Community”

with Daniel Budzinski (Webinar Recap)

Imagine Learning Director of Marketing Research Nari Carter, Ph.D recently hosted a webinar with Purpose Prep CEO and founder Daniel Budzinski entitled “Cultivating a Social and Emotional Connection Across Our Schools and Community”.

The webinar focused on Budzinski’s experience traveling the world and speaking with educators about social and emotional learning strategies, as well as his own personal experience as a troubled teenager who struggled in school.

Read on for some key parts from Budzinski’s talk on the importance of SEL in the classroom, including how education is adapting to the digital age and how SEL strategies can bridge the gap between school and community for many students.

On Pop Culture, Career Goals, and SEL

“I’ve heard educators say this is a very unique and interesting time to educate young people because of who and what they want to be, and the realistic lifestyle track to get to those places. If I’m taking you through the history of SEL, and really why social and emotional learning is even important, there are three major provocations that I think have brought us to the place where we are right now: it’s the influence of music, the influence of movies, and the influence of culture that have really created a strong gap in the reasons we need SEL in our lives.

I call it the “desensitization of humanity.” there’s no judgement here, there’s no angst here, there’s no anger — I love looking at the facts. Facts don’t care about what we feel, they just tell us an interesting story and we get to decide if we want to see if we can change those facts.”

On Student Struggles and SEL Strategy

According to Budzinski, the Top 10 Student Struggles are:

Bullying and cyberbullying
Suicide and self-inflicted hurt
Substance use and alcohol abuse
Social media and device distraction
Family issues and relationships
Teen pregnancy and sexual pressure
Depression and anxiety
Fear of the future
Low self-esteem and inferiority complex
Peer pressure and acceptance

“How and why and what do students struggle with? As we’ve traveled, we’ve heard educators at the district level, educators at the school building leadership level, social workers, counselors, mental health professionals, teachers of all types of different categories—you could talk math, English, science, it doesn’t matter— they have said, “Wow, I’ve seen an increase in this more than ever before.” There are always positive stories, but what’s happening is our students are hurting, and they’re hurting because of these other things.

These are the top 10 struggles happening in our students lives right now, because of where we’re at in this world and where we’re at in society. We have an incredible opportunity to create a significant seismic shift and change in our schools, because as things get worse, I truly believe things can only get better and better and better exponentially. And I’ll tell you why: because people want to do what’s right.

I deeply have a conviction—and I’ve seen it across every country I’ve worked in, and every school, and the millions of people that I’ve spoken to—people want to do what’s right. While our students are struggling with this, here’s an interesting thing: what are we struggling with? What are you struggling with as an educator? I think it’s an interesting perspective to think, “Wow, maybe I do have low self-esteem and I’ve never really noticed my inferiority complex, which is why I sometimes inadvertently ignore certain staff members in my school, or trigger certain ways when people ask me to do certain things. Maybe I do have a fear of the future—with Covid happening, I don’t know if my job is going to be there. That freaks me out. I don’t know if I want to live behind a screen forever, I want to get in front of these kids’ faces and help them out.” There are all these things where we’re very similar in some ways to students, but the pressures are different.”

“Nine out of ten students believe that social and emotional skills can be taught and that it benefits students.”

Bridgeland, J., Bruce, M., & Hariharan, A.

(2013)

On SEL Pressures in the Classroom

According to Budzinski, the Top School Pressures Are:

Academic performance
Behavior issues / suspension
Truancy
Daily attendance
Teacher retention
School culture
Safety and security
Enrollment
Regulatory compliance
Reduced budgets / resources

“The outcome from a business perspective for our schools is really about the end user, and the end user is the student, the parents, and the families. So, if students are not being bullied and if they’re not dealing with as many issues—like depression and anxiety, or fear of the future because we’re able to support them in a certain way, or teach them the skills to cope—then the research shows that we may have a greater increase in academic performance.

If a student is being bullied, maybe that’s the reason why their attendance is low, or [maybe] they’re truant because they don’t want to show up to school. We realize that students’ reality—so close to our reality—is connected to the very outcomes that we’re trying to create in our schools, and it’s the underlying foundation. That’s why, when I talk about SEL, I don’t talk about programs; I want to talk about systemic social and emotional learning not just as a thought.”

On Bringing SEL to Schools

“I really don’t believe that we need to say “SEL is a program”—SEL isn’t a program, it’s a way of thinking. It is a belief system.

How could SEL play a role in the way that our families are interpreting the school district? SEL is not a program, it’s a way of thinking, and when we know that and see that, it doesn’t mean that we need to have bunch of meetings about how we’re failing and how our students are struggling and the world’s falling apart and everything is going to self-implode; it’s actually an empowering thing to say, “Oh my gosh, we’re human, and it’s honorable to admit when we’re struggling and when we’re sad and when we doubt ourselves. It’s okay that as an adult, you have to go through some stuff. You’ve been maybe stabbed in the back, and if you want to ignore that, that’s going to lead to some social and emotional issues in your school. What I love to say is that there’s the human resource aspect, and then there’s the human aspect—we have to balance what’s appropriate between professional and personal.”

“Supporting students’ social and emotional development produces an 11-percentage-point gain in grades and test scores.”

Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor & Schellinger

(2011)

Your role is not insignificant. Every stakeholder matters; you could start to raise your voice to actually bring SEL into your school. You can bring that cultural change. [There are many] evidence-based white papers on early efficacy and impact with schools that have brought SEL in. We’re talking about big things—graduation rates, increases in attendance, decreases in suspensions, expulsions, disciplinary remarks. Amazing data, and the plan for how to do it.”

On SEL for Parents & Caregivers

“We have to involve our parents and caregivers. We have to let their voices be heard. We have to communicate with them with email updates on what we’re doing. I can’t tell you how many schools have come back to me and said ‘The last time, we didn’t update our parents on the program we were using, and it really hurt us.’

Curriculum engagement activities, lessons — what can we give to our parents? Are there seminars we can put together for them? Is there adult SEL training we can put together for them? Again, talking about how we do this virtually, how we do this in a blended environment that ultimately reinforces the need for this community, for this family, to send their student to our schools.

Teacher shortage was one of the most difficult things we were facing, and I think on top of that, we’re now going to face student shortage. We need to convince and show our parents that we love their kids, we believe in their kids, and that we want to empower them to be successful in the future through SEL and through curriculum and everything else we’re doing. This is how we support our parents.”

Click to watch the full “Cultivating a Social and Emotional Connection Across Our Schools and Community” webinar recording!

Posted on June 10, 2020October 16, 2023 by

June 10, 2020 8:00 am

Understanding the Mindset of a Struggling Student

When we see failures and frustrations as opportunities, and reinforce the principles of self-efficacy, we can better support our struggling students.

Working with struggling students requires mounds of patience and a steady course of perseverance and sometimes creativity. Most learning isn’t easy; it’s hard, messy work, and as educators, we deal with the downsides and difficulties of learning every day, especially now. But we also see our student’s failures and frustrations as opportunities, and we can help by understanding the mindset of a struggling student, and by reinforcing the principles of self-efficacy.

What is self-efficacy? The definition is straightforward: “a person’s perception that he or she has the skill and capability to undertake a particular task.” If students believe they can succeed, they can. Yet, many students come to our classes lacking this belief, and with no growth mindset. Retired Penn State Professor Dr. Mary Ellen Weimer has several ideas to keep in mind when working with struggling learners.

Understanding the Mindset of a Struggling Student

They lack confidence. A student’s self-esteem has a direct effect on their academic performance. Students who struggle with confidence may believe there is no point in trying, and that where they are now is where they will always be. When asked to write a paper or work through a challenging math concept, they are often convinced they’ll do poorly before they even begin. When teachers ask if they need help with a difficult assignment, they may say no, or not respond at all. We can help these students by praising small steps in the right direction. Let them know what you like about their work in specific terms: “You’re on the right track with that equation. You got this.” And try to show them tangible proof of their growth by comparing early classwork to what they are doing now, which can help build self-efficacy in a concrete way.

They fear failure. When given a rigorous task, students can be too afraid of making a mistake to try. They can take failure personally, lacking the understanding that failure is a part of the learning process. Creating autonomy with these students is still possible, though; take, for example, The University of Montana’s Best Fail Ever campaign. The University aimed to “increase students’ resilience and convey the message that it is okay to fail sometimes.” Here, students became more comfortable with acknowledging their self-efficacy by sharing their own “best fail ever” stories publicly across campus. Programs like this demonstrate to students that failure can be a path to growth. When teachers find ways to alleviate students’ anxiety of failure, students are more likely to focus on learning.

They are easily distracted. Life is always distracting, and students (and adults) are dealing with more distractions than ever now. Often, students struggle with separating their study time from their lives, and that became more difficult as schools closed, forcing learning to take place at home. According to Dr. Weimer, “these students are easily distracted by their work, their friends, their social life, and even perhaps responsibilities at home. They respond to what’s pressing at the moment, and that’s often not studying, which can be done at the last minute with the phone on and with text messages coming in.” However, research has continually demonstrated that doing too much at once can be overstimulating for the brain. According to John Sweller’s cognitive load theory, “working memory has a very limited capacity. When too much information is presented at once, we feel overwhelmed, and much of that information is lost.” As educators, we can help redirect our student’s cognitive capacity to the right place by providing students with proactive tips on how to be productive when doing school work.

They’re in the course to get the grade, and learning is not the primary objective. Often, students will choose to do the minimum. They are often satisfied with less than their best—if the course is a requirement, and the content is not interesting to them, they see no reason to put forth much effort. They may view assignments as things to complete as quickly as possible. They can prefer easy learning. According to Dr. Weimer, “they don’t want courses or assignments that tax their ‘mental muscles’ too much.” These students prefer specific directions with little room for interpretation or critical thinking. They would rather work on worksheets than answer open-ended questions, and they steer clear of assignments where they could be wrong and it might be their fault.

As educators, we often have to find unconventional ways to reach kids that lack a desire to learn and may not see the potential for their future that comes with authentic learning. If we focus on showing students how achievements can benefit their lives, we can instill hope.
teacher icon

How Can Teachers Help Students Become Better Learners?

By understanding the mindset of a struggling student, educators can become more aware of how to help all students become better learners. The tips below offer a good starting point for all educators:

Help students develop metacognitive awareness (or being aware of how you learn/creating autonomy).
Cultivate your love of learning by sharing past experiences and values with your students.
Strive to make the material relevant to applicable real-world scenarios.
Provide regular, ongoing in-class review and teacher feedback.
Expect failure and frustration, be prepared with plenty of patience.

School psychologist Dr. Allen Mendler wrote, “hope must precede responsibility because kids who lack hope have no reason to act in responsible kinds of ways. There’s no reason to be motivated unless [the student] is hopeful that this particular class is somehow going to improve [his or her] life; that coming to this school is better than not coming.” As educators, it is our job to help give students—especially struggling students and especially now—this hope that learning is the key to a better future. And giving that hope starts with understanding the mindset of a struggling student.

Sources

Bartimote-Augglick, K., Bridegmen, a., Walker, R., Sharma, M., & Smith, L. (2016). The Study Evaluation and Improvement of University Student Self-efficacy. Studies in Higher Education, 14(11), 1918–1942.

Brooks, a. (2019, February 25). 7 Tips to Create the Perfect Study Environment for You. Rasmussen College Life Blog. Source

John Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory. (2019, January 14). Exploring Your Mind. Source

Mendler, a. (N.d.). Motivating Students Who Don’t Care. Ascd. Source

Ni, C. (2019). Designing for Learning Growth: Encouraging Metacognitive Practice to Support Growth Mindsets in Students [unpublished Master’s Thesis]. Carnegie Mellon University School of Design. Source

Saks, N. (2016, October 4). ‘Best Fail Ever’ Asks Student to Talk Failure and Resilience. Montana Public Radio. Source

Shore, K. (N.d.). Classroom Problem Solver: the Student With Low Self Esteem. Education World. Source

Weimer, M. (2018). What Are Five Methods to Help Students Become More Effective Learners? Source

Posted on March 24, 2020October 13, 2023 by

March 24, 2020 8:00 am

Setting Online Learning Goals with Students

Figuring out learning goals can help to both offer internal motivation to students and show students the value of learning (because who hasn’t heard the question, “When am I ever going to use this?”).

Happy student on laptop listening on headphones

Regardless of how a student learns — in a traditional setting, online, by doing—a great first step for ensuring success is setting learning goals.

Because everyone is different, figuring out learning goals can help to both offer internal motivation to students and show students the value of learning (because who hasn’t heard the question, “When am I ever going to use this?”).

When learning is self-directed, setting goals is even more important because students have to rely more on themselves to ensure they’re learning.

For every student who chunks out the work involved in a semester-long project, 10 more students wait until the week before the project is due to start it. (Guilty!)

And because online learning is often more self-directed, setting online learning goals can be critical to student success.

How to help students set good goals for their online learning?

It’s not that different than it is for traditional learning. It starts with offering guidance, monitoring progress, reflecting, and celebrating achievements.

To start, make sure students know what a goal is and what it means to have one (or more).

This is particularly important for younger students.

If a student doesn’t understand what a goal is, they’ll struggle to work toward meeting it and being successful.

Fortunately, goal-setting is a skill, which means it can be taught, so start by teaching your students about goals, the same way you might teach reading or math.

No matter their age, your students will have already met some goals, so look for examples from their own lives that you can use to explain goals and goal-setting.

Next, teach students how to set good goals.

There’s a world of difference between easy, “gimme” goals and impossible-to-achieve goals, so make sure students understand this. Students should be setting online learning goals that offer some degree of challenge, but aren’t impossible to meet.

One way to help ensure students are setting good goals is to have one main end goal with several progress-related goals that they’ll meet throughout the process of meeting the main one.

And consider teaching students about SMART goals, which can help them create clear and reasonable goals.

Once goals are set, monitor and document the process of meeting them.

It’s possible goals will need to change after students have begun working toward meeting them, so it’s best for both student and teacher to monitor progress.

This way, goal adjustments can be made if needed so students can still be successful even if something has changed.

If students are not meeting goals, reflect on possible reasons for that.

This could be happening for a number of reasons. Maybe the student is struggling to understand a concept and can’t move forward without assistance.

Or they don’t understand the expectations placed on them for online learning.

Whatever the case may be, there’s a reason why they’re not meeting their goals, so do some digging to figure that out.

And as students meet goals, celebrate!

Though most experts would agree that the feeling of accomplishment is more valuable than a tangible reward, there’s nothing wrong with strategically rewarding students with praise and/or goods.

This can be especially useful for younger students, and when larger goals are met.

Utilizing classroom webpages and social media accounts, you can create a tracking system, like a chart with stickers, so that students can see their progress. And since celebrating achievements virtually requires some creativity, we’ve shared some tips for doing so.

At the end of the day, it’s most important that students understand why and how to set goals, as well as how to monitor progress toward achieving those goals.

Making progress toward meeting goals is really important, so if goals aren’t met, make sure students understand that they have not failed, and that making progress is its own goal.

To start, make sure students know what a goal is and what it means to have one (or more).

This is particularly important for younger students. If a student doesn’t understand what a goal is, they’ll struggle to work toward meeting it and being successful. Fortunately, goal-setting is a skill, which means it can be taught, so start by teaching your students about goals, the same way you might teach reading or math.

No matter their age, your students will have already met some goals, so look for examples from their own lives that you can use to explain goals and goal-setting.