A Roller Coaster Ride

How the remote, hybrid, and “regular” models of learning have influenced my writing instruction

When we shifted from remote learning to a hybrid model, to then briefly remote again and back to hybrid, and then eventually a full in-person learning experience, you could say there were a few hiccups.

Not only were students and teachers alike taken on a roller coaster ride with constantly shifting schedules and ever-changing Zoom links, but we were all bombarded with new technologies and tools to use in this unprecedented year. From Bitmoji classrooms to virtual discussion boards, link after link was posted in the chat for students to log on, sign in, be transported to a new way of learning. The only thing missing was consistency.

For many of my students, school was the one source of stability in their lives. They knew that no matter what was going on at home, they could come to school, get breakfast and lunch, see some friendly faces, and be safe. Along the way, they would become accustomed to and learn to value the structure of school, a structure that was lacking at home. This structure became broken this year, and instead, we were sent on that roller coaster that spanned our remote-to-hybrid-to-full experience. Not only has that disrupted students’ structure, but it has forced them to become incredibly adaptable, as teachers shift their teaching methods to fit the schedule each time it changes.

Many of us had different teaching methods with each model of learning. Remote learning required complete reliance on Schoology and Zoom, while in-person learning offered the chance to use paper and pencil again. This changed how I employed the writing assistance tools as well.

While remote, I had students use Grammarly more often on their own because students were much more self-paced and had a substantial amount of independent learning time. This forced more independent writing revision, during which Grammarly served as a tool that provided suggestions and help. Even with pre-recorded mini-lessons and digital instruction posted for students to reference at home, they were still not with me in real-time to revise their writing, which many were so used to. Even at the high school level, students found it difficult to switch their reliance from the teacher to a slideshow. I found that many students simply depended on Grammarly to fix their errors and moved on without necessarily learning the skill.

I could feel the loss of learning in my soul. I felt some students detaching, getting dejected, and feeling the loss of personal feedback.

While in the hybrid model, I still only saw students twice a week, but I was able to help them in person. I wanted to take full advantage of the face-to-face contact that I had with students, as well as the small class sizes, and therefore used less of Grammarly and instead worked with students directly on their writing. We spent a good amount of time on mini-lessons, games, whiteboard activities, and practice. During this time, students had a lot more feedback from me and relied less on Grammarly.

Furthermore, with the half-capacity classes that the hybrid model provided, every day was almost like a small-group session, so students were also exposed to their peers’ writing. Many students thrived with the increase in personal attention.

Ever since we have been back in the classroom full-time with all students, it has been much more of a mix. I have the most face-to-face interaction with students throughout the week that I have had all year, but I also have more students in the classroom at once than I have had all year. Thus, I feel that I have been able to help some students one-on-one a lot, but some have become more inclined to work independently and use Grammarly when they need it. Yet another shift in learning has caused students, and myself, to adapt in ways I may not have imagined.

What does this all mean? In truth, I have no idea. But, I have a lot of questions.

How do we use this to inform our path forward? When do we stop and remember that our students are kids, and changing instruction constantly can be overwhelming and confusing? How much grace do we give ourselves for having to adapt to all of this ourselves? How do we take a ride on that roller coaster of ever-changing instruction, walk off a bit rattled, but go back for another ride? Here’s the hoping the end of the school year brings a few answers.