The Entrepreneurial Educator’s Tips for Pivoting to Remote Teaching
No matter their familiarity with online classrooms, teachers, school administrators, parents, and students have all had to pivot to adjust to the new reality of teaching and learning brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. On its own, moving from face-to-face instruction to distance learning can be a Herculean feat. Doing so while living through a global pandemic presents additional stresses and complexities to us as individuals and communities. There is an obvious need for coordinated responses at the municipal, provincial, national, and even global level.
In this article, however, I would like to zoom in on individual teachers (or parent-teacher figures) and focus on what is in their circle of influence.
Educators are discovering that remote teaching is not a simple mapping of in-person instruction onto digital platforms. In some cases, school administrators are being confronted now more than ever before with the challenges faced by their staff and student bodies. Some of their students do not have access to the resources that facilitate remote learning (e.g. Internet and computers). In addition, some educators do not feel adequately equipped — due to a lack of training or infrastructural deficit or both — to teach under these conditions.
Distance learning is not synonymous with online learning.
Different types of technology can be used to facilitate remote teaching and learning for students in a variety of contexts. Read more about How countries are using edtech (including online learning, radio, television, texting) to support access to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic
In recent conversations with friends who are parents of school-aged children, this remark stood out to me:
I’m expected to teach 3 kids in different grades at the same time with material that I first need to read through to understand!
Can you hear the frustration?! I empathized and thought, “Welcome to the world of teaching!” A lot of preparation and flexibility goes into facilitating learning of any kind. This shift to remote teaching and learning is an opportunity to develop and practice entrepreneurial skills in a different environment than you may be familiar with.
5 tips to navigate this transition as an entrepreneurial educator would
1. Be creative. Make the most of the resources at your disposal. Keep it simple but engaging and educational.
I’m sure they are getting bored doing the same thing over and over.
2. Differentiate your lessons. Meet your students where they are. Build up your toolkit so you can vary instructional strategies and differentiate your lessons accordingly. You will also have to demonstrate agility in your thinking, so you can respond quickly and appropriately to any bumps along the way.
3. Collaborate with others. While resources abound on the internet, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information. Nevertheless, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Lean into your existing networks. Or, develop new ones: start by subscribing to the Anzisha Educator newsletter series to access resources and connect with other teachers. Be transparent with your students as well: perhaps you could co-create learning tools and strategies.
I really have to think twice about how to explain something that’s so obvious to me.
4. Reflect on your practice.Take time at the end of each lesson or unit or day (or whatever period you choose) to think about what went well and what you could try differently next time. Some questions you might ask yourself are: How did it go and how do I know? Why was X successful (or not) in this lesson? What does that mean for tomorrow?(Be solution/action-focused.) Get feedback from your students (e.g. What should I stop-start-continue?) and from others. You could invite a colleague to “observe” your online class or you could record that class then seek feedback from your peers. Reflective teaching is vital for continuous professional development. Entrepreneurial educators are constantly seeking to learn, improve, and grow.
5. Show empathy: to your students, yourself, and others.Take time to understand how your students are experiencing all this and how it might be impacting their mental health. Check in with them as individuals and as a class. (What could the virtual practice of mindfulness look like in your context?) Check in with your peers and offer to help where you can. Finally, be kind to yourself as you figure your way out.
We are living through a global pandemic, after all.
Have you pivoted to remote teaching? Are you a parent homeschooling for the first time? What’s working for you? What challenges are you facing? Please share your questions, tips, strategies, and guidance in the comments.
