GCHS Remote Learning Strategies

Welcome to our third issue of GCHS's Remote Learning Strategies Newsletter. This issue is aimed at finding strategies to differentiate and support all learners. Thanks to our new AIM Executive Functioning Interventionist Danielle Christopherson and Reading Specialist Rachel Lesinski.

Scroll down to the bottom to submit strategies that have been working for you.

This first set of tips comes from Danielle Christopherson, Executive Functioning Interventionist.

Executive functioning (EF) is a term used to describe a set of cognitive capabilities that influence behaviors allowing people to navigate their ways through to completion of tasks. EF Skills include the following areas:

• setting appropriate goals & steps to reach goals
• planning
• prioritizing
• organizing
• using strategies for problem-solving
• the ability to fully attend class and focus
• emotional regulation & self-discipline
• monitoring one's own progress.

Many students struggle with EF Skills and the eLearning environment can add more challenges and changes to their school day. It is important to provide support to develop and assist these skills in the class setting, especially because it is harder to recognize the students who may be struggling in this area in the remote setting.

• Always provide multiple models and examples
• Provide options for note-taking methods or graphic organizers

These tips come from our Reading Specialist and Literacy Interventionist, Rachel Lesinski. As we work to support every students literacy needs, consider trying some of the following:

• Using Classkick this year? Try having students use the microphone to record themselves reading aloud. Then, you know they have read the passage, and we can listen if we're concerned about the way they respond to a prompt. Often it is because they mispronounced/did not know one word or phrase and then we can tackle that specific moment in the text.

• Try making graphic organizers (Shanna, Rach, and I LOVE Canva for this). Then, merge them into Classkick or Google Slides so students can manipulate them.
  
• Rachel's excited to use Read Natural text to talk and the whiteboard function on Zoom for vocab lessons.

The easiest way to closed caption something live is to use Google Slides. Simply present, hit Closed Captioning, and Google will use its automated software to read and type out every word you say (and it's pretty darn close to verbatim).

First, if you're planning on recording a lesson in Zoom, figure out if you can present part of your content through Google Slides. That way, students have can read what you're saying.

Maybe your content isn't on Google Slides, or maybe you aren't even planning on posting a recording. Open up a Google Slides anyway and hit closed captioning to provide that extra accommodation.

This is also great for pre-recorded lessons. I love using something like Screencastify as a quick way to do a screenrecording. Then, I'll just talk right over a Google Slides presentation, and use the annotation tools to draw attention to content, make connections, etc.

Some great resources for providing closed captioning and translations for our ELL students and our World Languages department.

Shanna and I put together a list of resources for all co-teaching teams. Some of the resources on the page above highlight different ways to ensure both co-teachers have equal access to tech tools. The other page highlights various strategies to translate best-practice co-teaching models to a remote environment.

Here are 15 things Teacher B can do to help facilitate learning while Teach A provides direct instruction:

1. Writing notes on a whiteboard/document for in-class or after-class use.

2. Gathering data on student participation and responses.

3. Verbally clarifying or restating in different terms.

4. Echoing keywords from Teacher A and asking students to echo

5. Restating the learning target three times during the lesson.

6. Asking students to respond.

1. Stand, stomp, snap (perhaps elementary)

2. 3Ts: talk, type, or tap (click)

3. *shoot for student interaction every 3 minutes, or maintain 3:1 ratio of direct instruction to response/interaction

7. Preparing breakout room assignments based on student need.

8. Finding websites and adding links for student access.

9. Sending private messages to individual students.

10. Typing chat stems, sentence starters, direction steps.

11. Asking students to pause and summarize in one sentence.

1. Or try something like this.

2. Somebody wanted but so then summary

3. Give them a sentence starter, having them finish it in the chat

12. Directing all students to generate and submit one question.

13. Creating a no-stakes quiz – 2 or 3 questions for student recall.

14. Adding tips on how to maintain attention in a virtual lesson.

Fill out our co-teaching survey below so Shanna and I can work to support you.

Thanks to Danielle and Rachel for their submissions to this week's newsletter. Please submit your strategy below to be featured in our upcoming newsletters!