The Possibilities of Student Centered Remote Learning

Can remote learning be student centered? That was a question I grappled with as our 5^th grade staff came together to create a remote learning slide deck for all our students. Running a student centered classroom physically is a daunting task full of risk taking and adventure. I discovered the physical space transfers over to the virtual space. It just took my own students to show me this!

We have had our Google Classroom set up since September, so our students were well versed in navigating the virtual space. Students started asking me if they could do some of our work we were doing in the classroom online. The first student asked if we could do our end of day circle in Google Classroom. We gather together at the end of the day and share either an appreciation, an apology, or an a-ha moment. I created the 3As online and a discussion ensued. Students started sharing their thoughts!

Another student emailed me letting me know the question of the morning was missed. Each morning we ask a question to check in with students. I took the slides and transferred it to a question in Google Classroom. I scheduled them to go out each morning. This engages students in conversation with each other. We even are modeling how to use the @symbol to alert classmates to responses.

A third child questioned whether or not we could have our discovery quests continue. So I designed a space for students to share their presentations. We are hoping with the addition of Google Meet students will be able to eventually share their work. A student shared a Ted Talk with me about 100 Days of Rejection. This inspired a Ted Talk topic with prompts to discuss.

Another child asked about if we can design a podcast, continuing our story. This one I was not sure about as we had no access to mics, and the students were not physically together to design a segment. The more I thought about this the more I realized we can podcast. We just have to keep it simple. Armed with my phone and my laptop I had my niece test out voice memos with me, and it worked! So I asked students if they wanted to design a Covid19 podcast segment. They came up with the questions and signed up to be interviewed. I called them at home and could feel the smile though the phone! We recorded using Voice Memo on my Mac, which we would normally use on our class iTouch. I then uploaded the segment to Anchor and deleted the file on my computer with the student on the phone. I had an interviewee inquire if she could get a group together to design their own segment, and I could call them to record it once we discussed their ideas. Why not offer this as an option to students?

These moments inspired me to then create a Google Form for the entire 5^th grade to get feedback on our remote learning slide deck. This helped our grade level teachers create the second remote learning slide deck. I encourage everyone to just ask their students what they are missing or want to see as part of their remote learning. Let your students be part of the process!

Some of their suggestions I never thought about, but I am so glad they advocated and asked! These are the life skills they will never forget! It is the experiences we create for our students that mean the most. So yes! Remote learning can be student centered. All we have to do is listen and ask our students.

The Dangling Carrot: A Badge Program to go with Remote Learning

In a mere three days our students have jumped from 1000 IXL problems to 5000! When our school was planning a remote learning website for students, I began to ponder what content would be pushed out. I knew it would have something organized by subject, using the tools available to us.

Wondering about the content took a back seat when I started to ask a much bigger question. How do we motivate kids at home to go to the remote learning website and what best pedagogical practices can I employ to get them there while working from home? This question plagued me for the rest of the night.

At 4 AM I woke up with an epiphany! Educators get motivated by badges, so would students do the same thing? Could a badge be my dangling carrot as Daniel Pink so passionately discussed in his TED Talk, The Puzzle of Motivation?  I began to work on a badging template for a remote learning site I had yet to see. Calling a student was also helpful, and we worked together to create a badging program to go along with the remote learning website. When the website was released the student and I figured I could paste in the content to go along with the badges. Having a student help assured me this would be in student friendly language, so parent support would be at a minimum once kids started going through it.

After the site was released, I emailed out directions to families. They could continue going on doing their own enrichment and engagement. They could peruse the Remote Learning Site, choosing activities at their leisure, or students could choose the badge challenge. I planned to make the badges as students earned them in Google Draw. Badges were then emailed home to the parent and student, with feedback about his or her work. Feedback and reflection continue to be an important part of our learning process, even in a virtual classroom.

An announcement of badges was also made in Google Classroom, encouraging other kids to check it out. I kept track of their badges in a Google Sheet. I check each night to see what students accomplished. It provided me another avenue to communicate to home and build connections with families.

Half the class has been working on badges for a week! I emailed individual students yesterday morning, encouraging those who had not yet started to check it out. As educators we need to think about how to motivate all our students, remembering pedagogical strategies for student success.

*If you would like to use the badge program or want the badges find me on Twitter and connect to me there!*