On Wednesday we kicked off our Learn Deep Lunch series with a discussion about the challenges educators face with coronavirus driven distance learning. Participants shared their experiences and ideas on a Zoom session and captured their thoughts on a shared Google Jam Board.
The common struggles were keeping kids both connected and engaged. It’s not enough for students to simply to have access to technology. If they have not used the tools deployed for distance learning, have adults or siblings at home that can help troubleshoot, or simply compete for time on the device with another sibling, they are much less likely to participate. For educators that had not used distance learning tools in the past, or where district or building standards or expectations about how distance learning ought to run, the need to figure all this out creates an additional burden.
In spite of these challenges, participants had developed a number of strategies to adjust to the current situation. A number of educators recognized that their students are looking for ways to feel connected to their classmates, and had found lightweight ways to do so– from Instagram challenges to virtual lunch tables. The recognition that students need intrinsic motivation to stay engaged has a number of educators using the last weeks of the school year to help students identify and pursue passion projects.
Learn Deep Lunches run from 11:45 to 12:30 on Wednesdays. Our next session is April 29th. Details and registration info are here.
