Your experience as a teacher using distance teaching / learning tools and platforms? 

Before Covid 19, I used Skype in the classroom as a tool for long distance teaching. I had involved teachers around the world in my classes and had contributed to international classes as well. When our school was preparing to close due to Covid 19, we were already using Microsoft TEAMS and Google Classroom at school. When school closed, we were asked to use these for online teaching, and setting and grading of assignments.

How you are working with students and colleagues to continue providing education despite the crisis?

The two platforms, Microsoft TEAMS and Google Classroom, have proved excellent for online teaching. I give (and record) lessons with up to 30 pupils in a class at a time, and take questions so the class is interactive. I also set up WhatsApp groups for each of my classes, for quick messages and to receive questions. I also send short voice messages, either reminding pupils of something that is due or send short messages of support. I have uploaded Kahn academy clips, YouTube clips, or links to lessons that I put on Google classroom, and have assigned work with deadlines here too.

Pupils that are from under-resourced backgrounds were provided with a dongle and data by the school, and an iPad, to ensure they can keep up with lessons.

How you are dealing with these new working conditions?

The pupils have responded differently, and I have therefore had to adjust my teaching for those who go at a slower pace, due to lack of self-discipline or depression due to isolation. I start each lesson with emotional encouragement, get feedback on how people are feeling, and generally have slowed my pace or expectations. Some pupils work fast, but some have slowed down, due to family members being diagnosed positive with the virus, or other personal reasons. I find the parents are also challenged with everyone being at home and are asking the school to have a day each week when pupils can catch up and no new work is assigned. In some of the lessons, when I say goodbye, the pupils get quite tearful. They are really trying hard to keep up with the work. I have been very proud of them but realise how much explanation and support they rely on, day to day. I have tried to keep it simple as pupils are having a lot of online lessons. They are logging off and on to different teachers’ lessons for 5 hours, with few breaks. This is a senior school, but some teachers have not stuck to the timetable, and thus their tests have gone over-time etc.

Some of the important activities that I run, such as social responsibility, where we work with inner city kids who have AIDS, and “Model UN” that I run, and the work I do with other organisations on SDGs, has slowed down and much has been put on hold for the 21 days of complete shut-down.

What guidelines and support have you been given (if any)?

We have support from our IT staff, online. Staff members share information on what apps and programmes have worked for them. Staff are asked to stick to the normal timetable for lessons and we are preparing online reports as well at the moment. We share glitches with IT who then try and solve them.

In early April, I was asked to be part of a Jakes Gerwel Fellowship Webinar in South Africa, called Educating in Interesting Times, which addressed the use of different tools for online education.

I am also on the Varkey Foundation’s Varkey Teacher Ambassador (VTA) network and share and receive ideas there.

Marjorie Brown

Marjorie Brown was one of the finalists of the Varkey Foundation's Global Teacher Prize.

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.

My name is Anne-Fleur Lurvink and I am a teacher at Lyceum Kralingen, a secondary school in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. I teach English as a foreign language to students between the ages of 15 to 18. I am also mentor to a group of 21 students, head of department and coordinator for the UNESCO Associated School Network. In addition to teaching, I also work in the field of international development where I act as consultant for youth empowerment and education. 

When I entered the field of education I could have never imagined a crisis like the current COVID-19 crisis to knock on our door. Being part of an enthusiastic and energetic team, committed to ensure learning in these challenging times, has made all the difference.

Necessity is the mother of invention

When the news arrived that schools would close, we really collaborated as a team. Teachers came together at school for a brief brainstorm session and started transforming the curriculum to an online one in just one day. Of course we are still learning and figuring it out as we go along, but what makes it manageable is the fact that we are in it together.

Teacher development has accelerated and peer learning has been central to it. When one of us faces some challenges, others step in, organise a team zoom and we learn from each other. We are also drawing on our creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. For example, we have replaced test with small research projects. There is also a range of free online applications for e-learning available. One very useful website is https://www.todaysteachingtools.com/ which offers different flowcharts to figure out which ICT tool is fit for which purpose. It also offers a free online course for language e-learning.

In addition, I try to include my students in the process. They often have a much broader knowledge of ICT and they have given me great suggestions and feedback (such as how to switch off the annotation mode in Zoom when I do not want creative expressions of my students to appear on my PowerPoint).

We also try and keep up good spirits by approaching things with a sense of humour, accept it when things do not go as planned and have a good laugh from time to time. It is also important to give our students confidence that this situation will end that they will be fine.

The challenges

Despite the many creative solutions and increased collaboration amongst teachers, there are many challenges to be faced. There is the obvious work-home balance, which is hard to maintain with non-stop online availability, and matters of digital (il)literacy.

Online learning is based on the assumption that students have the possibility to follow online learning at home. Unfortunately this is not the case for all students. Less advantaged children have a greater chance of falling behind and the equity gap is increasing during this crisis.

We also worry about the social and emotional well-being of our students. It has become more apparent than ever that schools are more than just places where knowledge is transferred. It is where children socialise and where they grow. Schools are safe places for those who have unstable homes. How to ensure this at a distance? The role of the mentor has become more important because we are responsible for connecting with students and their parents.

In addition to online lessons, we also organise one lesson a week just to chat and to keep up to date on how students are coping. Together with the care-team at school we try to monitor every student and their well-being, but this is extremely difficult. Some students go off the radar and schools can’t get in touch with them or their parents.

Teacher empowerment

Here we have been given the confidence to come up with solutions and ideas and we are part of the policy dialogue at our schools. I believe this to be essential in order to maintain learning at a distance.

As a teacher you know your context, you know your students and you know what they need. In terms of learning and leaving no one behind, facilitating teachers to face this challenge will determine the out-come of this crisis. I am happy to be part of several networks of teachers and educators from across the globe, exchanging experiences and sharing knowledge. I would also recommend this to other teachers.

Join these networks and webinars and let’s bundle our strengths!

Some networks and platforms

• https://www.learninginpractice.org/
• https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.

My name is Estella. I teach secondary English and Theatre Arts, ages 14 to 18, in South Los Angeles, California (U.S.) and have been in the field of education for nearly 14 years. Our site moved to Distance Learning, or Student Dismissal, on March 17, 2020. Students went home on Tuesday after spending Monday being briefed by teachers on what to expect. Unfortunately, teachers did not truly know what to expect. Only now, nearly two weeks later, we are beginning to comprehend the differences in nomenclature related to online learning.

‘Student Dismissal’ means learners are engaged through online platforms and management systems. While ‘School Closures’ imply learners are at home free of academic or school-related expectations. Some districts in the U.S. have opted for total School Closures citing equity concerns as the reason for this decision. While many more schools have chosen to continue “teaching” employing distance learning measures.

Like many teachers around the globe, we were given less than 24 hours to adjust, modify curriculum, and grow familiar with digital tools in an attempt to ensure students could carry on with “business as usual” by Wednesday morning. To anyone outside of our district, the optics might demonstrate we successfully transitioned nearly 6,000 students and more than 300 teachers to online learning in about 20 hours. While in many ways we were successful, the truth is, overall, this has been a massive failure.

Collectively, society and governments - local, state, and federal - have failed children and parents. To be clear, this failure is of no fault of educators. We are working tirelessly without regard to our own health or families’ needs in order to serve our students while providing some measure of stability. In the United States, we have yet to receive federal guidance on concerns related to online instruction. In the state of California, some materials and resources have begun to make their way down to local jurisdictions. However, as a profession, we remain largely in the dark on what is right and fair.

If I’m honest, this transition has been difficult for me emotionally and mentally. It seems I work more than 14 hours a day as I attempt to stay connected with my 140 students, ensure materials and resources are accessible, and expectations are clear for all learners. While I know this is not healthy nor sustainable, I continue to do so for several reasons. One, my students feel just as displaced as I do and share in my frustration. Two, I’ve made a commitment to students to always be there for them to the best of my ability. Three, the only way over this global pandemic is through it so long as we must go together. Finally, perspective is everything; while this is challenging for myself, my family, and students I have to remain grateful for everything I still have access to at this moment. More importantly, I must model this for students.

Perspective is Everything

As an arts educator, I am privileged to witness the positive impact fine art has on learners’ academics, social-emotional well-being, and character development. [For more information regarding the impact of the arts on young people, check out the Otis Report.] I have the opportunity to spend time with students outside of classes; we put on performances, travel to community events, go on field trips, and compete in festivals. These outings provide me with a clear window into my students’’ lives, thoughts, and feelings. Our relationships are built on unbreakable bonds. Every morning, I greet students at the door and check-in on their emotional state. Not being able to do this has brought me great pain and stress.

For many students school is a safe haven. I serve in the community I grew up in. Several families face equity concerns daily; adverse childhood experiences, trauma, food scarcity, lack of work or housing, and other concerns that interrupt a child’s learning.  For my students, all of these concerns are heightened - worsened - under this global pandemic. Our parents are being laid off from work. Food scarcity is on the rise due to panic shopping across communities. Housing grows more challenging to maintain as wages are lost. Students who face emotional, mental, and physical traumas regularly - those who would be receiving services through the school - are now left to manage on their own. What about students with identified learning challenges like dyslexia or Autism Spectrum Disorder? Their supports and routines are non-existent while we teach at a distance. Some students don’t have access to the internet. Even if they wanted to continue their schoolwork, they can’t.

However, perspective is everything. I recognize that for many educators and students around the globe, the situation in many ways is far dire. We are losing loved ones and the time to grieve seems to escape us as we remain separated by space. The suffering of friends and colleagues around the world is not lost on me, or my students, as we work to empathize with peers worldwide.

My mind has been fixated on these thoughts and more. I cry when I am overwhelmed by emotion without clear solutions. I love my students. I miss my students. I want the power to fix it all with a simple snap of my fingers. As I lesson plan, school work seems irrelevant when I consider all my students are going. How do we bridge already massive equity gaps, now exacerbated by COVID-19?

In moments of clarity, I remember that art has an incredible way of bridging equity gaps and providing social-emotional outlets for young people. Arts integration, when embedded within curriculum, has the power to support learners’ academic growth exponentially. So, how do I integrate the arts into distance learning?

10 Ways to Ensure the Arts Live On Amid COVID-19

Below are some suggestions, with help from my theatre students,  on how you might employ art as a learning tool while we practice “Social-Distancing”:

1. Social Media Platforms - If you are allowed to, encourage teachers and students to create school-appropriate accounts on platforms like FlipGrid or Tik Tok. Students have incredibly innovative ways of using social media to communicate ideas with one another. It also enables learners to stay connected amid physical distance.

2. Live Stream - Consider using platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram to set up a live lesson. To increase engagement, consider using props or backdrops. To ease the workload, reach out to a colleague and co-teach a live stream session.

3. Films - Give students an interesting topic and allow them to create a short film, animation, or documentary. Students can then upload to a cloud service and share with peers. You might even consider using a social media platform to publish students’ work. This is a great time for young people to investigate family histories.

4. Podcasts - Similar to the above suggestion, encourage students to create a podcast or audio recording on an issue they have investigated. National Public Radio has a great resource for this.

5. Collaborate - Encourage students to continue collaborating with peers on projects by setting up their own video conferences. Here is a tutorial geared towards parents and students.

6. Graphic Design - Use platforms like Canva to create beautiful graphics for various styles of projects and lessons. Canva allows for easy publishing and sharing. It’s a great tool for both teachers and students.

7. Photo Scan Applications - Have students and parents download a free scan application on their mobile device in order to easily take photos of drawings of written  work.

8. Drawing Applications - Have students and parents download a drawing application on mobile devices, such as Adobe or Autocad, to create digital works that can be easily shared or published.

9. Make Music - Create new music using programs like Garage Band or any free mobile application. Have students share music with one another and offer kind words to each other.

10. Literature - Keep in mind that the written is word is art. Encourage students to write poems, stories and more. Publish works using whatever tools you have access to, whether social media or a simple email.

11. BONUS: LEGO or building blocks are great for so many project ideas. As a theatre teacher, I might ask students to create stage replicas or models. Encourage students to ease the load on garage and sanitation workers by recycling household items to create models and diagrams as well. If you are looking for more comprehensive lists related to theatre arts, explore this resource developed by Dr. Daphnie Sicre from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

We’ve Got This, So Long as We Have Each Other

What comes next is unclear. Educators recognize students are not doing well - whether on Dismissal or School Closures. Where I serve, high school seniors are going through an arduous grieving process. Last week, I asked my seniors how they were. The responses were more than I could handle. One student said, "I feel like everything I worked so hard for in the last four years, all of school, is for nothing. All the stress to maintain my grades and apply to college. What was the point?"

Finishing secondary school is no easy feat. Doubly so for youth who face insurmountable odds and traumatic childhood experiences. Our youth will soon transition into adulthood and are now deprived of what would have been life-long memories. Social-emotional well-being is as important, if not more, than academics. Since March 17th, I have asked myself what more can I do.

Educators around the world have come together to support one another through this like I have never witnessed before. It is beautiful and awe-inspiring but the number of resources can become overwhelming. We can work to manage the anxiety induced by the volume of materials being shared online. We can continue to encourage innovation and creativity and recognize students as thought-partners in this work. Similarly, teachers, parents, and other community members have to continue to lean on one another.

We will get through this, so long as we take care of one another.

In the meantime, check out this comic on How To Turn Your Home Into A School Without Losing Your Sanity (NPR)

Estella Owoimaha-Church

Estella Owoimaha-Church was one of the finalists of the Varkey Foundation's Global Teacher Prize.

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This piece is part of the Teacher Task Force’s #TeachersVoices campaign, created to bring forward the experiences of teachers working every day to ensure their students continue to benefit from a quality education despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To participate, go to our dedicated webpage.