During our August 19 Back-to-School Blueprint webinar on How to Support Remote Learning there were some questions we didn't have enough time to answer during the Q&A. Here are answers to those questions! If you missed the webinar, check out the recording now!
Q: What are you seeing with immigrant non-English-speaking families and children?
A: There have been a number of surveys that sought to gather information on the experiences of families and students, including non-English-speaking families and students classified as English Learners. For example, our action guides include data on student experiences from YouthTruth Student Survey, the Urban Institute, and America’s Promise Alliance, all of which include relevant information on the experiences of immigrant youth and/or English Learners. A survey by the MassINC Polling Group looks at the experiences of Massachusetts families, and includes data points about non-English-speaking families (for instance: “Just 54% of parents who did not speak English at home said their children participated in online classrooms at least a few times a week, compared to 72% of English-speaking households.”)
The Rennie Center’s action guides include a range of resources intended to highlight strategies for supporting English Learners and non-English-speaking families. In particular, the Supporting Remote Learning action guide examines instructional strategies that support success for English Learners, such as the following:
- Use visual media to share key concepts. Utilize graphics, videos, and demonstrations with ELs not only in academic learning, but also to share health-related information.
- Increase student engagement by asking students about texts and topics of interest, and providing culturally relevant options for learning.
- Don’t try to teach too many things at once. Focus on vocabulary students already know when introducing new activities, and vice versa.
- Maximize authentic student-to-student interaction by using pair or small-group tasks.
The following sources offer additional suggestions of strategies for supporting English Learners during remote learning:
- Distance Learning Strategies for ELLs: What You Need to Know (¡Colorín colorado!)
- Supporting Instruction for English Learners During COVID-19 (English Learners Success Forum)
- 6 Key Considerations for Supporting English Learners with Distance Learning (SEAL)
- Supporting multilingual learners (MLLs)/English language learners (ELLs) during the COVID-19 Shutdown (TNTP)
- Getting Ready for College: What ELL Students Need to Know (¡Colorín colorado!)
The Postsecondary Readiness guide includes additional strategies to support pathways to postsecondary success for English Learners. And the Rennie Center’s Rebuilding Community guide offers resources on how to engage all families, including those that don’t speak English, in schools once classes start again. One resource that may be helpful is a webinar from Teaching Tolerance entitled Best Practices for Teaching English Language Learners and their Families.
Q: If we focus on supporting Adult SEL as they continue to adapt and expand their learning environments, what do you suggest we focus on in terms of supporting educators/school staff?
A: In order to build a learning environment that supports student social-emotional learning (SEL) and well-being, schools are also called on to foster a supportive staff environment that promotes adult SEL and well-being. All staff returning to work this fall have experienced some level of trauma from the past few months, including a destabilizing of our work relationships and our professions. Adults need to have opportunities to reflect on their own social, emotional, and cultural competencies; practice self-care; and collaborate with colleagues in order to support students and families in doing the same.
For schools, this can take multiple forms, including the following:
1. Learning: Provide professional learning opportunities for staff to reflect on their own competencies, identify effective self-care strategies, and work alongside colleagues.
2. Collaborating: Incorporate SEL into team meetings, create shared agreements, and establish a system for adult check-ins and leadership practices.
3. Modeling: Staff model SEL for students through collegial interactions and staff appreciation, and implement strategies for relationship-building inside and outside the classroom.
The Rebuilding Community action guide has more specific guidance and resources on each of these topics, with a focus on creating a positive staff culture and supporting collaboration, and the Supporting Remote Learning guide includes a section on preparing educators for a remote environment. Together, these guides include a range of resources, including links to the following articles:
- Leveraging Social and Emotional Learning to Support Adults in the Time of COVID-19 (Learning Policy Institute)
- Teachers Are Anxious and Overwhelmed. They Need SEL Now More Than Ever. (EdSurge)
Q: Why hasn't there been any mention of using television as a "low tech" solution, especially for Kindergarteners and 1st graders?
A: The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has partnered with local public television station WGBH to share a wealth of educational resources with students and families. You can find more about the partnership—and a link to the database of resources—on DESE’s website.
Especially for young learners, television can be a helpful way to deliver content without asking families to manage students’ device usage or troubleshoot technology issues. For all students, these resources can supplement other forms of remote instruction, such as videotaped lessons from educators. However, they cannot take the place of direct engagement between teachers and students, which supports the type of relationship-building that keeps students motivated to learn and helps students and families access essential services. They should also be viewed as a supplement to non-device-based learning, such as project-based learning or independent work that allows students to work on topics of interest.
Q: On remote learning days [in Boston Public Schools (BPS)], how many hours will an elementary student have to sit for live instruction? How does BPS strike proper balance between live and recorded instruction?
A: Specific questions about school schedules within Boston Public Schools will be decided by individual schools. According to the latest draft of the district’s school reopening guidance, school plans are due to the district by Friday, August 28, and they will be expected to incorporate feedback from multiple members of the school community. You can track updates on Boston’s reopening plans here.
In general, the appropriate amount of time for students to engage with live instruction is very much an open question. Many schools changed their approach or expectations in the months after the switch to remote learning this spring (as detailed in this Boston Globe article, for instance). This will definitely be an area where schools should expect to iterate and adjust practice as they learn more about effective strategies.
More generally, the Rennie Center’s Supporting Remote Learning guide points to the need for students to participate in a mix of types of learning, such as both “synchronous” and “asynchronous” learning:
In synchronous learning, learners participate in learning activities at the same time, and there are opportunities to interact with one another and/or with an instructor. This can happen in a classroom or virtually, such as through a videoconference. In asynchronous learning, learners are engaged in work on their own time, when there are no opportunities for interacting with other students or an instructor.
It’s also important to remember the value of learning that takes place off a computer, such as project-based learning and other forms of hands-on, independent work. The guide shares a number of strategies for helping students learn about the world around them and links to resources that can help make learning relevant to real-world events.
Q: How are districts supporting teachers who are working with ELLs and special needs children and youth?
A: Question 1, above, highlights some of key takeaways from studies on student and family experiences as well as instructional strategies for supporting English Learners (ELs). When it comes to preparing educators to work with special populations like ELs and students with disabilities, the Supporting Remote Learning guide offers some starting points for key professional learning needs and areas for growth.
For students with disabilities, educators would benefit from:
- Ways to make learning tools accessible for all students, including those with visual impairments
- Methods to encourage understanding, such as by recording synchronous lessons and making them available for students to review
- Strategies for engaging families and students in the process of developing or updating learning goals
For English Learners, educators would benefit from:
- Methods for encouraging student interaction and conversation during synchronous instruction
- Ways of incorporating visual cues into lessons, such as with photos, illustrations, or real objects from around the home
- Approaches for engaging consistently with students and families, potentially with assistance from bilingual staff or trained interpreters
Along with the sources listed in Question 1, the following sites offer suggestions of strategies that can help educators support students with disabilities during remote learning:
- Accessible Online Learning for Students with Disabilities (CAST)
- Supporting Students with Disabilities in K-12 Online and Blended Learning (Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute)
- Best practices for remote learning for students with learning differences (Landmark College)
- New Strategies in Special Education as Kids Learn From Home (Edutopia)
Educators may benefit from this list of pedagogical considerations (broken down by specific special education eligibility categories, such as "autism" or "emotional impairments") from the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute. And the Educating All Learners Alliance has brought together a wealth of resources on supporting students with disabilities during COVID-19.
The guide also summarizes some key topics where educators can offer support to families and caregivers, including how to supplement teletherapy (such as speech, occupational, and physical therapy), strategies for participating in virtual IEP meetings (like the ones available here through the Center for Parent Information & Resources), and online resources in families’ native languages (such as the ones listed here at Immigrant Connections).
Finally, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is producing substantial guidance to help educators as they work with students in special education and English Learners. For more on the state’s special education guidance, you can also see this webinar from The Arc of Massachusetts, which features remarks from DESE Senior Associate Commissioner Russell Johnston.
Q: How are teachers working with paraprofessionals/teacher aides to help with instruction and student and family engagement?
A: Paraprofessionals and teacher aides can play key roles in all three of the areas discussed in the Rennie Center’s Supporting Remote Learning guide: relationships, instructional methods, and technology. In particular, they can be a key player in building and maintaining relationships with students and families. For instance, one tool that incorporates perspectives from all school staff is the virtual Relationship Mapping tool from the Making Caring Common project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, which asks adults in a school community to identify students with whom they have a pre-existing relationship. This tool allows for deeper analysis of students who would benefit from a targeted effort at outreach and relationship building, which can be done by paraprofessionals, teacher aides, or other caring adults within the school.
Paraprofessionals and teacher aides can also support teachers during synchronous lessons, for instance by working with small groups of students during breakout discussions. And they can help build schools’ capacity for technology troubleshooting, for instance by talking with parents about how to use technology tools (including any accessibility features required for students with disabilities).
Beyond these specific examples, paraprofessionals and teacher aides also play a key role in ensuring that students stay engaged in school and can access grade-level content, topics highlighted in several other Rennie Center Back-to-School Blueprint action guides (see our Reengaging Students and Accessing Grade-Level Content guides for more).
Q: Do you have any advice for philanthropy in this period of remote learning?
A: There are a number of strategies highlighted throughout the Rennie Center’s Back-to-School Blueprint action guides that not only serve immediate needs but also lay the groundwork for a more effective education system post-pandemic. Many of these are featured as opportunities to “think bigger,” as they require a substantial investment of time and resources, which could be aided by philanthropic support. Any of the following approaches (and many more) would be worthy candidates for long-term investment by funders:
- Trauma-sensitive/healing-centered practices (see Helping Students Heal from Trauma guide)
- Competency-based approaches (see Reengaging Students guide)
- Individualized learning plans, early college, and career pathway programs (see Postsecondary Readiness guide)
More broadly, as the Rennie Center’s Accessing Essential Services guide notes, it is important to remember that students spend just 20 percent of their waking hours in school. What happens outside of school, in the other 80 percent of their time, directly impacts educational success. When children have access to an appropriate range of prevention, intervention, and enrichment experiences, they thrive both personally and academically.
When schools reopen, educators can support children by providing connections to community-based essential services. Essential services include resources that address families' basic needs, such as food and housing. They also include enriching community-based learning, such as dance clubs and internships, which allow students to develop new skills and nurture their strengths. Each of these individual needs would also benefit from philanthropic dollars—as would investments in integrated systems of support that help schools connect students and families with resources inside and outside the school.