Hi, friends! We all know that the past year or so has been CHALLENGING, to say the least. Not just challenging for us teachers, but also for our students. We were forced to adapt quickly, some of us 100% virtual learning all of a sudden, some of us hybrid learning, and a few of us continued mostly in-person learning. It was incredibly hard on teachers, staff, admin, and parents. In addition, we need to also remember that it was JUST as hard on our little ones.
Some teachers were also forced into a world of technology that was new to us. Many had little experience, making it extremely difficult to navigate and get used to. This is one reason I have made my new course so simple and straightforward. I have so many teachers reaching out wanting to know how to create a simple digital resource with simple lessons. I’ve put many templates in as bonuses just for this reason alone. (Click here to get on the waitlist for more information and special summer-release pricing) Even those of us who had tons of experience with technology had to adapt to a new type of learning AND how to successfully coach our students through it all.
What Do Teachers Do Now?
How different will learning look like going forward? What can we do to help our students again navigate the “new” territory of in-person learning?
I was chatting with a new teacher friend the other day, and she made a really good, yet scary, point about the reality of our kiddos’ situations/feelings/experiences. She mentioned how even our little grade 2s barely remember a “normal” classroom/learning environment. Until now, most of their school experience has been through virtual learning and/or chaotic, anxious, stressful circumstances involving social distancing, fear of becoming sick, and fear of catching “the virus”.
We had always taught our kids/students to show love, affection, kindness, sharing with others, and all of a sudden, any physical contact was a huge NO! To a certain extent, this has traumatized the little learners, and teachers/parents too! Also remember, it took quite a while for us and our students to get used to the new normal. And now, as we shift back, what will this look like for our students? How will they feel about it? After chatting more with my teacher colleagues, we came up with some solutions/tips that we believe can help smooth the transition back to in-person learning, even if we sometimes still teach virtually.
Next, let’s explore some areas that we, as teachers, really need to pay attention to in our classrooms and lessons.
Using the Physical Environment to Welcome Students Back to School
Again, let’s think about how your students were learning from home during virtual learning. Were they all seated at a desk? No, they were likely all over the house, sitting/laying on the floor with their iPad/computer, lying in bed, maybe some at their desk, others at a kitchen table, maybe even outside on the deck? The point is, their physical environment changed drastically during the past school year. So, why would we throw them immediately back in desks when they return to school? That could be quite a shock for them.
What if instead, we set up our classrooms to make them more “homey” 🏠?
How Do We Make Schools More Homey?
- Buy some cushions from the dollar store and be sure to have some carpeted areas in your classroom where kids can sprawl out comfortably as they work on their activities.
- You can often find a few special chairs from the local thrift store to make kids feel at home. I really like making a 🏖 “beach” area in my classroom where kids can sit in beach chairs and work on their tasks casually and comfortably.
- Grab some cheap lamps from IKEA or Target (see another reason to stop at my favorite store 😉) to set the mood/vibe in the room to be a little calmer.
- Sometimes, I even bring in my oil diffuser with lavender or citrus oils to create a soft, calming scent in the classroom. Research shows that students have higher comprehension of skills and concepts in rooms with calming scents.
- Finally, you can also purchase cheap clipboards at dollar stores to make it easy for kids to work in their laps.
With even some of these tips incorporated into your classroom, kids are able to work on their digital activities in a comfortable spot in the classroom, similarly to how they did at home during distance learning.Want to start with digital creation? Here’s the first step.
Hands-On Learning is Important, But…
Now, let’s chat about learning materials and resources. Yes, of course, teachers are EAGER to get back to all things “HANDS-ON”. I hear you, buuuuuut are your kids ready for this sudden change? 🤷♀️ Again, maybe not. Maybe we just need to ease them back into it and create a balance of traditional AND new/digital resources in our classrooms. Let’s try not to get too aggravated when they lose focus on hands-on activities. 😉 Remember, some kids really got used to doing everything digitally, and they’ll be so upset for that to be taken away from the completely and so abruptly. We’ll also probably be handling some behavior issues along the way.
So, what if we started the new school year off with more digital, and some hands-on learning. Then, slowly wean them off to a point where you’re using about 50/50 digital/hands-on materials. Also remember, that even before COVID, many of our kids LOVED having opportunities to learn using iPads and laptops. Let’s not deprive them of those learning opportunities just because WE are sick of digital learning. Studies also show that kids learn best when presented with various media learning tools. These tools could include digital resources, printable activities, hands-on manipulatives, kinesthetic learning, etc. Not every kid wants to do worksheets all day… Plus, remember all those battles with the photocopier? 😆 OMG! I can’t even recall the number of times our copier has shut down at school, and all heck breaks loose. We used to be soooo dependent on photocopiers. Not any more! 😉 Here’s a post that I did about hands-on and digital learning working together that might help.
Don’t File Away Those Digital Resources Just Yet
With digital resources, we don’t have to waste time prepping worksheets or battling the copier. 😂 Plus, our kiddos get some familiarity with their learning. Let them continue to enjoy digital resources/learning, at least to some degree. We have polled hundreds of teachers in our online community, and the verdict seems to be that DIGITAL RESOURCES ARE HERE TO STAY! Most teachers will use 50/50 (hands-on/digital) in the long term, with some teachers wanting to remain fully/mostly digital.
As teachers, we know of the importance for our students to feel a sense of community and belonging in their school. This should begin with the environment and relationships. Today’s chat focused on environmental elements; classroom, materials, resources. When we think these through with all of the issues we chatted about today taken into account, we create a foundation for building quality teacher-student relationships, and our students will be comfortable enough to engage in whatever learning we provide for them.
Comment below with your concerns for the new year. I’d love to help figure out some solutions with you.
Have a great week!
Jess
P.S: The founding member price for my new digital creation course will be announced soon to members of the Savvy Apple Community. Sign up here to be the first to hear all about it.
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