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'In This World, We're All Learners'
March 30, 2020
Hundreds of educators in U-46 participated virtually in 125 professional development sessions Monday and last Friday to prepare for the start of Distance Learning Days tomorrow in U-46. The March 30th sessions provided training on online resources such as PearDeck, EdPuzzle, Kahoot and Kami, but they also covered how teaching practices will change to accommodate distance learning and looked at real-life lesson plans for remote learning.
Celia Banks, the District’s Coordinator of Language Arts, K-6 Bilingual, led a number of sessions via Zoom Monday and urged teachers who might be nervous about new online tools to think about all the ways they are already tech-savvy, such as using Pinterest, Facebook and Google products. “In this world, we are all learners!” she said.
She told the teachers to set clear expectations for students, but also to be flexible, and to focus on the learning objectives — what they want students to learn to do independently.
Teachers in her afternoon session said they are excited to use the tech tools to re-connect with their classrooms, keep students engaged, do read alouds, share morning messages, and more.
“We are only asking you to do your best in a very challenging situation,” Banks said. “Give your students grace. Give yourself grace.”