If you’re running a mostly asynchronous emergency remote teaching/learning system right now, you may be finding weekly “office hours” a struggle. After my first few office hours went by, I had to ask myself: how could I make that more effective? How could I help more students take advantage of these? If you’ve been asking […]
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Moments of Genuine Connection via Google Classroom: How One Savvy Teacher Makes MGCs More Powerful Amidst Phase 1
Recently I heard from Dr. Charles Youngs, an English department chair inPennsylvania. His school provided the chance for us to work together last August. Charles wrote to me about how he’s grappling with the challenge of creating moments of genuine connection (MGCs) amidst the odd conditions of Phase 1‘s emergency remote teaching and learning. Charles […]
Just Because “Drill and Kill” Rhyme…
…doesn’t mean that all drills kill. I’m not an athletic coach of any kind, but I’ve read enough of them to know that human motivation isn’t murdered by drills. Look at world-class, well-motivated athletes or musicians, and you’ll find that even at their level a good deal of drilling fills their lives. So then why […]
How Do We Make Class Video Meetings Less Awkward?
In my district, emergency remote teaching officially began just this week, but I’ve had half a dozen or so class video meetings since we closed back in mid-March, and I’m still not sure I’ve gotten the knack for these things. There are parts of these experiences that I find lovely — seeing their faces, hearing […]
What Do Moments of Genuine Connection Look Like Amidst Emergency Remote Teaching?
Recently, Aubrey Sherman from Léman Manhattan Preparatory School wrote in with this excellent question: Hi Dave! I so appreciate you sharing your thoughts, successes and challenges with distance learning. What do moments of genuine connection look like for you these days? I’ve been thinking a lot about connection recently (as I know we all are) […]