Getting to Know Students (Regardless of Model)

Getting to know students, creating a sense of community, and figuring out how students will grow ideas together has been at the forefront of my mind since it became clear this year would begin like no other.  Over the past few weeks, I have been virtually observing and co-teaching in classrooms.  Today I want to share some things I am noticing and how simple moves can help us get to know our students and collect formative information at the same time:

1)    Observation:

We know the power of observation, so finding new ways to watch students is essential regardless of the model we are using.  How can we see their reactions?  How can we hear their conversations?  What do they do when they face a problem?  Are they engaged? These are questions that are always on my mind as an educator.  Here are some things we tried to make observing and hearing students easier:

Socially Distanced In-Person:

Think about the layout of your classroom and how you can hear/see your students.  In many classrooms, teachers are using desks in rows to create distance between students.  The teacher, in most cases, cannot move up and down the rows and still maintain social distance.  This only allows the teacher to easily observe and hear the students on the outer perimeter.  To solve this, we tried to have the teacher collect formative observations on the students on the outer perimeter one week and then the next week the students swap spaces, so the other half is on the outside perimeter.  This needs to be done with enough time to allow disinfecting between students.  The closer physical proximity allows the teachers to check-in, scaffold, and hear these students more clearly.

Remote (and Hybrid Days):

The Gallery Grid mode is great for scanning the entire class.  Sometimes I like to have all the students on one page so I can get a feel for how the group as a whole is responding, engaging, and connecting.  Other times I choose to only view a few students per page so I can read their reactions, their focus, and their work process more closely.  When I confer or want to see a student’s work, I pin or select speaker view so I can really see one student well.  For me, it has taken time and concerted effort to learn how to teach and constantly scroll through the grid of faces to check-in and adjust my lesson based on student response.

2)    Use Multi-Modalities:

It has always been important to triangulate our data when it comes to assessing.  We need multiples sources of information to understand our readers and writers.  What are the different ways I can gather information? How can I monitor how students are progressing over time?  How do I involve students in the process?  Here are some ways we are varying how students can express understanding, respond, and seek support:

Socially Distanced In-Person:

Masks make it difficult to read nonverbal cues from students and hear the verbal responses.  We quickly learned that we needed to have additional ways for students to respond and for us to check for understanding.  Whiteboards have been a great way for students to quickly jot or sketch a response.  When they hold it up it allows teachers and peers to connect visually.  As teachers, we have varied our questions and modeled how to respond on the whiteboard to make it easier for others to see and understand our response.  We are also using more gestures and hand signals to communicate and connect.

Remote (and Hybrid Days):

Many virtual platforms provide ways for students to communicate and respond to each other.  They can unmute and verbally express themselves.  They can use the chatbox, a digital collaborative whiteboard, polls, and reactions to participate.  Students also use whiteboards, paper, and post-it notes at home to sketch and write.  Each student simply holds their written response or drawing up to the camera so we can see what they want to share with the group.  Gestures and facial responses are also easier to see virtually since we can be closer (although really farther away) and there are no masks.

3)    Assessing Accuracy and Comprehension in Reading:

Now that we are back in school getting books into the hands of students is a priority.  In early elementary, it is critical to match books to readers in relation to interest, identity and complexity. Regardless of model, socially distanced in-person or remote, we have found that using technology to share the text has been really helpful when assessing.  We want to be able to see the word a student is working on as well as the strategies the reader is employing.  It is not easy to see or hear the reader when you are six feet apart with masks on.  There are two things we  are trying that seem to make it easier in all classroom models:

-       Using a digital text that is shared between the teacher and the student has been helpful in school and remote settings.  The teacher and student each have a separate device and are viewing the same text on each device in a zoom or google meet session.  We pin the student so we can see what they are doing and can hear them more clearly as they read.  It makes it easier to analyze both quantitative and qualitative information.

-       Using a document camera with the student when in an in-person setting is super helpful.  We set the student up with a paper text and have them read it under a document camera.  We are in a zoom or google meet session so we can see what the student is doing and hear them more clearly.  This option is nice for younger students who may be more comfortable using a paper text. As with the shared digital text, this makes it easier to analyze both the quantitative and qualitative information.

4)    Digital Platforms to Support Writing Conferences:

Off they go … now what?! ?  We know how critical it is for writers to get frequent, authentic responses within the writing process.   Once we send them off to write how do we know what they are doing?  How do we see their writing?  How can we confer with them six feet apart and remotely?  Here are some ideas that are working well:

-       Let students read their text aloud.  I love seeing their writing, but when I can’t easily do so hearing them read it works beautifully.  We are having students get up and act out their stories so they can draft in the air before they try to get it down on paper.  This helps them revise their story and gives us an opportunity to check in with more students each day.

-       Students use Seesaw, Padlet, or Flipgrip to quickly snap a photo of their writing and upload it.  We can instantly see it and confer with them about it.  We can even respond asynchronously in writing, audio, or video in many of these platforms.  Students can respond to each other as well.  These platforms work well even when we are in-person since we may not be able to see what students are writing from six feet away. While each of these seems to work for students, I have had the best luck with Seesaw for kindergarten and first-grade students.

5)    Feedback Loop

Kids have great ideas and love to help!  As problems arise, and they will arise, let them be a part of the solution.  Don’t forget to ask them what is working for them and what they would like to change.  What is engaging them?  What do they look forward to? What do they want more of?  Our students need to know that we are listening, watching, and expecting them, and ourselves, to grow, learn, make errors, and reflect on the entire process.  If we are going to collect formative assessment we need to use it to enhance the learning experience for our students.

This book has been on my desk, opened to this page, since March 13. These two quotes, side by side, say it all.

For my friends and colleagues who head back to school next week … you’ve got this. For the educators across the country who opened their doors and invited me in to learn and co-teach, thank you. When you are in the midst of something, it is difficult to see your impact. You may feel like you are crawling, but, trust me, you are off and running. I know it doesn’t feel the same. I know it is difficult. I know you miss teaching - teaching in the way it fills your heart, your soul and your mind. Even knowing all of this, don’t underestimate the impact you are having on your students. You are creating a better world for your students and for all of us.