Carter Mullikin, a kindergarten student in Jazmin Rebstock’s class, works on lessons as he follows along with video instruction.
Woodland Public Schools teachers and staff are revamping class lessons and developing multiple approaches to adapt for remote teaching and learning.
At elementary schools in the district, educators are working to ensure the district’s youngest students continue learning the fundamental building blocks of reading, writing and math during the statewide school closures.
In order to fit lessons with families from many different backgrounds and technological capabilities, Woodland’s teachers have prepared remote lesson plans in both online and offline formats.
Jazmin Rebstock, a kindergarten teacher at North Fork Elementary School, wanted to offer her students a way to connect with her from home.
“I wanted to film myself teaching so my students could see me and hear my voice,” she said in a news release. “When we were preparing lessons packets, I decided to film one video for each content area so my young students could receive visual and audio guidance throughout their lessons.”
Teachers in the district have experimented with new techniques to continue developing and honing their skills at teaching remotely.
“Everyone — parents, students and teachers — is learning how to educate and promote student engagement virtually now,” she said. “In my video read-alouds, I try to pick silly books, create voices and make learning fun. It’s a challenge to make sure I can reach my kiddos through this virtual wall.”
In Rebstock’s videos, she uses visual aids and models to guide students through the lessons. She asks the students to pause the video, finish the work for that lesson and then unpause the video when they’re done.
In the news release, Rebstock emphasised that parents should act like learning coaches and not feel pressured to replace their child’s teacher.
“I make sure my videos focus on curriculum content with simple directions for parents and students to follow,” Rebstock said. “I want to avoid feeling like I’m asking parents to reinvent the wheels when it comes to instruction. Instruction is the teacher’s job.”
Just like with traditional classroom learning, student engagement during remote learning remains a top priority for teachers and school districts. In order to make remote learning successful, teachers work with parents to create a teaching and learning team.
“Partnering with parents and having their support is key to making remote education work,” Rebstock explained. “I regularly have pep talks via video conferencing with parents on how to promote and enhance student engagement.”
Given the limitations of online learning in rural communities such as Woodland, the district’s teachers offer a variety of learning opportunities.
“Several families in my class don’t have internet access or easy ways to get a hold of resources, so making sure I reach all of my students continues to remain an important priority,” Rebstock said. “Woodland’s school staff work as a team to make sure families can get access to learning opportunities in multiple ways; I’ve greatly appreciated the help I’ve received from the district and my colleagues to get ahold of families.”
Many families have expressed concerns about feeling pressured to act as home teachers. Woodland Public Schools encourages parents to serve as learning coaches, partnering with the district’s teachers, not replacing them.
“Engage in more play-based learning than a typical school day and don’t feel guilty for taking time to play with your kiddos,” Rebstock concluded. “While curriculum-based content is important, parents and guardians can make an impact by letting their kids learn through play and bonding experiences like gardening, cooking and playing board games — it’s okay to embrace the fact that learning at home looks different than learning at school.”
