- Snoqualmie Valley School District
- Technology & Learning Supports
Distance Learning 2.0 Resources
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Promising Practices Teaching Online
This section provides a guide to promising practices our teachers and staff have been learning since last spring. Emphasis has been placed on more intentional and effective engagement of students in an online learning environment. Also, we have paid close attention to feedback from both students and parents in aligning practices across the district. One such example is narrowing the use of external tools and providing easier access to the tools we do employ during remote learning.
The image below outlines best practices and strategies in remote learning that will be used as part of a robust teaching and learning model driven by high quality standards-based instruction. This illustrates the alignment and provides an example of what it looks like and sounds like in teacher practice. Many of the components of powerful instruction that occur in the physical classroom also apply in the remote classroom, albeit in a slightly different way.
Synchronous instruction, that is delivered in real time either in face-to-face or video conferencing formats, works really well for some students. Students can ask questions or the teacher can engage students in discussion and clarification of concepts and ideas in the moment. Students who learn best in this mode tend to be the students who learn best in face-to-face classrooms. These are students who frequently ask questions and will continue to do so when class moves to synchronous online/video conferencing.
Other students will learn well from asynchronous instruction and engage differently when utilizing online resources. A teacher might use, for example, a video reflection from each student to give feedback on progress towards a concept or a discussion board to pose a question and solicit feedback from both students and the teacher on their thinking. Asynchronous instruction does not have to be isolating; it can and should be made interactive to engage more students in learning.
SVSD teachers will be utilizing both synchronous and asynchronous models of instruction during remote learning to be responsive to student needs. The district is providing additional tools and professional development to our teachers and staff beginning in mid-August to support a more robust and rigorous online learning environment.
Reference List:
Edutopia - Article on importance of relationships in learning
Self Driven Learning Relies on RelationshipsEdutopia - Article on common problems and solutions with distance learning
Solutions to Common Problems with Distance LearningEdutopia - Article on social emotional supports during distance learning
Social Emotional Supports During Distance LearningEdtechbooks.org - guidebook on blended learning
K-12 Blended Learning Online BookTeachthought - Article on higher level thinking pertaining to online courses
Promoting Higher Level Thinking in Online CoursesBlog Post - When to use synchronous and asynchronous learning
Synchronous and Asynchronous LearningElearning Industry - Post on synchronous and asynchronous interactions
Synchronous and Asynchronous LearningEducause Quarterly - Synchronous and asynchronous methods study
Synchronous and Asynchronous LearningBlog Posts - Using screen casting to make thinking visible / formative assessment
Make thinking visible through Screencasting
Formative Assessment and ScreencastingEdteacher.org - Screencasting how to and tips for teachers
Screencasting Tips for TeachersCult of Pedagogy - Contrast of remote versus face to face learning strategies
9 Ways Teaching Remotely Should be DifferentElearning Industry - Article on why video is important in blended learning
Importance of Using Video in Blended LearningYouTube - Quick video tips from a teacher for using video in distance / blended learning
5 Tips for Awesome VideosVanderbilt University - Guide on video and cognitive load
Why video for distance learning?