As the school year winds down, many students and teachers are experiencing some firsts. Some have been in the classroom all year, but others are getting their first taste of that return to normal in-person learning. In many cases, this means students are meeting their teachers and classmates for the first time. In any event, it's signaling a cautious return to normal and providing many students with a sense of relief. With this comes a lot of questions in regards to reopening schools, including safety logistics and focusing on building relationships. It can be easy to get overexcited, but ensuring a purposeful return is one of the most important things educators can do for students.
Preparing for a Return to In-Person Learning
Along with the academic considerations teachers and principals need to navigate when returning to the classroom, safety preparations are right up there as well. Ideally, teachers and students will have the choice of whether or not to return to a potentially dangerous environment. In any case, knowing the facts and best ways to ensure safety is extremely important. As we've heard, the risk of contracting COVID-19 is elevated for older people and those with certain medical conditions. If this pertains to educators, many of them have let these factors impact their decisions to return to in-person learning. Of course, wearing a face covering, washing hands, and keeping as much physical distance as possible are key preventative steps to take. For any specific questions, it's best for educators to speak with their doctors.
Following CDC guidelines.
By now, we all know what's recommended and what's not. In any cases of indecision, however, it's best to stick to the safe side and follow recommendations from CDC officials. To ensure everyone remains as safe as possible, no students or staff should return to the school building if they're feeling sick. This, of course, means school leaders will need to have easily adaptable contingency plans for these students to learn remotely. Hopefully, it can be as easy as setting up a laptop in the classroom and live streaming each class for any students who are at home. If this isn't an option, other arrangements will need to be made. If at all possible, school leaders could also set up a testing plan. Knowing ahead of time where to send members of the school community and how long it will take to receive results can help eliminate surprises and struggles.
Classroom strategies to use.
School leaders should also work with parents to communicate these plans as well as plans for mask wearing. Most parents should be able to provide masks, but will there be extras at the school if needed? Educators should also work with leaders to plan how to address incorrect mask use or not wearing a mask. A consistent and blanketed approach may be your best bet here. Finally, reiterating physical distancing guidelines and hygiene suggestions for in-person learning may get repetitive, but it is important. This involves setting up classrooms and cafeterias with as much space between students as possible. We know this will certainly be challenging for some educators, but keep in mind that some students may opt to stay home but, for those who don't, their families expect every safety step to be taken.
New Teacher Responsibilities for In-Person Learning
Some students and teachers have been back in the classroom for a little while now, including some who have been there all school year. Whether they're there full-time or in a hybrid model, they're starting to be joined by more and more students from some of nation's larger districts. As students return to the classroom, teachers face challenges of adapting them to yet another new routine. Plus, if remote students are stepping into a classroom where some students have been learning for weeks, getting them on the same page can be tricky. We've known it all along, but almost every single situation is unique. Being prepared is probably the best way for teachers to go about this step in the progress ladder.
The changes students will be facing.
One of the best things for teachers to do is to communicate with parents and students before they return. The earlier they're able to get students used to things being different and following new guidelines, the better. The silver lining to this is, by now, students may be used to things being strange. Returning to the classroom, however, (a place many of them have always known) will present them with even more new realizations. The biggest adjustments tend to be health-related, such as physical distancing and sanitizing. Getting students into the habit of practicing each is key to a smooth return. And, showing them that these are important and helpful to them rather than attempting to force them to do so can sometimes be a more effective approach in helping them pick up these habits.
The teacher as the counselor.
The new responsibilities teachers have won't stop with enforcing new safety practices. In many cases, they'll be serving as counselors for students who have gone through any number of traumas since the onset of the pandemic. With a bit of guidance, teachers should be able to recognize student behaviors indicative of needing some personal attention. While they might not be the best ones to provide that emotional support, teachers are likely going to be working more closely with school counselors in the coming weeks, months, and years. This may involve identifying and reporting any signs of trauma, for example. Knowing the emotional state of each student can be very helpful as teachers and children, collectively, return to school buildings.
Transitioning Back to the Classroom
Like we saw at the onset of the pandemic, shifting how and where students learn can be a monumental challenge. Now, many of them are returning to school buildings and you would think this would be a good thing. It's a bit more complex than that, however, especially for some of the more vulnerable students. Whether academically, socially, or emotionally, many students have endured traumas over the last year and may take quite some time to readjust to in-person learning and simply being around people in general. Educators, principals, and counselors should be aware of this and have plans in place to address individual student needs when moving back into classrooms. Beyond that, students may be presumed to have slipped deeper into achievement gaps and forgotten how to focus—something that teachers will address and aim to turn around by ramping up engagement levels.
Supporting SEL and relationship building.
We've said it before, but it's worth repeating. Arguably, the best thing educators can do for students returning to the classroom is to provide extensive social-emotional support. Common elements of school, like lunch and recess, have likely changed, which is important because this is when kids do most of their socializing. If educators allow for collaborative projects and fun discussions, that could help kids reconnect or create new relationships with classmates. While this is important, teachers need to set expectations at the same time. They can't have kids using relationship building as an excuse for constantly interrupting lessons by socializing. It could be a tricky balance, especially with younger students, but recreating relationships is a huge factor in returning to school.
Easing into in-person learning.
Aside from the emotional side, teachers will help many students learn to pick classroom and study habits back up. Everyone has developed new routines when learning from home over the last year and, however negative this may sound, the rigor that was typically present in classroom learning was likely lacking. Easing into in-person learning, like in the first few weeks of the school year, can really help students transition. Finally, as you might expect, patience is key in this environment. Teachers are likely to be excited and naturally want to cover as much as possible. Understandably, this could get overwhelming and end up being detrimental for students. So, it could be best to ease back into things and focus on topics that are most important—at least to start.
Teacher Tips for an Efficient Academic Transition
Okay, we've talked about the social-emotional side of the return to school. While very important (possibly the most important element), there are, of course, academics to consider as well. It will likely be tough on both teachers and students as they return to school buildings. They've all developed new routines over the last year and many have avoided being around people for long periods. With a return to the classroom, that all changes. In terms of lesson planning and delivery, teachers may have to start with restructuring their content. Students may be used to shorter class meetings in which they were presented with the most important content. Using this approach upon returning to the classroom could help them transition and ensure they learn what they need to.
Teacher approaches to classroom teaching.
Another strategy is to segment lessons and break them down into more manageable units. This form of bite-sized learning can help students practice and master skills more quickly. Teachers can decide what to focus on by determining what standards are most important to teach while together with students. Also, if your return to school is part-time, it can help a lot to determine what students can learn asynchronously. Then, focus on the more complex elements while all together in the classroom. Additionally, some educators have found it helpful to design all lessons as if they were delivering them remotely. This allow students to utilize the material even in the case learning has to transition again.
Collaboration and student preference.
Opportunities for collaboration are another element educators might want to include in their initial lessons. Students can still work in groups as long as they're following safety guidelines and this intentional way of getting them talking with peers can also help them relearn key social skills. Beyond physical collaboration, working together on digital documents is also a valuable experience. Finally, allowing for more student choice in projects can help them feel more comfortable and also save teachers some time. Instead of a class-wide project, for example, teachers can assign a topic and let students choose how they show knowledge. Of course, it all depends on your read of your students—especially since you might only be meeting some of them for the first time.
How Teachers Can Maximize In-Person Learning
There are plenty of common-sense approaches teachers and principals can take as they welcome back more students. Chances are, if you're returning to the classroom, you're trying to follow a detailed plan from school or district leaders. The tough part about this is that return-to-school plans have so many elements. The main components of them typically include academics, relationship building, and the physical health of everyone. The good thing is most students are thrilled to be back in the classroom. Using this to your advantage can help you capitalize on that enthusiasm and get students actively participating. Active learning—from a distance—can truly help students adjust (again) to being back in the classroom and around their peers.
Setting routines upon returning.
As we've mentioned, it can also be helpful to treat the return to school like the start of a new school year. Students will be returning to something they're not used to and easing into it is key. Teachers shouldn't be afraid to include breaks throughout the day since students had a good amount of them in remote learning. At the same time, these breaks can be productive. Since sanitation is a huge part of the return, teachers can encourage students to use this time to wash their hands and do whatever they feel they need to. This would allow lessons to flow more smoothly and even provide the chance for students to empower each other and hold their peers accountable for keeping themselves and everybody else safe. It's a byproduct of the current education world, but a good learning opportunity nonetheless.
How to approach the 'old normal.'
Being back in school presents other opportunities for students as well. Most have been using technology to access their education for the last year and, while that's not ideal, it might have an upside. They've likely gotten pretty familiar with using technology to enable their learning. If approached right, this could open a door to having them use it more and more no matter how young they are, helping them build tech skills for the future. As for teachers, they'll learn a lot about the situation every day. As things evolve, it's important for them to communicate their thoughts and what they're seeing. If they need something, they should feel comfortable asking for it. And, if students are excited to be in the classroom, don't be afraid to take a moment to share that joy with them.
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