Decorah School District teachers share their insights into the trials and triumphs of distance learning

• What has it been like to shift to a whole new teaching model and how are you adjusting to the change?
• How are you staying connected to your students and networking with your colleagues?
• What has been the most difficult/positive part of this process for you as an educator?
  

"As an instructional coach, I have been working closely with Kindergarten, First-grade and Title I Reading teams as we navigate this new way of teaching.  It has been a much different type of teaching to get used to, as so much of our work at the elementary level is very hands-on and driven by 'in the moment' teaching opportunities.  Our teachers have really stepped up to the challenge and created so many authentic learning opportunities within the learning management system.  They are providing learning opportunities for students through video modeling and teaching, while also providing opportunities for students to practice the skills they are learning and also apply the content knowledge from the lessons.  This is all able to be done within the learning platform, which allows for students to write, draw, take photos and videos to record their work.  Teachers are also able to provide feedback to students within the management system.

I see my colleagues everyday in Zoom meetings with various teams, which include Title One teachers, the First grade team, the Kindergarten team, John Cline teachers, Instructional coaches, etc.  We spend a lot of our time planning for learning experiences for students.  I am thankful that we are able to still work closely with one another and it is always nice to see their faces!

I miss the regular "hum" of school days in the spring, which includes the students and staff.  There are so many exciting learning opportunities that happen in the spring and I am sad that our students are not there to enjoy them.  However, I am also thankful that we are putting forth our best efforts to keep our students and staff safe at this time.  I know that when we are able to get back to school, we will all be ready to start growing together again."

Brad Johansen - Decorah High School, 9th grade Physical Science and 11th & 12th grade Botany
"Teaching is not the hard part, the hard part is not being able to read all the non-verbal cues associated with learning.  Adjustments can be made very quickly in person, based on feedback from the students.  It still happens, but it is slower, so patience is required.

To stay connected with the students, I utilize Canvas - the school's learning management system - in addition to email, Google, and a plethora of other technology. The teachers in the high school science department talk daily with Zoom and FaceTime. It cannot be overstated how  well the school board and administration have quickly set up the technology needed to pull this all  off, and our students are benefiting from their commitment.

I miss the students I had in class and the athletes I coached.  Words really don't do justice to that part of the difficulty of the situation. On the positive side though, my technology and integration skills are growing rapidly.  Since we have more time to prepare, we can actually work through technology to make it useful."