Whether you refer to your teaching modality as remote, virtual, e-learning, synchronous online, asynchronous online, hybrid, or blended, we can all agree that teaching during the pandemic is different from previous college semesters or K-12 school years. Read first-person stories from educators answering the following questions:
- How did you redesign your teaching and learning environment during the coronavirus pandemic?
- Share your challenges and celebrations with teaching during the coronavirus pandemic.
Lamar Thomas, Financial Literacy / Middle School
(6-8 grades) / Sumter School District
For the most part,
I redesigned my teaching and learning environment. At the start of the year we
were fully virtual so as a teacher that liked to walk about, I had to get used
to sitting in front of my computer screen and teaching. Mainly I changed the
way I interacted with students. I went to a more discussion-based learning
style to keep students engaged. Using online resources like polleverywhere.com,
Thinglink, and interactive simulation games from ngpf.org and Kahoot.com have
allowed me to adapt. Google Classroom and Google Meet have been a lifesaver. I
prefer using technology for my course. We are currently hybrid and I am still
able to have a synchronous class of face-to-face students and virtual-only
students. Allowing both sets of students to learn at the same time was big for
me.
Early in the
process, our instructional teacher told us to keep it simple and use the
technology we were comfortable with. I followed that advice and I have been
able to stay stress-free for the most part. As teachers, we are used to changes
and challenges, but I want to celebrate the fact that we have overcome them
all. There is nothing we cannot do as teachers and no challenge is too big for
us. I want to celebrate the way that the Sumter School District has supported
its teachers and I know that it has allowed me to flourish in my classroom.
From the hours of training, we have available to the constant wellness checks
we receive. That support has made teaching during a pandemic that much easier.
Aisha Haynes, Computer Applications in Business /
Spring 2021 / University of South Carolina
For
my course (covering Microsoft Excel), some assignments could not be completed
on a Mac (because the course covers Excel for Windows). I made sure that all
assignments could be completed on a Mac with a 100%, therefore, I had to change
some of the assignments. I was also more lenient with late work. Typically,
late work is not accepted unless there are extenuating circumstances. One
student told me that one of her good friends had died from COVID the day that
an assignment was due. I provided her an extension to complete the work. I also
extended many assignments for the entire class because I know that students had
a lot going on during the pandemic.
I
am finishing up a very challenging semester (an 8-week course) with my
students. Many of my students are first-generation college students, work
full-time, and have children. Some of my students were coming back to school
after being out of school for over 20 years. Many were older than the typical college
student (over 50 years old). One of the challenges was the course being 8 weeks
in length. Many did not get the hang of the course until about week 4. COVID
caused some of my students to work long hours (over 60 hours a week) and have
less time to dedicate to the course. Overall, the students in the class did
very well! I am very proud of them. They worked hard. They did not give up.
They stuck with me and I stuck with them. This semester (Spring 2021), I was
more of a mentor, cheerleader, and coach to my students than in previous
semesters. It was a challenging yet rewarding semester!
Christie Martin, Mathematics / 6 Grade / Small Private School / Undergraduate & Graduate Courses / University of South Carolina
The pandemic hit mid-spring semester of 2020 and the impact of a swift change to a virtual environment was felt differently by educators. For me, it was felt differently between my classes. At that time, I was teaching a 6th-grade mathematics class at a small private school where the students did not have a school-provided computer. I was also teaching two undergraduate courses and one master's level course. The four classes each provided their challenges to make a quick adjustment. It is also important to note that having two children, one in third grade, and the other in Pre-K being sent home as well, created new teaching responsibilities at home.
~ Read
Christie’s full personal reflection ~
In the next article, you will hear more first-person stories from educators on teaching during the coronavirus pandemic. If you would like to share your story, please use the COVID-19 Teaching Stories form to answer the two questions above.
Cite this blog: Washington, G. (2021, February 28). Teaching During COVID-19: First-Person
Stories from Educators [Blog post]. Retrieved
from https://pedagogybeforetechnology.blogspot.com/
