Impacted by a school closure? Tips and resources for your family to re-adjust your child’s learning at home.
Photo by Rubén Rodriguez on Unsplash
Ontario’s Ministry of Education announced on Thursday that all public schools in Ontario would be closed from March 14th to April 5th as a preventative measure against the spread of COVID-19.
So, what to do now?
Educators spend a great deal of time planning. As the learning transfers to the home environment, try to spend some time planning out what the educational experience might look like for your family.
Here are some tips if your family decides to adjust your home environment to maximize learning, including:
co-constructing schedules
developing learning areas in your home
engaging in passion projects
activities and resources
suggestions for documenting the learning
Schedule Out Your Time
The articles “What To Do With Your Kids When Schools Are Cancelled” and “Making the Most of COVID-19 School Closures” stress to the importance of balancing in your learning schedule and adding some structure into the day.
Before your family launches into the learning, consider:
making a flexible schedule that includes play time, meal preparations, and family time
re-evaluating your routines and where your family spends its time
having a family meeting to determine what your children would like to learn and accomplish over their time away from school.
if there are any specific skills that your child would like to work on during this time and co-construct learning goals together
what previous report cards/teacher conferences/assessments have identified as next steps for your child and use that information when building a schedule.
Setting Up A Learning Environment
Identifying specific spaces for reading, writing and play away from the television will help to structure the learning experience.
In my classroom, I invite my students to put their cellphones in their bags or in a designated spot before the lesson begins. If handouts or materials are required, I have them set-up before the lesson begins. Various parts of the classroom are used for different activities (i.e. discussion at the board, workshops in the middle, performances under the lights, etc.).
As a family, decide on which areas will be the best to maximize the focus on learning.
Engage in Passion Projects Through Inquiry Based Learning
What has your child always wanted to learn about? School closures might be a perfect opportunity for a passion project.
As a high school student during Ontario’s last extended school closure in 1997, I learned the basics of coding, made a website, and shared my dramatic writing with the world.
Without knowing it, I engaged in a Genius Hour project where I spent my time learning about what I was passionate about. My passion project eventually led to my career as an arts educator. I continue the Genius Hour format in my classroom practice. My students’ projects have ranged from micro-finance to camera angles to building a liveable pillow fort.
The opportunities are endless.
Resources for Online Learning
If your family is looking for a balance of inquiry based learning and content focused lessons, here are some resources and lessons:
TED-Ed: Engage in Critical Thinking through TED-Ed based lessons that merge TED Talks with questioning and activities
25 Of the Best Math Resources for 2020: A listing of math resources, apps and resources for multiple grades and math needs
Museums, Arts and Design: Google Arts & Culture has digital access to the world’s museum and galleries. Log in for interactive lessons and experiences from the world of art and design
The Learning Network: The New York Times learning portal that includes a variety of lesson plans, including current events, wellness and creativity
Summit Learning: A variety of lessons accords English, History, Math and Science for grades 4 to 12
In addition to all of these resources, the following education companies are offering free subscriptions to their their content and platforms during school closures.
Suggestions for Documenting the Learning
Your family has made their schedules, identified the skills and passions to be explored, and gathered all necessary resources. Now, how will you document the learning?
It really depends on how intense your family would like to be. Here are some level suggestions:
Level One: Mild Intensity
This level surrounds observations and conversations around the learning, including:
checking in with your child regarding progress
goal setting (i.e. today I would like to have abc complete) at the beginning of the day and revisit goals at the end of the day
keeping an informal journal about three key things learned during the activities
Level Two: Moderate Intensity
This level includes more documentation of the learning, keeping a log or filling out handouts to track thoughts, including:
conferences with your child regarding their work, where they can talk through what they are learning and present their findings to you
reflection questions linked directly to the content and the learning (i.e. how did your experience making a Padlet help you learn about the given topic)
more formalized journaling, including handouts on facts/questions and defining goals on paper
As a family, you might decide to focus on wellness, critical thinking and resiliency skills instead of acquiring content. The Grit Rubric can be adapted to fit your children’s age, allowing the learning to focus on the immeasurable skills.
As we move forward, it’s also important to keep a positive mindset about school closures. The Globe and Mail has published a helpful guide to talking to students regarding what’s happening in the world.
As the global community continues to navigate this unknown time, I urge you and your family to connect, follow the advice of public health, and stay safe. Although many things in the world are uncertain, one non-negotiable fact is that our children’s brains are still growing and developing.