So. this is our third week teaching online. Up until now I have been sending revision work home, I usually batch the week’s work on Sunday and upload it on to Class Dojo every night. Like most schools, parents were initially overwhelmed with the amount of work going home and links to different websites etc, but thankfully things have calmed down and they are in the swing of things now. This leads me to my first point…
1. Choose one platform if possible.
After Easter, most schools will begin sending new content home to parents as opposed to revision work. Whilst deciding on which platform to choose, make sure it’s kept as simple as possible for parents and children. Our school have decided to use Class Dojo across the whole school. With so many platforms out there now including Google Classroom, SeeSaw, Padlet, Class Dojo etc, it was a bit of a nightmare trying to research and find pros and cons on each. In the end we decided on the system already in use for the younger classes in school which is Class Dojo. We felt it would be unfair on parents to have two or three different platforms in use for their child at primary school level, so if possible, try to unite as a staff on which platform to choose to make it an easier experience for all.
2. Prioritise what learning objectives should be achieved for that week.
We broke down the amount of work each child should be engaging in per night. For infants we capped this at 1-1½ hours, 1st-/2nd class- 2 hours, 3rd/4th class-2½ hours and 5th/6th class- 3 hours. Having senior infants, I feel the most important content should be sounds, sight words, having them hear Irish words, English and Maths. I will also include either an SESE subject or an arts subject and an optional daily challenge if they want something fun and to be kept busy. I hope to record Powerpoints with a voice over and post these daily, if I find other beneficial links I will add these. I am also hoping to create a timetable to post so the parents know what to expect at the start of the week and to give the children more structure and routine. As always it is at the parent’s discretion whether they want to engage in the work or follow the work given. We can only plan our lessons as best we can and share them with parents.
3. Catering for different needs.
It has been extremely difficult catering for different learners and differentiating work without being there with the children. Like all classrooms I have children with varying needs including children with ADHD, high achievers working at a different class level and children who are performing at a below average level for their age category. Trying to cater for these needs online is difficult. I have had parents contact me saying their child is finishing the work too quickly and there is not enough, and other parents who say it is taking a long time for them to get through the work. I have sent out links to parents of high achievers to apps such as Reading Eggs, Mathletics etc, which they can engage in after they have finished their work and gave them a list of early finisher activities they complete in the classroom that doesn’t include printables or workbooks. For the children who struggle to get the work finished I told parents to cut off the work after 15 on one task as it would become overwhelming and tedious for the child. If the child is struggling with getting written work completed, I told parents they could change the expectation, so instead of having to write 5 lines of their News they could write 2-3.
This is a learning curve for all teachers all over the world and as I said we can only do our best. I feel after Easter when we finally start following plans and get more of a routine together based on new learning content it will become easier.
I hope you can take away even one piece of advice from this and please don’t worry, we will figure this out!
Sarah
Primary Teaching Ideas
