Resources for Homebound Educators
Distance Learning Resource for Educators
Best Practices in Virtual Learning
Provides information about best practices that will support you in providing virtual learning. This includes sections for teachers and other related service areas. The videos listed below cover a variety of specific topics.
- Best Practices for Virtual Learning: An Overview (Video)
- Relationships Matter (Video)
- Develop a Plan for Offline Learning (Video)
- Real-Time Meetings (Video)
- Responsive Feedback (Video)
Virtual Edition – First Contact: Recognizing and Honoring Family as Expert
DESE Distance Learning Strategies for Missouri Teachers by Missouri Teachers
Universal Virtual and Blended Classroom Supports
This site provides descriptions, videos and resources, and SSD teacher examples for effective implementation of the Tier 1 Classroom Universals in Distance Learning (synchronous and asynchronous virtual environments), and blended learning (a mix of virtual and in-person learning environments).
- The Critical 6
- Universal instructional practices with a focus on student engagement strategies
- Systems supports in both communication and data, learning outcomes, and feedback
24 Tips for Distance Learning
- Keep it simple: you are not right there to clear up misconceptions so have very clear instructions and utilize only one or two resources.
- Set up quick checkpoints for students: this allows you to quickly engage with students when they need support. Example: watch this video and do a 3-2-1 and submit 3 things you learned; 2 things that you knew; 1 question you have.
- Create a learning schedule for your students to follow to help with organization and improve executive functioning skills.
- Create opportunities for students to discuss what they are learning with families. For example, take the unit you are working on and have them discuss the idea with their family to get more information and share it through discussion or discussion board.
- Provide personal touchpoints: we need human interaction through email, video messages, phone calls to the family, messages to them through your online learning system, comments on their work.
- Video read alouds are a great way to engage your students – could be a quick book or article – gives them a way to see you.
- Have students journal about their experiences of learning at home. For example, "What are some ways you solved a problem today?"
- Create videos of your lecture (short and sweet and to the point) – allows students to hear your voice and have that connection.
- Even when you give a live lesson, consider doing a quick recording of the content you covered to post. It is hard to judge in a virtual environment if students are really focused and understanding and sometimes they need to go back and hear the content again. In class they would ask you or a peer a clarifying question, but here they can go back and review the content again.
- Be visible and present in your online class – post announcements; post and respond to questions on the discussion board – make some fun like what your favorite food is; grade and give feedback in a timely matter – shows the assignments are important.
- Set clear expectations – students should know exactly what you are teaching and what they are supposed to do as a result.
- Make sure online content is organized with the things they are currently working on in the front or top so they do not have to search – make sure to include links to important documents so it is easy to get to.
- Include visuals – embedded relevant images or short video clips.
- Make expectations clear: have a place where the directions are written down; provide a quick explanation video; provide a rubric; show examples of student work.
- Scaffold learning activities: if they are working on a project that they need to do a recording, have them do a low-stakes practice with the recording; if you intro a graphic organizer or tool make sure you provide a model and move to a guided practice to give feedback before you have them use it for a high-stakes grade.
- Provide examples: a variety of examples with explanations can help the learner grasp a concept – in class if they ask a question, you explain the concept a different way or give a different example so make sure you have a variety that will work for many students.
- Be flexible with your expectations – everyone is learning this together and there is a lot going on that you may not know.
- Communicate frequently in ways that the family or student have indicated is a good way to communicate – examples include posting announcements; a quick email; text from school-approved number or system like Remind or Class Dojo.
- Consider doing a quick video recapping your lesson for those students who were not able to attend the live session and post it in your Google Classroom.
- For your in-person virtual lessons invite a special guest to participate such as the principal or a related service provider – they love seeing the people from their school environment
- Make sure you are setting aside some time each day just to breathe.
- Send encouraging messages to your families – find activities that they can do around the house together, make sure they know that we are there to support them; tell them to make it work for their family.
- Send your students fun and interesting stuff: this helps keep them engaged. For example, find a Minion video of laughter.
- Treat every teacher, student, and parent with kindness and empathy because you don’t know how has COVID-19 changed their lives.
Suggested Tools for Virtual Engagement
- Video Conferencing
- Learning Management System (LMS)
- Collaboration & Discussion
- Group Messaging
- Flipped Lecture or Lesson
- Journaling or Portfolio
- Assessment Tools
Video Conferencing
Tutorial Video: Zoom/Meet Overview (log in with SSD Google credentials)
Available District Training: Virtual Platform Support Training – Zoom/Meet (log in to Kickup)
Learning Management System (LMS)
Tutorial Video: Google Classroom Overview (log in with SSD Google credentials)
Available District Training: Virtual Google Classroom Training (log in to Kickup)
Collaboration & Discussion
Tutorial Videos (log in with SSD Google credentials):
- Padlet Overview
- Flipgrid Overview
- Google Classroom with moderated comments
- Collaboration with Google Docs
- Collaboration with Google Slides
Available District Training: Getting Started with Google (log in with Kickup)
Group Messaging
Tutorial Video: Remind Overview (log in with SSD Google credentials)
Flipped Lecture or Lesson
- Screencastify
- Edpuzzle
- Pear Deck
- Microsoft Stream
- Boclips
Tutorial Videos (log in with SSD Google credentials):
Journaling or Portfolio
Tutorial Video: Google Sites Overview (log in with SSD Google credentials)