Qontent by QOMO
Teaching During a Pandemic
Ways to help you and your students find a new normal.
Educators around the world have had to demonstrate their resourcefulness and adaptability on a level never seen before by turning on a dime to a remote learning model. We want to offer five tips to help you and your students find your new normal. Have a distance learning experience or advice you’d like to share? Email us!
1. It’s okay to be worried.
It’s okay to acknowledge the gravity of the times we’re in. Whatever you’re feeling right now, whether it’s panic or overwhelm, is a normal reaction to a major upheaval, so give yourself permission to feel it. Reach out to colleagues often for emotional and practical support.
2. Forget perfection and embrace flexibility.
This is a novel experience, and everyone is learning how to navigate it. You likely won’t be able to accomplish as much as you could in the classroom, and students won’t be able to work as productively, so it’s important to be flexible. If you’re able to, scale back. Through trial and error, you’ll discover what “good enough” means for your class.
3. Check in with your students.
Stay connected with your students through video chatting and phone calls, and strive to keep them connected with each other using class discussions and fun activities. School message boards, show and tell, and giving answers to a daily prompt in a shared Google Doc can help students feel more socially fulfilled.
4. Make every voice heard.
One of the greatest challenges will be overcoming the technology gap for students without internet or computers. An analog approach, using mail-in assignments and phone calls, can help. The same one-on-one time can benefit shyer students who struggle to be heard in the chaos of a classwide Zoom meeting.
5. Take care of yourself.
Finding time for yourself might be tricky right now, but it’s necessary. Stay connected with friends and family from a distance, and take care of your physical health by getting the sleep you need and a little exercise when you can. To prevent burnout and scary blurred lines between work and play, set up blocks of time to maintain healthy boundaries.
QOMO is the educational technology company that creates tools that improve collaboration in the classroom and from a distance. From document cameras, interactive monitors to software, we have what you need to support you through this challenge. Visit our remote learning guide for more resources, or reach out to us directly if you need assistance. Schedule a demo with our team to see how edtech can assist you with remote instruction and distance learning.