Remote Teaching: 4 Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder

Remote teaching and learning may be around longer than we think so it’s important that we work smarter, not harder. As we swim through these uncharted waters we are learning as we go. The waters are rough most of the time, perhaps leaving us feeling uneasy and unsure if we are doing enough for our students.  As we tread through, here are 4 ways to work smarter, not harder during remote teaching.

Communication

Communication is key. Now more than ever it is important to communicate clearly. Understandably, this pandemic is causing a lot of stress for parents and students. Parents and students are completely overwhelmed. They have a full plate at home, from working at home to managing multiple children’s school work. They are getting a ton of emails, learning digital platforms, troubleshooting technology and are hanging on by a thread. So, keep your communication positive, simple, and factual. Bullet information that is easy for parents to skim through and to refer back to easily. Include a clear subject line and an introduction stating the purpose of the email content. Parents like to know right off the bat why and what you’re writing to them. Then, make a bulleted list, preferably sequenced, with key information. Finally, summarize the most important information so parents and students know exactly what to do with the information and how to move forward. Crystal clear communication will eliminate confusion and questions from parents and students.

Work Together

You’re going to need your teacher besties to get through remote teaching. And if you typically don’t work with your colleagues, now is a good time to start. Not only are parents and students stressed, but teachers are stressed too. There is so much to learn as far as all of the digital platforms, creating digital content while troubleshooting technology, staying connected with students, along with all of the other things that are simply out of our control. Planning together while also dividing and conquering is the best way to work smarter, not harder. Because teachers have different strengths and skillsets, it is best to put them all together so everyone can contribute with what they feel knowledgeable about and comfortable with. You may have one teacher in your group that is tech savvy, you may have another teacher in your group that is creative, and you may have one teacher in your group that is an excellent communicator. Use each of your strengths to become an effective team to tackle remote planning and teaching together. And when you do return to school, continue to work together. Utilize the strong team that you have built and continue to work smarter together. Education will be forever changed and so will all of you.

Don’t Recreate The Wheel

There are so many great resources out there for remote/distance learning for every single grade level from preschool-grade 12. If you don’t have time to create what you need for your students, go find it on Teachers Pay Teachers. There are shops full of prepared digital resources. Some teachers, like myself, have even begun transforming their favorite resources from print to digital to support teachers. There are so many resources that are engaging, fun and are compatible with Google Apps. I bet a lot of what you need is already out there. Now go get it and make your life easier.

Get Creative

I don’t know about you, but this may be a time where teachers can have a little bit more freedom, flexibility, and creativity with creating and assigning digital assignments that increase student engagement and give students different opportunities to review or learn content. I’m kind of excited about this. Sometimes the day to day curriculum not only gets boring for students but for teachers too. My students were relieved and excited when they saw that the digital content that was being assigned is different from what we usually do in class. They said, “this is fun!” Oh, wait, what?! Did I just hear the word, FUN?! And when I see my students completing their work, this tells me that they may be interested to see what I have in store for them next. They might come back for more! So, let’s use this time as an opportunity to engage our students in different ways and provide new opportunities for learning.

Working smarter allows teachers to provide the best possible remote educational experience during this difficult time. Remember to give yourself some grace and kn0w that you are doing enough. How are you working smarter during remote teaching?

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Stay well,