Rethinking the Classroom: Digital Best Practices that Maximize Student Learning in Virtual, In-Person, and Hybrid Environments

Monday, October 26 - Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Institute will be offered virtually through Zoom.

Grade: K-8
Hours: 11am-5pm Eastern Standard Time
Featuring: Eric Hand, Meghann McDonald, Brittany Nocito, and Sara Gretina
Payment: Purchase orders for this institute can be made out to: Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, 525 W 120th Street, Box 77, New York, NY 10027

The pandemic of 2020 transformed teachers all over the world into digital teachers overnight. The initial scramble led TCRWP to support teachers in doing whatever we could to connect with students, build community, and provide access and support for a high volume of reading and writing. As weeks passed, teachers and TCRWP gained expertise in what makes for highly engaging, explicit digital teaching. This institute is designed to make sure we share that knowledge and also bring these best digital practices into our analog, hybrid, and virtual reading and writing workshops and leverage them for high engagement, access, and transfer.

The institute will include workshops on various aspects of digital teaching, with opportunities to choose the learning that feels right for your particular situation and learners. Part of the time will be focused on what we have learned about synchronous and asynchronous teaching, considering the pros and cons of both methods. Presenters will share key points to consider when building a digital learning community alongside your in-person learning community, when applicable. You’ll learn about the best ways to make use of units of study resources, including the virtual resources developed in 2020. Presenters will highlight the ways that technology can provide access to our most vulnerable readers and writers to help them flourish, opening up the modes in which students can participate in learning. You will think about transferring reading and writing skills across analog and digital media. You will practice taking on the role of student researcher to get a felt sense of how online research can feel, including its benefits and challenges. Presenters and participants will work together to imagine strategies that help student researchers navigate the treacherous waters of the internet.

Across the institute, you’ll get support in thinking about the role of the digital reader’s and writer’s notebooks and considering how to support students when some or all of the class is using devices. Then, too, we’ll help you imagine how to reach for the stars with digital teaching—how to get your class collaborating with kids in other countries, how to create even more powerful celebrations with a wider scope through digital means. We’ll also offer workshops on managing a year that may be interrupted, or that might involve some kids learning online and some learning at school, in a way that still helps them to feel as safe as they can be in the community of your classroom.

Cost

$400

Where

This institute will be offered online, in real-time via Zoom, and will not be recorded for later distribution. We will accept attendees until the institute has reached capacity.