Can we talk about remote learning for a minute?? So, we've been doing this since March. Which means that every teacher & school staff member is now an expert in what works/doesn't work far above every single district bureaucrat or politician anywhere. They have ZERO experience.

So...what are we seeing?? (Keep in mind I teach 1st-3rd)

1) Whole group lessons should be kept to a minimum. Some community building, announcements, maybe a quick read aloud. That's it. Small groups & 1:1 instruction is far more effective.
2) Less is more. Teaching through a screen presents unique problems. Tech issues, not being able to see student work in real time...Teaching ONE concept thoroughly with practice is so much better than more complicated work.
3) Reduce Screen time. I mean, duh. But seriously on this one. Doing RL should not mean staring at a screen all day. Quick, targeted lessons in small group/1:1 settings, then allow choice in follow-ups to practice. And the indep work MUST be work than can be done without help!
4) I'll repeat this one: Less is more. Shorter school days, more breaks, targeted small group/indiv lessons works best. The push for RL to mimic the pre-pandemic in-person school day is absolutely ridiculous.
5) Grading must change. We all know this. Depending on the needs of the kids & the abilities of the families to support learning. We need to stop punishing families who for whatever reason, cannot hold their child's hand through the school day.
6) Flexibility. Like for real. For families, for staff.
7) Consistency. And at the same time consistent routines, trying to minimize disruptions to schedules (um, like going Hybrid, closing due to outbreaks, opening again, forcing weird "simultaneous" instruction.) Just no.
8) Focus on relationships. We hear this often and it's true. Our dist leadership says this and then forces us into positions that break trust. Not having flexibility, watching kids and families break under the strain of a far too long school day with far too much screen time.
9) This has been said MANY times before, but kids are not falling behind, they are surviving a pandemic. Families need supports to get through this (like, safe, affordable/free childcare &/or pay families subsidies so they do not have to work!)
10) Quality over Quantity. For real, when I have time to design quality, targeted, individualized lessons kids learn so much in a quick lesson. We need TIME to do this. Time to really prep. Everything is different. We are revamping everything.

More from Education

Time for some thoughts on schools given the revised SickKids document and the fact that ON decided to leave most schools closed. ON is not the only jurisdiction to do so, but important to note that many jurisdictions would not have done so -even with higher incidence rates.


As outlined in the tweet by @NishaOttawa yesterday, the situation is complex, and not a simple right or wrong https://t.co/DO0v3j9wzr. And no one needs to list all the potential risks and downsides of prolonged school closures.


On the other hand: while school closures do not directly protect our most vulnerable in long-term care at all, one cannot deny that any factor potentially increasing community transmission may have an indirect effect on the risk to these institutions, and on healthcare.

The question is: to what extend do schools contribute to transmission, and how to balance this against the risk of prolonged school closures. The leaked data from yesterday shows a mixed picture -schools are neither unicorns (ie COVID free) nor infernos.

Assuming this data is largely correct -while waiting for an official publication of the data, it shows first and foremost the known high case numbers at Thorncliff, while other schools had been doing very well -are safe- reiterating the impact of socioeconomics on the COVID risk.

You May Also Like

The YouTube algorithm that I helped build in 2011 still recommends the flat earth theory by the *hundreds of millions*. This investigation by @RawStory shows some of the real-life consequences of this badly designed AI.


This spring at SxSW, @SusanWojcicki promised "Wikipedia snippets" on debated videos. But they didn't put them on flat earth videos, and instead @YouTube is promoting merchandising such as "NASA lies - Never Trust a Snake". 2/


A few example of flat earth videos that were promoted by YouTube #today:
https://t.co/TumQiX2tlj 3/

https://t.co/uAORIJ5BYX 4/

https://t.co/yOGZ0pLfHG 5/
Nano Course On Python For Trading
==========================
Module 1

Python makes it very easy to analyze and visualize time series data when you’re a beginner. It's easier when you don't have to install python on your PC (that's why it's a nano course, you'll learn python...

... on the go). You will not be required to install python in your PC but you will be using an amazing python editor, Google Colab Visit
https://t.co/EZt0agsdlV

This course is for anyone out there who is confused, frustrated, and just wants this python/finance thing to work!

In Module 1 of this Nano course, we will learn about :

# Using Google Colab
# Importing libraries
# Making a Random Time Series of Black Field Research Stock (fictional)

# Using Google Colab

Intro link is here on YT: https://t.co/MqMSDBaQri

Create a new Notebook at https://t.co/EZt0agsdlV and name it AnythingOfYourChoice.ipynb

You got your notebook ready and now the game is on!
You can add code in these cells and add as many cells as you want

# Importing Libraries

Imports are pretty standard, with a few exceptions.
For the most part, you can import your libraries by running the import.
Type this in the first cell you see. You need not worry about what each of these does, we will understand it later.