Makers Online PD Series
Teaching to the Heart in the Online Classroom (Chris Riley)
Balancing the brain and the heart is important in the classroom and just as important online. The ideas for making this happen are only limited by your creativity. Making sure your students know you care, to keep building that key relationship is important whether we are in the “normal” classroom, or online. Discover ways you can make this happen.
Webinar Recording Below
Resources From Webinar
1, www.Edutopia.com
2. www.ThreeTeachersTalk.com
3. Kovalik, Susan J. and Olsen, Karen D. (2002). Exceeding Expectations: A User’s Guide to Implementing Brain Research in the Classroom. Second Edition. Covington, WA. Kovalik & Associates
4. Jensen, Eric. (2005). Teaching With the Brain in Mind. Second Edition. Alexandria, VA. ASCD
2. www.ThreeTeachersTalk.com
3. Kovalik, Susan J. and Olsen, Karen D. (2002). Exceeding Expectations: A User’s Guide to Implementing Brain Research in the Classroom. Second Edition. Covington, WA. Kovalik & Associates
4. Jensen, Eric. (2005). Teaching With the Brain in Mind. Second Edition. Alexandria, VA. ASCD
Thoughts From Chris Riley
Hello Educators!
As part of the society living with COVID-19, we are all still working to figure out what long-term learning away from the “normal” classroom is going to be like. To be honest, we are like the engineers from NASA who had to quickly piece together from whatever was on-hand, an entire educational system, for many of us, in less than a week. And we don’t know yet how long this will last. What an amazing transformation!! For many, we know we won’t be seeing our students again this school year. That can bring a great deal of sadness. We miss that “sweet spot” of the year. That time between January and the end of the year when we know our students really well. We know what they need. We have planned instruction to make sure they have the best learning opportunities at school. We have seen successes to build on and we are excited to see how much farther we can take them. Our relationships with them are strong and loving and steady. Because of the virus, many of us didn’t even get to do all those things we do at the end of the year to bring it to an emotional and intellectual conclusion. Finally, right now we simply miss our “kids.”
This feeling, of missing our students, is perhaps the most important emotion we have right now. It’s important to share that love and caring with them. They miss us. We are the other important adults in their lives. They need that connection with us, to know that what is coming to them to do from school is connected with the same thought and emotion that it had in the classroom. That means for those of us that aren’t connected digitally, we must be creative in how we reach our students to share with them how much we care. Sharing just the curriculum schoolwork part isn’t enough. We can do “heart sharing” through various assignments that tie our curricula to their emotions and what is happening in their lives. Sharing our hearts can be such a positive catalyst for students to persevere through this difficult time.
I have seen ideas like these to keep that relationship and heart connection:
1. Calling on the phone.
2. Conference calls that include classmates and their friends whom they miss
3. Sending post cards or letters.
4. Doing home drive-by’s with signs and horns honking.
5. Heart Journaling
6. Sending or dropping off surprises like books, puzzles, etc at homes
For those of us who have digital connection opportunities, we can use that to our advantage and have even more opportunities to connect. Many teachers are making that heart connection by:
1. Zoom types of classroom time that involves the class or small groups
2. Individual conferences via some kind of face-to-face app
3. Games and other activities that can be demonstrated or shared on-line
4. Assignments that involve students responding to both their curricular needs and their emotional needs.
The ideas are only limited by your creativity. Making sure your students know you care, to keep building that key relationship is important whether we are in the “normal” classroom, or in any other situation. That “heart work” will keep your students feeling loved and strongly influences their feelings of safety as well as their engagement when they can’t be with your in-person. Right now, it is fundamental that we focus on pedagogical adaptability and the essential needs of our students and the challenges they may be facing.
Being mindful of their lives at home is more important than ever. Perhaps this poster via Edutopia says it all:
RELATIONSHIPS BEFORE RIGOR
GRACE BEFORE GRADES
PATIENCE BEFORE PROGRAMS
LOVE BEFORE LESSONS
As part of the society living with COVID-19, we are all still working to figure out what long-term learning away from the “normal” classroom is going to be like. To be honest, we are like the engineers from NASA who had to quickly piece together from whatever was on-hand, an entire educational system, for many of us, in less than a week. And we don’t know yet how long this will last. What an amazing transformation!! For many, we know we won’t be seeing our students again this school year. That can bring a great deal of sadness. We miss that “sweet spot” of the year. That time between January and the end of the year when we know our students really well. We know what they need. We have planned instruction to make sure they have the best learning opportunities at school. We have seen successes to build on and we are excited to see how much farther we can take them. Our relationships with them are strong and loving and steady. Because of the virus, many of us didn’t even get to do all those things we do at the end of the year to bring it to an emotional and intellectual conclusion. Finally, right now we simply miss our “kids.”
This feeling, of missing our students, is perhaps the most important emotion we have right now. It’s important to share that love and caring with them. They miss us. We are the other important adults in their lives. They need that connection with us, to know that what is coming to them to do from school is connected with the same thought and emotion that it had in the classroom. That means for those of us that aren’t connected digitally, we must be creative in how we reach our students to share with them how much we care. Sharing just the curriculum schoolwork part isn’t enough. We can do “heart sharing” through various assignments that tie our curricula to their emotions and what is happening in their lives. Sharing our hearts can be such a positive catalyst for students to persevere through this difficult time.
I have seen ideas like these to keep that relationship and heart connection:
1. Calling on the phone.
2. Conference calls that include classmates and their friends whom they miss
3. Sending post cards or letters.
4. Doing home drive-by’s with signs and horns honking.
5. Heart Journaling
6. Sending or dropping off surprises like books, puzzles, etc at homes
For those of us who have digital connection opportunities, we can use that to our advantage and have even more opportunities to connect. Many teachers are making that heart connection by:
1. Zoom types of classroom time that involves the class or small groups
2. Individual conferences via some kind of face-to-face app
3. Games and other activities that can be demonstrated or shared on-line
4. Assignments that involve students responding to both their curricular needs and their emotional needs.
The ideas are only limited by your creativity. Making sure your students know you care, to keep building that key relationship is important whether we are in the “normal” classroom, or in any other situation. That “heart work” will keep your students feeling loved and strongly influences their feelings of safety as well as their engagement when they can’t be with your in-person. Right now, it is fundamental that we focus on pedagogical adaptability and the essential needs of our students and the challenges they may be facing.
Being mindful of their lives at home is more important than ever. Perhaps this poster via Edutopia says it all:
RELATIONSHIPS BEFORE RIGOR
GRACE BEFORE GRADES
PATIENCE BEFORE PROGRAMS
LOVE BEFORE LESSONS
About Chris Riley
Chris Riley graduated from Indiana University with a BS and MS in Education, with a Reading Specialist endorsement. She has served as a classroom instructor and the Literacy Coordinator K-12 for Southwest Allen County Schools. She initiated and provided varied and on-going professional development opportunities to bring balanced literacy to the district K-8. She also assisted with initiating RtI and its implementation K-5 in the district. In addition, she provided literacy professional development and coaching for content area teachers . Past and current experiences include developing and writing district literacy curriculum and professional development in implementation of state standards. She worked to provide professional development to the district in the use of 1:1 laptops and Project Based Learning K-12. WIth Mike Gorman, she developed district in-service days for all secondary teachers. She currently serves as a SACS district consultant. In addition, Chris serves on the Executive Board of the Northeast Literacy Council and the Indiana State Reading Association. Both boards provide a variety of professional learning opportunities for teachers, and Chris has presented for both organizations. Chris has taught a variety of graduate level courses for Valparaiso University for teachers pre-K-12, and recently created, designed, and co-wrote the on-line secondary MAT for the University of St. Francis. She also designed and wrote placement tests for two initial courses. She currently teaches those courses and supervises student teachers for the university. Her awards include Southwest Allen County Teacher of the Year, and a scholarship to partner with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City to bring Creating Original Opera with Children into the classroom. Currently the Embassy Theater hosts a summer camp (SCORE) that she helped initiate and served as an instructor for middle schoolers based on that project. Chris’ passion is bringing authentic learning experiences into the classroom that facilitate 21st century skills and hands-on, student empowering education.