Distance Learning Practiced at Point Arena Schools
Teaching in physical classrooms ended in Point Arena for the school year on March 16, but the teachers in the three District schools, Arena Elementary, Pacific Community Charter School, and Point Arena High School continued to teach. Here are three stories of how the teachers in the three schools are finding innovative ways to support the emotional and educational needs of our students.
Kelli Gaona, 1st grade teacher at AUES
Gaona has an unusual perspective on her job. “I see my job as providing parents with as many resources as they can manage,” said Gaona. “This situation is especially tough on those parents still trying to work.”Gaona relies heavily on giving her students bi-weekly learning packets that include art and science supplies. “I feel strongly that young learners need to be dealing with tangible items, and they need ways to practice their fine motor skills.”
Her class uses Getepic.com, a digital library for students 12 and under, as a reading supplement. Since each student has a login, she can monitor exactly which books students have read, for how long, and she can assign books which match her student’s reading level. “I can also create comprehension quizzes at the end of each book to see how well they understood the selection. We have just begun to use this program and participation is increasing each week.”
Her class has used reflexmath.com since January to practice addition and subtraction, and fact families using games and puzzles. “This website gives each student a login and it notifies me and their parents which facts they have mastered and which ones they are still working on.”
In addition, she created a private, 1st grade Facebook page because it was the easiest and fastest way to contact parents. Families post pictures and videos of their student's work on the site, and Gaona posts updates and reminders, along with recorded phonics lesson videos and stories so that families can watch them at any time during the day.
“The nice thing about Facebook is I can track who has actually seen the videos and we can send instant messages back and forth,” said Gaona.
Isabel Kuniholm, 3rd-8th grade math and science teacher at PCCS.
Each year at PCCS the school chooses an overarching theme. “This year's theme couldn’t be more spot on,” she said. “It’s adaptation!”
"The challenge, though, is finding ways to meet students’ social and emotional needs during this time of crisis. Middle school is inherently about socializing and peer connections, and this is maybe the hardest aspect to replicate virtually.”
Kuniholm also holds class meetings via Zoom twice per week. “I find that the most rewarding and engaging meetings are when we incorporate games that everyone can participate in online. For example, we have used Kahoot!, a site where you can create your own learning-games that are engaging and a fun way to review or introduce a new topic. We have also played Pictionary virtually, which is also a great way to get everyone excited.”
"Every week I provide math and science lessons on Google Classroom. I use Khan Academy to provide math assignments for the middle school students, as this site allows me to select specific video lessons and exercises that students can complete online. It is great because it allows me to provide each student with appropriate assignments at their level. I also have learned how to create my own video lessons using the ‘record' feature on Zoom. For science, Google classroom allows me to create engaging assignments by providing students with activities to complete after watching videos or reading specific articles from our science curriculum, Amplify Science."
Other rewards, she discovered, include meeting all of her students’ pets through Zoom, becoming a “pen pal” with all her 3rd-5th grade students, and opening her mind to new teaching strategies and interfaces.
Shawn McMahon, US History, World History, and Economics, PAHS
McMahon sees distance learning as a complete change of the school setting, content, and educational norms for both teachers and students.
“Without missing a single day of instructions, teachers at PAHS transitioned from in-person teaching to teaching remotely, through the use of packets, our online platform (ECHO), and Zoom.
“It's been a challenging time for all involved, and I know for many of us teachers it represents a dramatic change in some of the things that we work so hard on developing —classroom routines and procedures, interesting and engaging teaching strategies, and the kind of immediate feedback that we learn to provide to keep students on track throughout a class period.”
There are some benefits for McMahon. “For me, the full swing towards the integration of technology allows for some new and enjoyable ways for students to engage with one another: through the use of video platforms such as Flipgrid (perhaps an educational equivalent to TikTok), discussion threads, and ultimately in our move to Zoom meetings.
“In my classes, students are able to engage in collaborative learning with one another in ‘breakout rooms’, much the same as they would in my physical classroom. This kind of peer-to-peer learning is a cornerstone in education, and in times such as these allows students to maintain personal interactions and connections.”
As the State, County, and school district quickly move to close the digital divide, McMahon points out, both teachers and learners will become more comfortable and confident with online learning.
Even so, “I know we all look forward to being in the classroom with our students more than anything else.
“I know that many students face extraordinary challenges at home, and that is not lost on us teachers. I am proud to be a part of the Point Arena High School community and our local community, and this challenge has shown how a small community like ours can help all to rise to a challenge.”
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
