Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1278320
P R I O R I T I Z E C O L L A B O RAT I O N W I T H J O U R NA L I S T I C L E A R N I N G TAUNYA JACO San Jose Teachers Association Hoover Middle School " When students are guided to learn based on their own curiosities, they learn to think critically, become more engaged, develop their communication skills, and build their confidence." I B E L I E V E T H A T every experience is an opportunity to learn. We as educators must model what it looks like to be a lifelong learner for our students. Nearly every family statewide has the means to access information online, which means that it is not up to me to impart knowledge, but rather to coach students on how to think critically about the world and nav- igate the overwhelming amount of information. I found that one of the best techniques during this time of distance learning is to take a journalistic approach. Jour- nalistic learning ( journalisticlearning.com) can be used across content matter, and it empowers stu- dents to take the lead in their learning. It prioritizes inquiry, collaboration (even digitally), and requires students to produce a media project to show what they've learned. When students are guided to learn based on their own curiosities, they not only learn to think critically, but they also become more engaged, develop their communication skills, and build their confidence. I recommend trying this approach with current events, which allows students the opportunity to process what's happening in the world around them as they are expe- riencing it. In my class, students also create their own online portfolios using Google Sites, showing off what they learned by publishing a blog on their website and then receiving feedback from their peers. The idea is to teach students how to ask open-ended questions so that they can lead their learning through inquiry, provide them with choice, allow them to investigate based on their interest, make connections, and then share their findings by publishing their work. S U P P O RT C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E S T U D E N T S ' U N I Q U E N E E D S DOROTHY REINA Riverside Community College District Faculty Association Norco College and Victor Valley College " There are two bits of advice I took to heart: Be flexible and don't expect perfection of yourself or your students." T H E C L O S U R E O F classrooms necessitated a quick recon- struction of classes and a move to online teaching. I was fortunate because I had already been teaching a combination of online and face-to-face classes. However, many of my colleagues were learning Canvas for the first time — and they had one week to learn it and make their classes stu- dent-ready! But all my classes were impacted by the closures. Why? Because the lives of my students changed. The dual-enrolled high school students now had to migrate from one online class to seven or eight online classes. My other students had to juggle family, work, school, and now teaching responsibilities, since their children were also receiving their education via an online platform. In many cases, my students also found themselves having to work longer hours, especially those working in gro- cery stores, delivery services and the medical professions. The time they normally set aside for class no longer existed. In other cases, students found themselves out of work and wondering how they were going to survive. There are two bits of advice I took to heart: Be flexible and don't expect perfection of yourself or your students. My original syllabus for each class underwent various iterations throughout the remainder of the course. Some assignments work great in a face-to-face setting, but don't translate well online. This is where flexibility came into play. In some cases, this meant extending deadlines for assignments, eliminating assignments or rewriting them to alleviate some of the stress students were experiencing. In the end, how did we all fare? Well, there were some students who felt overwhelmed and made the decision to drop the class and take it when life became less stressful. For the most part, the students hung in there and made it to the end of the semester! Dorothy Reina Taunya Jaco 20 cta.org