Introduction
When the Rocklin Academy program encountered issues and conflict arose it became necessary to move over 200 students who were attending classes 4 days week along with 8 teachers to an online program where students and teachers could connect and continue to learn together. The time frame was very short and the need for support, ideas and solutions was high.
Transition
I met with teachers to brainstorm and plan how the move would take place. It was a stressful situation and encouragement was needed to help teachers and work them through the process. I led this change with step-by-step help and support, including time to plan, support with a new online course management tool, and steps to take to help students access the content. (We briefly used a combination of programs, one called Jupiter Grades and the other (a learning management system) called Haiku.)
I conducted professional development with a focus on how students can learn online and ways to structure their courses to encourage the best possible interaction. I trained teachers in best practices for being an online teacher and how to translate classroom-based interaction activities and lectures to an online environment.
Teachers were understandably stressed and worried, but we talked the process through and over a few days and several session we had a game plan to move forward. Keep in mind this was the middle fo the school year and the transition was hugely important to try and establish a sense of structure and safety while not losing too much time in learning, while working hard to keep students engaged, comfortable and enthusiastic for learning - their community had essentially shut down over night and students were, understandably, upset.
As the semester went along I continued to support teachers, encourage students and communicate with parents. The learning center administrator was busy with many other tasks and had very little time to support the change to online learning. I became he go-to person to support teachers with the online learning model.
At this time the school essentially had 2 online programs, one being established using "off the shelf" curriculum (Apex Learning) and the other this new hybrid model with different teachers and a different modality. As the school year progressed it became obvious that the 2 programs could be merged into one that support our learning centers by providing access to high school courses for students with conflicts or not able to attend a learning center.
We started planning for the next school year and merging the two models of learning into one hybrid with a group of teachers who might be teaching at a learning center and online. Throughout the process I supported and encouraged teachers while training them in best practices and guiding the online curriculum development and instructional delivery system. Over the next two years we saw the program grow and stabilize to become an essential support system for our students.
Evaluation
The sudden challenges might have resulted in a closed program. But with hard work and a team of teachers pulling together we accomplish more than we believed to be possible. The result was the beginning of our current model of instructional delivery and online learning.
The keys challenges we needed to figure our and solver were:
Solutions for instruction and communication
Supporting teachers through change
Supporting students through change
Communicating with all stakeholders
Each of these presented a unique challopportuntiyt to design and develop unique and engaging program elements. The ideas and solutions resulting from brainstorming and collaborative group work led to fantastic and exciting potential. The collaborative solutions were an essential component of the success of the process and program development.
Instructional solutions were not perfect yet they accomplished our task. We were able to communicate with students, assign work, collect completed assignments and post videos and links for instruction. We needed to move quickly so we allowed for teachers to use different tools as desired with some resources being common. Using different resources created some confusion to be managed but by the end of the semester teachers were comfortable with their specific tools they were using and students learned to know where to go to find the information they needed. I worked hard to provide the most consistent and timely professional development possible. Often it was solely based on problem solving and day-to-day essential needs. Teacher's needs were often a changing target due to the circumstances and need for quick solutions.
A small percentage of any population will manage change well. During this situation teachers were stressed with new technology to learn and the lesson plans and activities planned for the classroom no longer fit. I worked hard to plan training to address the change and the anxiety while also providing solutions and hope for the future. Hope is important to any change process - without it participants can feel overwhelmed and then will quickly lose passion and drive to be able to finish well. My feedback was constant and consistent - focused on what was working and what we could fix or flex to better serve teachers and students. I gave teachers hope while sharing possibilities; setting a vision and providing steps to get there. Because of the support, teachers who were adamantly opposed to online learning found they not only endured to the end of school but enjoyed the experience. And they recognized the benefits and possibilities for teaching online!
Fortunately, students are resilient and flexible. During this change from site based classes to online classes many parents were very upset and students were anxious - understandably. The current program administrator was not able to answer questions regarding the online learning process or components so those questions came to me. I helped students navigate their new online classes, supporting them through emails, website info and phone calls. I spoke with many parents on the the phone and face-to-face to help share the plans and vision for online learning to help ease the transition. Along with the teachers, we planned several student meet-ups to help bring some socialization and fun time to the program and to help ease the anxiety of missing each other. We finished the school year with a wonderful prom and the students seemed more comfortable with the online environment. This emergency situation became a wonderful opportunity and the next year we merged the current distance learning program with the online learning components of live teaching and student interaction which became the building blocks for our current program today.
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