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Using Data to Pivot Instruction to Meet the Needs of Distance Learners

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Pivoting Instruction

As an administrator, you don’t directly teach students, yet you play a vital role in their progress. You provide resources and guidance to teachers, empowering them to deliver targeted, customized instruction. These days teacher resources must include ways to ensure that distance learners advance adequately. Teaching remote learners requires changing some traditional instructional practices to prevent distance learners from disengaging.

How do teachers know what they need to change?  You can provide some professional development about research-backed strategies. However, there is still a bit of trial and error involved in discovering what works best in their specific situation and student population.

To see what strategies work best, teachers and principals need to monitor student progress systematically and measure the effect rate of interventions. How can they figure out which instructional methods are serving their specific group of distance learners? They would have to analyze the data from their learning population.

The Gap between the Goal and the Reality

Educators love talking about the benefits of data-driven instruction. Yet you must ask yourself, how often do teachers use detailed data analysis as a driving force for their instructional decisions? Probably not as much as you would like. Why is there such a disconnect between the ideal and actual practices?

You may want to ask teachers, “What holds you back from implementing data in more of your instructional decisions?”

You will probably get an earful describing the labor-intensive methods for organizing data points into useful information. Most teachers and principals already well worked beyond their contract hours before the pandemic. Now, many feel as though they are drowning at work. Keeping up-to-date with data organization feels like a pie-in-the-sky dream. The stresses of providing quality education remotely only exacerbates the problem. Yet, remote learners need data-driven instruction even more than face-to-face learners do.

Bridging the Gap

What can you do at the district level to bridge the gap between the desire to use data to drive instruction and actually using it? Gathering data points is not a problem. The challenge lies in organizing them in a useful way. Without flexible organizational tools, the data is painstaking to organize. Thus, rendering it almost impossible to use for pivoting instruction.

You can change the way teachers interact with data by providing efficient and easy-to-use tools. The right software organizes thousands of data points and puts data-driven instruction within reach. Lacking useful software leaves teachers with two unfavorable choices. Either they spend hours of personal time, manually tracking and analyzing data- or they admit defeat and stop trying to implement data-driven instruction. One option leads to teacher burnout, and the other choice leads to hunch-driven instruction.

Improve Instruction Quality with more Efficient Data Tools

One tool to dramatically increase efficiency is software with computer-based assessments. The software automatically organizes results from the students’ responses. Computer-based assessments include formative and summative assessments. Whereas formative assessments provide a snapshot of student learning, summative assessments span more material and provide educators with broader learning patterns. Both are important.

As soon as students finish an assessment, teachers quickly see what students have mastered and where interventions are needed. No time wasted creating endless spreadsheets. Teachers may wish to filter all the remote learners to evaluate if the environment affected understanding. Toggling from one domain to another takes only a few clicks.

The more assessments students take, the more data points the system has about individuals and groups of students. The teacher can then quickly analyze what strategies are working, and not working, for remote students. The way to pivot instruction becomes more and more evident.

If a much larger proportion of remote learners answered incorrectly than face-to-face learners did, that provides evidence that the instructional method did not work well for remote learners.  Teachers learn two essential pieces of information 1) They need to reteach the concept, and 2) Not to employ that instructional method in future lessons. If an entire grade level scores poorly on a concept, administrators know to investigate further. Perhaps supplemental curriculum resources or professional development would solve the issue.

Computer-based assessments, while always valuable, are especially critical with remote instruction. Face-to-face students give subtle cues, such as slumped shoulders, when they don’t understand. Such feedback is a data point alerting the teacher to intervene. During remote instruction, teachers have fewer behavioral cues and, therefore, must rely heavily on assessments.

The Color-Coded Dashboard and Alert System

Like teaching, driving requires continuous monitoring and adjusting with various conditions. The driver uses gauges to monitor speed, gas levels, and engine temperature. When something needs immediate attention, a beep or light alerts the driver.

Instructional data dashboards provide similar functions. Educators can monitor many measurements all from one place. When someone needs close attention, the dashboard alerts them by showing up in bright red. The color-coded dashboards make it easy for teachers to make informed instructional decisions based on data.

The importance of the dashboard is especially critical with remote learners because gauging engagement is difficult. However, after a few assessments, teachers may notice red alerts on their dashboards, indicating that a student is falling behind. The teacher then knows to take immediate action to help that child succeed.

Districts have many educational dashboards to choose from, and each one has a variety of benefits. Many teachers like eDoctrina because of its flexibility of viewing options. They can look at their whole class, narrow the field to sub-groups, and focus on individuals. This feature puts making data-informed instructional decisions in the hands of teachers.

eDoctrina Offers a Data Solution

eDoctrina is a cloud-based software that integrates computer-based assessments, user-friendly analysis tools, and a student dashboard.  Teachers use eDoctrina for:

  • Assessments
  • Data Reporting
  • Question Banks
  • RTI – MTSS Goal Tracking
  • PBIS
  • Online Learning

Most importantly, they like the ability to serve their remote learners with data-driven instruction- and still have time for a personal life.

District administrators like eDoctrina too, but for different reasons. They like it for planning & curriculum mapping, tracking professional development, and monitoring educator accountability.

Not every district has the same needs, so eDoctrina has various levels of support. The Educator Suite provides tools for planning and assessing and an RTI student goal module. The Accountability Suite includes educator effectiveness tools and student learning objectives. Adding auxiliary functions customizes the software license to create the exact tool you need. Giving educators the information they need to pivot instruction for remote learners benefits all learners.

Data Tools to Implement MTSS and RTI with Fidelity

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The Daunting Task for Administrators

One of your most essential, yet complicated, responsibilities is supporting the wide variety of learning needs of all students. Data-driven education practices continue to revolutionize the way we approach learning. Reams of data are only helpful if you can quickly see patterns. You need flexible tools that provide comprehensive, relevant, and organized information.

Students’ needs change frequently. Some students struggle with learning disabilities, some with mental health, and others with physical health. A few students face multiple challenges simultaneously. Sometimes students are doing just fine and then, “bam!” their life spins out of control. A family or personal crisis creates new needs in otherwise stable students.

Deficits are not the only reason students need extra support. Gifted students may need enrichment and acceleration. High achieving students often need encouragement when they experience a setback. Students from wealthy families have educational gaps from travel-related absences.

Supporting special needs can be so overwhelming that some administrators end up neglecting building robust foundational structures and systems. Every student needs a well-designed curriculum, high-quality instruction, and a safe environment. Without those, students end up experiencing academic and socio-emotional stress. Students experiencing stress are more likely to need more intense interventions. It becomes a vicious cycle of reactionary, rather than proactive, education solutions. Monitoring and adjusting for all aspects of student success requires a systematic approach.

The Data-Driven Three Tiered Solution

Most states use the Multi-Tiered System of Support framework, or MTSS, for supporting student needs. MTSS is the combination of Response to Intervention, RTI, and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support, PBIS. RTI + PBIS = MTSS.

RTI is the academic component, and PBIS is the behavioral and socio-emotional component. Each tier of MTSS incorporates both RTI and PBIS.

The popularity of the MTSS framework is a direct result of its benefits. Targeted, data-driven instruction increases learning. Consistently gathering data enables educators to monitor students and programs. Monitoring provides information so that you, and everyone on the educational team, offer the right interventions to the right population at the right time. Identifying students with the most intense needs and allocating resources to help them improves student outcomes.

Collecting and analyzing data is the center of identifying needs and providing appropriate interventions.

Educators then use the data to create action plans that include research-backed interventions. For example, “a cute activity from Pinterest” would not fit within the MTSS framework, unless there is evidence showing its effectiveness for the specific population.

Tier One: 

This level offers universal support for every student. A tier one support system might include an automatic notification about absences and follow-up protocol.

Analyzing tier one interventions uses data to answer questions about the strengths and weaknesses of district-wide and school-wide programs and procedures.

These questions might include:

  • Do most of our students consistently come to school ready to learn? If not, why not?
  • What do our classroom teachers do well, and where do they need to grow? Does our professional development align with teacher needs?
  • What gaps do we have in our resources, and how can we fill them?
  • What is our student culture like, and how can we improve it?

Using data to answer those types of questions will help you meet the needs of most students. However, some students will need additional interventions.

Tier Two: 

This level includes additional interventions that 10-25% of students need to succeed. An example of a tier two intervention would be a set of questions that the principal uses when calling home after three unexcused absences or ten excused absences.

The more problems you solve at tier two, the less severe tier three issues will be. Analyzing tier two interventions uses data to drill down into the details of various sub-groups. These questions might include:

  • How do we help the 20% of our children who skip breakfast and do not concentrate well?
  • What extra support would help the 25% of third graders not meeting benchmark standards for reading comprehension?
  • What resources and training do our special education staff need this year?
  • Do advanced readers have access to appropriate books?
  • Why do the same students repeatedly show up in the office for discipline? Are they missing a behavioral support system that we can put in place?

Tier Three:

Tier three interventions are for children experiencing unusually challenging situations. Typically, fewer than 10% of students need tier three interventions. These supports often include individualized interventions that often require the help of a specialist. An example of a tier three intervention would be a home-based tutor for a child with significant health challenges.

Analyzing tier three interventions uses data to answer questions about specific individuals and small groups. These questions might include:

  • The Jackson family continues to have a high rate of absenteeism. Should we enlist the help of social services?
  • Did counseling reduce the number of fights between Sierra and Morgan? If not, what is our next step?
  • Why are Johnny’s grades dropping significantly this semester? How can we help him get back on track?
  • What additional support does Sam, the sixth-grader reading at a first-grade level, and Frankie, the first-grader reading at a sixth-grade level, need?

You can see how useful data collection and organization help create action plans in each tier.

Tools to Effectively Implement MTSS

Implementing the MTSS framework with fidelity takes teams equipped with adequate resources. Without proper analytical tools, you and your team will likely suffer from data overload and give up before seeing the possibilities.

Harris Education Solutions has an ecosystem of software to identify needs, organize data, support analysis, and create targeted action plans.

Castle Learning supplies tier one and tier two RTI support. It makes it quick and easy for teachers to align their content and instruction with assessment data. Teachers have the tools they need to pivot instruction almost immediately after assessments.

eDoctrina provides assessment tools and data aggregation to support RTI at tier one and tier two. District-level administrators use it to identify students and teachers who may need more academic support.

eWalk is a powerful and flexible data-gathering tool useful on large and small-scale improvements. Administrators mainly use it to improve the data collected during walkthroughs. With eWalk’s customizable templates, educators at all levels are discovering that they can use it to help solve various challenges.

edInsight helps schools collect multiple measures and then display them in a color-coded dashboard. Anyone can quickly see who needs tier two or three support. You can then use the software to track interventions and create appropriate individualized education plans (IEPs). It helps you monitor progress and report on intervention effectiveness.  Read their free RTI guide.

If you want to use MTSS, but feel lost among the numbers, we can help. Click on the links to our websites above and request a free demo, or request to be contacted.

How to Set Expectations for Virtual Class Meetings

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Discussions about appropriate student norms for class meetings are taking Twitter by storm. It is one of the most controversial conversations related to remote learning. Many teachers require students to be in front of their cameras during class meetings. These teachers feel that they can better monitor student engagement when they can see every face in attendance. However, requiring students to show themselves on their camera presents challenges. Teachers ask:

  • Should we allow kids to show up to class in pajamas?
  • Can we allow students to participate while eating a snack in bed and cuddling with Fido?
  • How will we enforce rules?
  • What can we do to help all your students and their families feel emotionally safe on camera?

Students and families have many valid reasons for not wanting to appear on camera. If you allow students to stay off camera, that brings up other questions. Teachers ask:

  • How will we encourage students to be prepared for class?
  • How will we monitor engagement?

Methods Change but Your Goal Stays the Same

It is tempting to re-create the same expectations that work best for face-to-face learning in remote situations. However, experts caution that the vast differences between face-to-face class meetings and virtual ones mean that you cannot apply the same rules across different environments. While your general approach still applies, the methods must match the platform.

Think of this analogy. Across the US, teachers want students to get outside and play at recess. Being safe outside requires students to dress appropriately for the weather. However, students dressed appropriately in Arizona will look completely different than students dressed appropriately in Alaska.

In virtual and face-to-face environments, you want evidence that your students are present, prepared, and participating. In both situations, your expectations set students up for success and give you feedback about their engagement. However, the method for observing your virtual participants looks different than it does for your face-to-face participants. The way you help your remote students feel safe also looks different.

Monitoring Engagement

You cannot rely on body language to monitor the engagement of students who choose not to be on camera. Instead, you will need to teach your remote students to show involvement with other cues. As Mr. Rogers said, “We speak with more than our mouths. We listen with more than our ears.”

Technology offers many tools to assist in monitoring engagement virtually. Here are two simple ideas.

  1. Ask students to use the chat feature for quick responses, such as a thumbs-up emoji.
  2. Students can put colored pieces of paper in front of the camera. Each color can indicate something different. Perhaps use green for “I am here and learning,” yellow for “I have a question or comment,” red for “I’m stuck,” and so on.

Frame Expectations as Guidelines Rather than Rules

Many teachers say that students are most prepared for learning when sitting in a quiet location, dressed, and not distracted by food. If so, consider phrasing your expectations as guidelines rather than rules. Guidelines put you in the role of a helpful guide rather than as a controlling dictator. Giving students a choice about being in front of the camera reduces the feeling of violating privacy or emotional safety. Consider how you would feel if your boss sent you the following rules.

Rules for Virtual Meetings

  1. Log in a few minutes early and wait for the class meeting to begin.
  2. Dress according to the school dress code.
  3. Sit upright at a desk or table.
  4. Stay in full view of the camera at all times.

Would you feel trusted and respected? Now consider how you would feel if your boss sent these guidelines.

Guidelines for a Successful Virtual Meeting

People learn best when they feel ready to focus. Please use these guidelines when joining a meeting.

  1. We want to start the meeting with full attendance. Please log in a few minutes before the session begins to allow time for remote troubleshooting any technical issues.
  2. Turn your video on if you feel comfortable. We enjoy seeing you. If your camera is on, please dress as you would in public.
  3. Use a place with limited distractions so you can listen and participate.
  4. Please take care of your personal needs before the meeting, such as using the bathroom and getting a snack. If you need a snack or drink, please remember to mute your microphone first.
  5. If you need to leave for a moment, please indicate when you leave and when you return.

Everyone is Still Learning

Many educators and families report that the instruction in the spring of 2020 occurred in crisis mode. Educators made enormous efforts to teach with limited resources, planning, or knowledge. Fisher, Frey, and Hattie, authors of The Distance Learning Playbook, say, “Now we have time to be more purposeful and intentional with distance learning.”

As you approach distance learning with more purpose and understanding, you may find that some of your previous expectations do not serve your remote learners. Luckily, expectations are easy to change. Start by asking your distance learners and their families about their experiences. As Maya Angelou famously said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

We commend your efforts to set class meeting expectations that help your students grow and learn. We continue to support educators in improving their craft, whether in person or virtually.

Learning Management System (LMS) Integrations

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With the uncertainty of the 2020/2021 school year, we understand that having tools that will make both in-person OR distance learning easier on everyone is paramount.

Castle Learning is pleased to support the following platforms: Google Classroom, Schoology, and Canvas. Each system is designed to benefit the teacher and student. An assignment link can be copied and inserted into the LMS (Learning Management System), providing the teacher a better way to deliver the activity to the student, and monitor the student’s participation. Grading and assessment data can be pushed back to the LMS for reporting, and/or the grade-book. The student benefits from the direct to assignment link, reducing their steps to access an assigned activity. The student will appreciate that all their school-related tasks and information are located in one portal.

Google Classroom, Schoology, and Canvas integrations are an option available to districts or schools with site license access and need to be turned on via the Castle Support Team.  If you have one of these LMS services and would like the integration opened to your school or district, please call 800-345-7606 or email: support@castlelearning.com.

In cooperation with BOCES, the Castle Training Team is also available for a virtual presentation on how to use the LMS integrations.  Email training@castlelearning.com to learn more.

How to Get Started Using Social Media to Strengthen a Learning Community

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How to Get Started Using Social Media to Strengthen a Learning Community

Social media can quickly transform a collection of students into a dynamic learning community. It provides a digital platform for students and teachers to engage in conversations and build relationships. Social media has several educational benefits, even for classes that meet in person. Using a digital platform becomes essential in situations when students have limited personal interaction, such as distance learning.

Social Media Increases Participation Levels

Students often contribute more to informal channels than they would in a formal academic setting. The asynchronous feature allows participants the ability to engage at their own pace. Deep-thinkers appreciate the ability to mull over concepts and make connections to other disciplines. English language learners and those who process language slowly often find it easier to follow a written conversation than an oral discussion.

Social Media Ignites Interest

Students connect with other learning communities interested in similar topics, regardless of location and time zones. The heterogeneous grouping infuses various perspectives into a conversation. Your students may explore subjects with renewed vigor with the influx of new ideas. Students’ interest also gets fueled by instantaneous peer feedback to their posts.

Social Media Facilitates Integrating Critical Thinking into your Curriculum 

As social media increasingly becomes a way to disseminate information, teachers are focusing more attention on teaching students how to evaluate the credibility of information sources. Teaching digital citizenship includes providing students with guidelines for posting links and explaining how context is vital to understanding content.

Social Media Encourages Students to Challenge the Status Quo

The anonymity of social media helps students question ideas they might be too timid to ask in person. Taking academic risks leads to more profound thinking, and therefore academic growth. However, that feeling of anonymity is a double-edged sword. Without care, conversations on social media often devolve into name-calling and hurt feelings. If you decide to use social media, you must be willing to monitor your students’ communications. Establishing a culture of respect and intellectual honesty is easier to do on platforms that allow administrators to preview comments before students post them.

Choosing the Right Platform is Important

With so many benefits, you may wonder why teachers don’t always incorporate social media into their instruction more often. Teachers share valid concerns about privacy, accessibility, price, and the time they will need to devote to monitoring their students’ activities.

One of the first steps towards making social media work for your class is selecting the appropriate platform for your educational goals. Think beyond popular platforms of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and Snapchat. Many families concerned about privacy and a lack of parental controls will likely object to their children having an account on those popular platforms.

Luckily, you have options beyond these common platforms. Many are safer and more educational than the ones listed above. Most are free or low-cost.

This social media list will get you started on platforms that will help you take advantage of the benefits of social media and avoid many of the risks. Common Sense Education evaluated various platforms with the educator in mind.

  1. Twitter aids in quick communication. The iconic hashtag helps people sort by topic. Adding GroupTweet | Group Twitter Accounts Made Easy helps teachers safely manage the conversations.  Target Ages: 13 and up; Cost: Twitter is free. Group Tweet starts at $7.99 per month for the administrator.
  2. Twiducate – Social Networking & Media For Schools: Education 2.0 offers students the opportunity to try micro-blogging similar to Twitter. Target Ages: 6-18; Cost: Free
  3. The Wonderment blends the ideas of content creation and crowdsourcing to help students explore and get involved in projects. Target Ages: 6-18; Cost: Free
  4. DIY.org – Online Courses and Fun Projects for Kids blend the successful approaches of scouting organizations and YouTube. Kids see videos with instructions on how to do projects. They get to share their accomplishments and earn badges.Target Ages: 7-14; Cost: $15-25 per month
  5. Project Noah: Citizen Science Platform for Wildlife helps nature lovers of any age discover, share, and identify wildlife. Target Ages: 7 and up; Cost: Free
  6. Youth Voices encourages teens to express themselves through writing and podcasts. Topics range from personal narratives to academic musings. The site’s organization makes it easy to read and comment on the content of peers. Target Ages: 13-18; Cost: Free
  7. Goodreads | Meet your next favorite book helps teens and adults engage with literature. They can follow friends, participate in literary conversations, and get suggestions for new books that they might like. Target Ages: 13 and up; Cost: Free

If you didn’t find the right solution for your needs, try asking your colleagues for more suggestions. You may find a wealth of information in professional groups from your own social media.

No matter what platform you choose, you will want to get parental consent. Explain to families why you are choosing to incorporate social media as part of your instructional model. You can use many of the benefits outlined in this article. Describe the safety and privacy features of the particular platform and your role in monitoring the conversations. Detail your expectations for responsible digital citizenship and how (or if) you will use social media participation as part of your grading.

eDoctrina in the Virtual Classroom

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At eDoctrina, our team takes pride in having the opportunity to help both teachers and students succeed in the classroom. Given the changing times, we have also learned to adapt to the fact that “in the classroom” often refers to a virtual setting! Luckily, our incredible team has worked hard to find ways in which eDoctrina can support a remote classroom environment.

Online Assessments: Utilizing Tools to the Fullest

We understand that setting up students to succeed while testing online can sometimes seem like a challenge, especially with so many tools and modifications kiddos may need to properly complete an assignment. This is one of the reasons our team has spent so much time updating our online assessment platform to contain all of the tools teachers need to create a unique online testing environment for all of their students, both individually and as a whole. Our platform consists of a variety of modifications that can be utilized while students are testing online, many of which mirror exactly is expected to be seen on both the ELA and Math NYS Computer Based Tests. This includes grade specific equation editors, a text-to-speech screen reader, answer masking, math tools (calculator, ruler, protractor, etc.), a sketchpad (blank or pre-filled with an image of your choosing), and many more!

Relaying Content & Results To My Students

One challenge we have found many of our partners are faced with is keeping up daily communication with their students in a remote environment. Luckily when it comes to online assignments in eDoctrina, we have gone to great lengths to ensure teachers are able to send and receive necessary communication.  When utilizing the assessment/assignment platforms, teachers have the ability to notify their students via email when they have assigned something new with the click of a button.  Additionally, teachers can opt into receiving email notifications to let them know when each of their students have completed said assignment. Student also have complete access to their assignment summary within their eDoctrina Progress Student Dashboards. This allows them to login at any time and see which assignments they’ve received or completed, as well as any grades and reports their teacher has given them access to view.

Blended Learning Using Lesson Plans

In the wake of blended classroom learning, we not only realized the importance of teachers being able to assign and communicate with their students, but also being able to relay lesson content in any form of setting, virtually or in-person. The addition of our new Online Lesson Plan tool will allow teachers to deliver content to their students whether they are in a small group setting in the classroom or in the comfort of their own living room. This interactive tool not only allows for the delivery of content, but also gives the teacher the ability to live stream with their class, record and relay the lesson to their students, share attachments, prompt educational discussion among classmates, and even live chat back and forth to keep students engaged.

While trying to adjust to the “new normal”, we at eDoctrina understand the stressors that teachers are up against on a daily basis and are here to help! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for more information about how we can assist during the adaptation into blended learning.

How to Effectively Deliver a Virtual Test or Assignment with Castle Learning

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At Castle Learning, we are committed to improving education, including remote teaching. We provide an online tool that works anywhere with internet access, including homes or schools. While online tools help with in-person instruction, they are vital to the success of remote education. Please note that although this blog focuses on the ease of digital delivery, you can print, display, or digitally deliver any content you create.

For more information on creating tests and assignments for remote instruction, please refer to a previous blog – How Castle Helps Create Tests and Assignments when Teaching Virtually.

Integrations with Digital Platforms

Although you can use Castle Learning as a stand-alone application, many teachers prefer to integrate it with Google Classroom, Schoology, or Canvas. Integrations reduce the number of places students need to look to keep track of assignments and grades. On the platform, students see the assignment as a link. Clicking on the link takes students directly to the appropriate assignment in their student center.

Setting Up Your Classes

First, ensure that your students are entered into a class on your Castle teacher account. This process may happen via an automated district daily sync, or you can manually select students.

Next, consider making additional groups beyond official class rosters. These groupings will save you time and effort throughout the year because it increases the efficiency of differentiating instruction and making modifications. Creating each group only takes a few minutes, and editing them later is even quicker.

Then, you can modify the settings for specific students or groups. Setting changes are available from the class page and the assignment deployment stage. You might choose to enable features such as computer-generated translation and text-to-speech with highlighting. Changing student settings gives these students access to the appropriate accommodations for every test and assignment in every class. This feature makes complying with Individualized Learning Plans (IEPs) and best practices for English Language Learners (ELLs) easier.

With your classes set up, delivering the tests and assignments to the appropriate students takes only a few clicks.

Delivering Differentiated Versions to Various Groups

Students in various classes benefit from similar assignment modifications, such as a different pace or amount of questions. Creating separate “classes” for multiple groups has the added benefit of making assigning differentiated material quick. It takes mere seconds to assign “Ten Questions about Chapter 1” to Group A and assign “Twelve Questions about Chapter 1” to Group B.

Secondary school teachers appreciate how quickly they can create and deliver modified assignments to students in various class sections. Elementary school teachers often categorize students by level for each subject. Making suitable modifications follows best practices for assigning homework.

Practicing, Studying, Assessing and Reviewing

Any assignment can serve multiple purposes. When assigning content, decide if you want students to use it for practice, studying, assessing, or reviewing. Delivering it in “open” mode, “quiz” mode, or “review-only” mode changes how students see it.

Open mode is perfect for practice. It gives students two attempts for each question. It also offers students access to vocabulary, feedback, and reasoning after the first attempt. Click “Quiz mode” for assessments. It gives students only one chance to answer each question. They also do not have access to the other helpful resources of “open” mode. In either mode, additional features are available such as randomizing the questions.

“Review-only” mode is perfect for studying for a test or retake. Students see the questions, their responses, the correct answers, and the reasons for the correct answers, but it does not allow them to answer questions.

Providing Opportunity for Retakes

The retake option provides students multiple attempts to meet a set mastery level. You can choose to give that option automatically or manually. Most teachers prefer auto-retake because it reduces their task load. To select the automatic retake, simply set up the designated mastery level when you issue the original assignment. The data report from the retakes provides the teacher with progress monitoring and growth evaluation.

Adding Time Limits and Time Frames

It is important to note the flexibility differences between “quick assign” and “assign to students.” Generally, students should have limited access to assessments to promote academic integrity. Using “assign to students” gives you the ability to decide when students can start a test and the amount of time they can spend on a test. You may choose the window of time, the duration, and available accommodations. This feature is especially useful for asynchronous remote teaching.

“Quick assign” is easiest for non-assessments because you do not have to make as many decisions about time. The “quick assign” is also useful when the entire class or all classes take the same test with many of the same settings.

A Final Note

You can see that Castle Learning digital tools give you the power of flexibility and the ease of simplicity that are so important in virtual environments. Great teaching tools not only improve student learning outcomes, they also reduce teacher frustration and burnout. The next blog in this series will focus on how Castle Learning tools aid in grading tests and assignments and aggregating data to adjust instruction.

How Castle Learning Helps Create Tests and Assignments When Teaching Virtually

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While school districts are still working on instructional plans for the fall, many leaders project that some virtual teaching will continue through the 2020-2021 school year. The ability to be flexible requires educators to evaluate educational tools for their utility and ease-of-use for remote teaching.

Many teachers say that assigning and grading work and tests has been one of the most challenging aspects of teaching virtually. Every digital assignment or test that teachers give to students requires the teacher to complete five steps before uploading it to the learning management system.

  1. Create questions aligned to the curriculum.
  2. Add relevant resources for students to use.
  3. Ensure legal rights to use the content.
  4. Provide accommodations and differentiation.
  5. Preview the assignment from the students’ perspective.

Castle Learning’s cloud-based system makes all five steps simple. Its flexibility makes it a useful tool for in-person, remote, and hybrid learning environments. Giving teachers the tools they need to “work smarter, not harder,” improves instruction and prevents burnout.

How Castle Learning Helps Teachers Create Questions Aligned to the Curriculum

Castle Learning has a question bank of over 170,000 questions searchable by standard, level, topic, skill, keyword, and question type. The Castle Learning questions come in several formats including multiple-choice, drag and drop, matching, choose all that apply, extended reply/short essay, (constructed response), and fill in the blank. There is also a large selection of reading sets which are lexile leveled.

There will be times when teachers want to create unique questions based on a unit of study. That is easy to do, and the software walks the user through each step. The cloud-based system facilitates collaboration with team members to share the workload.

Once an assignment is created, teachers save it to use for multiple classes, year after year – just like they do with paper assignments.

How Castle Learning Helps Teachers Add Relevant Resources for Students

After creating the assignment or test, it is easy to add resources and notes for students to access. Uploading a PDF, video, or website link takes mere seconds.

How Castle Learning Helps Teachers Not Violate Copyright Laws

Many teachers new to teaching virtually feel insecure about their right to use some digital resources. Subscribers like the confidence that they have an extensive library of Castle Learning reading sets and questions that they can use legally. As always, any assignment teachers create themselves will not violate copyright laws. Many open resources are available on the internet. Please ask teachers to refrain from using material they do not have the license to use or are unsure of the origin.

How Castle Learning Helps Teachers Provide Accommodations, Scaffolding, and Differentiation

Teaching virtually with outdated technology makes providing accommodations, scaffolding, and differentiation unnecessarily challenging. Luckily, our technology solves many of the most common problems. Students can use text to speech, and Google Translate with most questions. Teachers can allow some students extra time to take a test. Teachers can issue an auto retake of an assignment if the student doesn’t meet a set mastery level.

The software makes scaffolding intuitive by providing students instant feedback in the form of hints, related vocabulary and answer reasons. Modifying assignments is so quick that teachers can create several versions to differentiate for various levels and needs.

How Castle Learning Helps Teachers Preview the Assignment from a Student Perspective

Previewing assignments and tests as students will see them reduces errors and miscommunications common with remote instruction. Click the “assign to self” button, and the teacher can go through the assignment as a student. The layout and robust tools available aids student learning and feedback. If, after reviewing an assignment, the teacher decides to change any aspect of the assignment, it is easy to edit.

How Castle Learning Helps Teachers Troubleshoot

While robust virtual technology is key to successful remote teaching, any new tool requires that a teacher learn how to use it. Castle Learning guides the user to create the first class and assignments quickly. Written instructions, short video tutorials, and webinars are easily accessible so even a novice will quickly take advantage of the great features. If the content still doesn’t answer a question, customer support is a click away.

If you are trying to ease the burden of virtual teaching and improve instruction, providing teachers with appropriate technological tools will make a big impact.

Of course, creating assignments is only half of the equation. In the next blog, see how Castle Learning helps with delivering and grading assignments.

Ideas to Minimize the Pitfalls of Remote Teaching

Written by HES Marketing on .

Imagine … one Thursday, Little League announces that on the following Monday, cricket would replace baseball and softball; and that participation is mandatory. The players, fans, coaches, and suppliers would be scrambling to acquire different equipment and learn the rules, strategies, and skills. Even the vocabulary would be different. Expecting such a monumental task would cause an uproar! That scenario is similar to what happened when education switched from in-person teaching to remote teaching in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As you would expect, everyone in education is experiencing some pitfalls as they pivot their instruction. Teachers are proving their willingness to learn and flexibility to adapt to their new roles. At Castle Learning, we want to support you as you discover the best way to teach in this format. We spoke with several teachers to see what is helping them.

Pitfall: You Worry that Your Students are Not Getting Enough Guidance

Students and families participating in distance learning due to the virus outbreak did not choose remote learning as the best fit for their family. It was suddenly thrust upon them, which makes the situation completely different from selecting distance learning. Families who choose distance learning often do so because a parent has the skills, time, and patience to assist the children with their education. Many parents during the pandemic are working and cannot monitor their children’s schoolwork. Other parents do not know how to help their children. Many children resent the parents’ attempts to teach.

Ideas to Minimize the Impact:

If you teach young children, you might want to devote time to teaching parents how to help them practice reading. You can also direct families to free literacy resources to help.

It might relieve you that even though children are not getting the same academic rigor, they may still be learning essential skills. Children may learn practical skills such as cooking, sewing, and getting along with siblings. The abundance of unstructured time is allowing children to play, draw, sing, dance, and explore. These activities can be tremendously valuable for developing creativity and independence.

Pitfall: You Miss your Students, and They Miss You

The bond between students and teachers is powerful for engaging students and keeping them accountable for their learning. With only virtual contact, maintaining a relationship takes more effort. 

Ideas to Minimize the Impact:

Try interacting with a few students individually or in small groups each day. Without other students around, you will be able to listen with undivided attention, which may feel more meaningful than you could do in-person.

Some students will need extra attention because of their home life, personality, or academic needs. Ensure that these students and their families get a phone call regularly. Request co-workers that know the child to pitch in with making phone calls. Ask the child’s parents, or grandparents, for ideas. They often come up with creative solutions because they know the children in a different capacity.

Pitfall: You Feel Overwhelmed with Emails

You are probably getting an abundance of emails from stressed parents or students. Responding thoughtfully to each email takes time and patience.

 Ideas to Minimize the Impact:

Complex ideas and emotional topics can get lost in translation, creating more problems than they solve. In the article, Five Strategies that Will Inspire Your Students to Learn in a Virtual Classroom, Dr. Bruce A. Johnson suggests that you should have emotional or complicated conversations over the phone or in a virtual meeting, rather than by email.

Sometimes the sheer volume of emails makes it hard to respond individually. For non-private and non-urgent emails, combine your responses into a single email. Save all your emails on your computer so you can copy and paste the same words when appropriate.

Everyone makes mistakes when they write, especially when they are tired, stressed, or emotional. After writing an email, wait an hour or more before you send it, and then proofread the email for clarity, tone, and typos. Take advantage of wait features in the email settings that allow you to quickly “un-send” an email.

Pitfall: Finding the Right Lessons is Laborious

Many of your favorite lessons probably required physical materials. Now you must teach using mainly digital materials. Suddenly, not only are you choosing lessons, you are converting documents, evaluating educational apps, creating videos, and learning about software compatibility and copyright laws.  

Ideas to Minimize the Impact:

No single teacher can evaluate and create all the digital resources needed. Collaborate with teammates to share the load. Some staff may love creating instructional videos, while others might be great at finding the perfect lesson.

Consider trying our digital resources. You can choose from hundreds of pre-made lessons and assessments. Our software makes it easy to create original digital learning content. You can integrate everything with other platforms and learning management systems such as Google Classroom, Canvas, or Schoology. 

A Final Note on Distance Learning

Technology has advanced considerably since the Boston Gazette advertised one of the first correspondence courses in 1728. Lesson delivery and feedback shortened from weeks to almost instantaneous. The technology is immensely helpful, but be patient with yourself as you learn to use it effectively.

We hope you will return to in-person teaching in the fall. However, if schools remain closed, you will be more prepared and have more tools than before. Thank you for the work you continue to do to support student learning.

Unique Ways to Bond with Your Students Remotely

Written by HES Marketing on .

Many educators are searching for new strategies to connect with their students because their in-person techniques don’t transfer to distance learning. Students of all ages feel more motivated and willing to take risks with teachers that intentionally support their social and emotional needs. Students who don’t feel a connection with their teachers may disengage during distance learning.

Luckily, with some creativity, collaboration, communication, technology and planning, you can still build rapport and a strong learning community from a distance. Here are 18 ideas for supporting students’ social and emotional needs from your home.

Incorporate Community Building into Class Meetings

  1. Ask students how they are doing and request feedback on how the work is going. This simple gesture opens up honest communication.
  2. Invite a counselor to join a class meeting.
  3. Allow a few students to show something personal to the class, like a pet, a collection, or a picture. Join in on the fun! Seeing you share will help them feel safe to share.
  4. Allow time for chatting and silliness. Some of your students may not be getting this opportunity in their homes, and laughter is a great emotional release.
  5. Plan a meeting to show school pride. You might suggest everyone wears a crazy hairstyle or school colors. With everyone so isolated, this reminds students that you are still a safe and caring community.
  6. Incorporate routines to give kids a sense of normalcy and familiarity. Try starting the meeting with a stretch or quick chant and closing it with a song. Maybe families can volunteer to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
  7. Celebrate what students are doing outside of remote learning. They may want to show you a craft project or tell you about a game they played. One student may inspire another student to try something new.
  8. Go on an online field trip together. Many zoos and museums are creating ways to access their collections online.
  9. Create optional meetings just for fun. You can eat breakfast, watch a movie, or read aloud to them. Even teens like participating in these fun events.
  10. If you are allowed into your classroom, hold a meeting from there to remind students of a safer time.

Interact with Students

  1. Communicate with students and parents about your expectations for this challenging time and ask them for feedback.
  2. If allowed, coordinate a parade of teachers. All the teachers can drive through the neighborhood at a specific time while students stand outside their doors and wave.
  3. Send a hand-written note to your students.
  4. Call students.
  5. Use messaging apps and social media to chat with teens. They may be more likely to open up and be natural on these informal communication channels.
  6. Create a video compilation with teachers or students. They can be singing a song, posing with a pet, or just saying hi.
  7. Assign work that encourages interaction and reflection.
  8. Send video messages of encouragement or even something silly. One high school principal sent a video message of him talking about expectations. At the end of the video, he got up, turned around, and showed a funny note taped to his backside.

As you fine-tune your methods to connect, remember that parents and students are also adjusting. By now, some are settling into a workable learning routine, but others may still be struggling.

Now is not the time to be a stickler about due dates and grades. The pandemic has caused a monumental lifestyle change. Your students may not perform at their usual level. Cut yourself some slack too. No one expects you to become an expert in online teaching overnight.

While you cannot save the life of everyone in the world, you can make a world of difference in the lives of your students.