Although there are many challenges as we start a year of instructional uncertainty, one of the key issues is the need to ensure that students are working at rigorous levels, whether in a traditional classroom setting, a hybrid setting, or a fully remote environment. When we consider the meaning of rigor—that students are expected and supported to learn at high levels and demonstrate that learning at high levels (Blackburn, 2018)—we should realize that this does not mean that we disregard all of our current instructional practices and start over to accommodate current conditions. Rather, we can take best practices and adapt them to a new situation, particularly one that incorporates some level of remote learning.
Maintaining Expectations
First, our expectations for students should remain high. One issue that can impact our expectations is the motivation, or lack of motivation, of our students. The uncertainty of instruction and routine during COVID-19 can affect students' motivation levels and ability to concentrate. It's necessary to consider the two facets of students' intrinsic motivations: value and success. What do students value in their current situation? Is it their relationship with you, stability, or opportunities to work with their peers?
Addressing these concerns will help students work at more rigorous levels. Second, success is a key part of motivation—the scaffolding portion of rigor. How can we help students address their concerns around working independently or struggling with new content without educators' supportive presence? Meeting the support needs of students does not mean we necessarily lower our expectations. Rather, we can increase our scaffolding.
A particular remote learning challenge I hear from teachers is that, because they are not able to observe students and provide immediate feedback, it is difficult to create lessons that are as rigorous as those they would use in the physical classroom. In that case, it's important to use the technology in creative ways to support rigorous activities, and then provide appropriate scaffolding to ensure success. Let's look at a sample task with technology resources for a remote setting. This task is appropriate for middle and high school, can be used in a social studies classroom, and is easily adaptable to a science or English/language arts classroom:
Choose a controversial issue of interest to you (or from an assigned time period/political platform). Use credible sources to research the various perspectives surrounding the topic. For the remainder of your assignment, you'll work with your group. Based on the information learned, explain two or more possible solutions to the controversy that would address the key aspects of the issue. With your group, write a logical argument that contains a proposal/ compromise to satisfy groups on both sides of the conflict. In your argument, be sure to explain how you will address the problem and justify your solution with logic and evidence from research.
For group work, many teachers use the private chatboard Kialo (and educator Larry Ferlazzo has a list of other resources for student debates). This activity is crafted to move beyond a standard essay or debate. Most debates ask students to choose one perspective and develop a thesis or argument to support their position, based on evidence. However, in this case, students must develop an argument that satisfies groups on both sides of the issue, requiring students to research at a deeper level in order to craft a compromise.
Scaffolding Support
Next, it's critical to provide scaffolding for students. One helpful tool is a Guide-O-Rama, which is a combination of a study guide and a "think aloud" that walks students through an assigned text or video. With remote learning, students are often working on their own, and they may not know how what to look for. It is essentially what you would say to students in class and provides structure and focus. You'll want to be sure your questions and thoughts lead to a rigorous result. Using Educreations, Flipgrid, whiteboard.fi, Edpuzzle, or even Google Slides, you can easily screen record a section of text, share your thoughts, and then pose the guiding question or task you would like students to consider before moving on to the next section.
Provide the sample below to students to use as if you were sharing information and asking questions in person.
Guide-O-Rama: Math Ratios Video
Time | Reading Tip |
|---|---|
| 0 seconds | What do you already know about ratios? Before I watch a video, I also write down what I'm confused about or what I want to learn. |
| 15 seconds | How does the tutor define ratios? How does it compare to your thoughts? For me, sometimes it doesn't match, so I know I need to pay extra attention to the video. |
| 51 seconds | The first time I watched this, I was a little confused because writing a ratio looks exactly like writing a fraction. Did this confuse you? |
| 1:40 | Stop and think for a minute. Is this making sense? If it is confusing, you might want to back up the video now and re-watch it. I've found that it helps me to stop when I don't understand a step rather than waiting until the end. |
(Watch the Math Ratios Video here.)
Structuring Assessment (Demonstration of Learning)
Finally, we should consider how students demonstrate their understanding of learning. We often use a mix of traditional and performance-based tasks to assess students. In a partial or fully remote setting, we can do the same while ensuring the level of rigor. For example, if we use a multiple-choice test, it's important to give students appropriate choices that require they understand the content. In addition to providing standard choices, adding options such as A and B, B and C, A and C, all of the above, and none of the above, students must show they fully understand the content rather than understanding it at a surface level.
Let's look at a science example:
Science Example (Astronomy)
Which of the following could result in destruction of a spacecraft traveling to Mars?
a. Highly accelerated subatomic particles hit the shielded navigation system.
b. A micrometeor the size of a marble ruptures the pressurized argon fuel.
c. The spacecraft comes within 100,000 km of a black hole.
d. a and b could destroy a spacecraft.
e. a and c could destroy a spacecraft.
f. b and c could destroy a spacecraft.
g. All of the above could destroy a spacecraft.
h. None of the above could destroy a spacecraft.
Technology-based tools that can help you use multiple choice tests in a physical or remote classroom are Quiz Socket, Kahoot!, Quizizz, and Google Forms.
As an alternative to a traditional test, we may choose to use performance-based assessments. Performances encompass a wide range of activities, some of which can be incorporated in project- and problem-based learning and portfolios. To organize and share work, an excellent tool is an electronic portfolio. There are possibilities for all grade levels, including VoiceThread, Kidblog, Three Ring, FolioSpaces, and Googlios.
Meeting students' needs in an ever-changing setting can be challenging. Whether we are teaching in a traditional situation or in some form of remote learning, we must move beyond basic instruction to provide opportunities for students to improve their learning. As we take our current best practices, adapt them to be more challenging, and incorporate remote tools, we can ensure success for all students.
