Educators everywhere are going the extra yard to keep kids learning. What we've learned so far.
What we learned during three Extra Yard for Teachers Pandemic Response Educator Roundtable sessions.
As part of the CFP Foundation Pandemic Response plan, the Foundation convened and hosted 3 roundtables in March and April of 2020 that were attended by national education leaders and current educators from across the country. The goal was to capture the adaptations of education systems and resiliency of educators given the sudden shift to distance learning.
What We Learned:
Student Needs
Food and social services (social/emotional support now and when school year starts back up)
Access to devices/internet/learning resources (laptops, hotspots)
Continued relationships with teachers (especially for students that don’t have home support)
Continued feeling and opportunities of connectivity with classmates and peers to feel “normal”
Teacher Needs
Social Emotional Support (increased demands from home and new demands at work)
Strong feelings of “chaos” and “burnout” with current state
Guidance on grading/attendance/re-opening (lack of cohesive leadership and teachers are left piecemealing day to day)
Professional Development related to distance learning that is accessible in various times and platforms/easily digestible with new demands outside of “school day”- Differentiated for teachers
Looking Ahead
Teachers appreciated more than ever/seen as professionals in their field
Parents involved in learning and have increased connectivity with teachers (not just for behavior issues etc.)
Awareness of skills teachers have to reach all types of students and challenges related to that in classrooms that are large in size
Some students have shown great resilience and innovation during this time and realize application of courses (3D printing masks, healthcare workers etc.)
Virtual learning integrated more into school setting
Learning to learn, not take a test
Pandemic is highlighting major inequities in education – how can we flip the system to have equity for every student?
How will we change testing? Short term is more analysis, do we continue this?
How does this change student teaching experiences and how address challenges for new teachers?
Principals focusing on teacher social/emotional needs and mental health of teachers
Summary was developed based upon three sessions held between March 16 - April 30, 2020 and were hosted by College Football Playoff Foundation staff.