Learning to get out of the way

Connected Learning 2.0 bore down upon us very quickly at the end of last term. Suddenly, we had a second opportunity to take what we learnt from last lockdown and apply it to a second round... only this time much longer. My role as a diversity teacher (similar to a learning support teacher) has taken on some unique shifts and turns over the last 10 weeks. 

So, what have I learnt over the last 10 weeks? 

Online learning magnifies the learning challenges of many students. I have come to realise how much most learners and even us teachers, rely on the physical and social environment for learning and progression. Students become very adept at watching and asking their peers, waiting for additional teacher prompts or check ins or using the structure of a school day with its familiar classroom procedures to help them stay motivated. Of course, a classroom can also be a great place for a student to 'hide'. When you take all these familiar structures away, a student who has little intrinsic motivation or low executive functioning or slower cognitive processing speed will likely feel like they are drowning in an online remote learning mode. And so, our diversity team has worked incredibly close with a small number of students using adjusted learning sites, highly visualised learning materials, small group and 1:1 zooms twice per day. We have found this to be exhausting for us staff, but essential for these students to stay connected and to learn and to progress through this. 

Despite the immense challenges, I have had the incredible privilege of working with some amazing students. Everyday these students have made me smile and laugh and enlightened me with facts about ancient tribes in the middle east, photosynthesis, minecraft, aviation or space. I have been able to get to know these students in a different way and learnt more about their families, lives, strengths and challenges. I have seen these students overcome what have been substantial barriers and changes in their learning. They have turned up everyday, twice a day, most of them without fail. They have learnt to be patient with others and wait their turn on zoom. I have been able to build their trust and walk with them everyday as they learnt to navigate  zoom, how to share a screen, how to share a doc, how to email a teacher, how to learn to take turns on zoom, how to seek help, how to find zoom links, how to be on time, how to copy docs and how to submit their work. I have witnessed some students start the term with very few of these skills but by the end of term they have become proficient in them. They have learnt a level of independence and mastery that they would not have learnt in the classroom. Because we could not do it for them. We too easily teach students with additional learning needs dependence, not independence. What some students had not mastered in two terms of Year 7, they had mastered in 5 weeks of connected learning.

This is a massive lesson. It is too easy to do too much for our learners. So what did I learn? I learnt that I need to get out of the way. It might be a struggle in the beginning. It might lead to a lot of frustration and deep breaths and repeated instructions. But with guidance, prompting and repetition, they can get there!

The second major lesson I learnt is a bit more personal. By about week 7, I was mentally exhausted and petering on the edge of a breakdown. I was working very long days and juggling significant needs of a number of students, my own families needs (including a child with additional needs) and adjusting and setting work across all KLAs for these students everyday. 

One particular week, I had a number of students who were struggling with the learning and so we needed to increase their level of support. By the end this week, we had added about 4 more students to my caseload. The work doesn't significantly increase with each student - but it mentally fatigued me. I felt myself taking on personal responsibility for each of these students. That somehow I needed to be their main support and it was up to me whether they sunk or swam. Talking with families and students who are struggling can be really challenging. I am a very empathetic person, so I feel their struggles deeply and often identify through my own experiences.

But it was taking its toll. I needed to step back. So I planned a mental health day. I planned activities that I know would help me unwind and process. I did a long bushwalk, worked in the garden, baked and did some reading. I realised that I couldn't be and it wasn't my job to be all of this for my students. There is only so much I can do from behind a computer screen. Students and their families need to also take personal responsibility - after all - we're all in this together, right?

So, as I gear up for at least a few more weeks of connected learning next term, I will take this learning with me: the need to step back, step aside and get out of the way.