Emergency Response Teaching During a Global Pandemic:

Transitioning From Face to Face to Digital Learning Resources

“We already know that online education doesn't work well for all students -- particularly disadvantaged students -- under normal circumstances. And these aren't normal circumstances. What we will be able to judge colleges and universities on, however, is how flexible and compassionate they are during this crisis”. - Audrey Watters

Below is a list of resources, research, excerpts and twitter threads from educators, academics and experts in the field of online learning. Normally I wouldn’t use twitter threads (but maybe I should) as research but lived experience is valid and so important right now as we are in unprecedented times and there is no manual or pile of peer-reviewed research that exists to help support educators transitioning from face to face to online learning during a global pandemic.

However, for me, I find that being as informed and evidenced based as possible to help guide students through this crisis is essential. Essentially, according to e-learning or online education experts we can’t just simply move our classrooms from the real world to online space. We need to understand that we are “crisis-driven-global-pandemic-emergency-response teaching”. This is not business as usual and according to Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer the next few days, weeks and months will be harder and more difficult than this week alone. We can not expect our students or teachers to operate under the conditions of a crisis in the same way as in normal times when rolling out an online course.

Therefore, I think it’s essential that all of us approach our move to online teaching following four basic concepts as outlined in some of the research below. Our transition needs to be simple, flexible and compassionate with a focus on equity.

In order to do this, teachers need to use simple online platforms that they and their students already use and are familiar with. Anything from email to google classroom to schoolzone and other apps like slack can all work. There needs to be flexibility in the schedule of the day as many teachers are parents attempting to work and provide childcare at the same time while at home and students have a number of other responsibilities during the day that can prevent them from being in front of a computer for each class. There are also major issues of equity that will inevitably marginalize students even further with lack of access to technology and wifi. We need to be flexible and build our courses with these students at the center. Finally, being compassionate with the mental health and well-being of students and our colleagues is essential to move into this transition. We are teaching during a global crisis and that can not be understated enough.

Below, Beyhan Farhadi (Phd) provides six thoughts on how we transition from F2F to Online Learning and what to be considerate of during this crisis:

1. Let Teachers decide how they are able to support students; this may involve a number of tools, which include but are not limited to online learning.

2. Do not administer evaluations and formally deliver lessons; we can't fairly expect students to demonstrate their learning.

3. Teachers are parents, too. Not all of them are able to work online. We must have realistic expectations about how much support they can provide.

4. Parents may be unable to support students, especially with specialized subjects. They are already under extraordinary pressure.

5. Online tools should be used to reconnect students to community and already established F2F relationships. They should not be used to enforce a crisis curriculum.

6. Most importantly, design for and respond to students with the greatest need and fewest resources. Plan *equitably* for uncertainty.

I believe that if we can continue to be informed through research and expertise we can provide space for students to continue building relationships and communities to have support during this crisis as well as to help navigate through the course and curriculum as needed. Following a method of Simplicity, Flexibility, Compassion and Equity is a framework that can help us all provide connection and structure to students as well as have compassion for ourselves as we move through emergency response teaching during a global pandemic.

Resources:

  1. Virtual Learning and Covid-19 - https://www.humanrestorationproject.org/things-fall-apart/virtual-learning-covid-19
  2. Simplification: School Policies and Practices to End During COVID-19 - https://medium.com/human-restoration-project/simplification-school-policies-and-practices-to-end-during-covid-19-e9d5f66077e2
  3. Changing From Classroom To Online Courses During The COVID-19 Virus Outbreak - https://community.brightspace.com/s/article/Changing-from-classroom-to-online-courses-during-the-COVID-19-virus-outbreak
  4. Joint Response Regarding COVID-19 and Advice on Transitioning Face-to-Face Courses Online - https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/about/joint-response-re-covid-19/
  5. “Fricken Packets” - https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/busysheets/
  6. Resources for Online Learning During School Closures - Resources for Online Learning During School Closures - http://neatoday.org/2020/03/16/resources-for-online-learning-during-school-closures/
  7. 5 Things to Know About E-Learning in Ontario - http://behindthenumbers.ca/author/beyhan/
  8. A Summary of Findings: “The Sky’s the Limit”: On the Impossible Promise of E-Learning in the Toronto District School Board - https://beyhanfarhadi.com/2019/04/08/summary-of-findings/
  9. Why a Pass/Fail is a Good Option For Everyone Right Now - https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/18/opinions/coronavirus-makes-college-and-life-pass-fail-perry/index.html
  10. Teaching in a Crisis Twitter Thread - https://twitter.com/BBFarhadi/status/1240221410896855043
  11. Twitter thread on transitioning from F2F to Online during Covid-19 - https://twitter.com/BBFarhadi/status/1240221410896855043
  12. School Closures and Online Learning: Creating Community, Centering Students - https://www.facinghistory.org/calendar/web2020nat14-school-closures-and-online-learning-creating-community-centering-students?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=organic
  13. Twitter thread arguing in favour of shutting down schools until September and challenges/inequities of online learning - https://twitter.com/bjfr/status/1237396247180238849
  14. Twitter thread on grading during a crisis - https://twitter.com/Jessifer/status/1239175864769744896
  15. Twitter thread on compassion on transition to online learning in a crisis - https://twitter.com/Jessifer/status/1240055665554599940
  16. A template/exemplar of moving a course on-line - https://dgst101.com/
  17. Resources for Learning Online - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KYBpkYbBsU&feature=youtu.be
  18. Twitter thread on issues of learning online during a crisis https://twitter.com/BBFarhadi/status/1239998705878609921
  19. The Case for Shutting Down Schools instead of Going On-line - https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-03-12-the-case-for-shutting-colleges-down-instead-of-moving-classes-online?fbclid=IwAR08q725qctuN2JCMWC4kYjWZXsPus5_vTf3KpB9oQ20ZG-e6afyxwnHEdY
  20. Online learning fails to deliver https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2019/01/16/online-learning-fails-deliver-finds-report-aimed-discouraging
  21. Will shift to remote teaching help or hurt online learning https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2020/03/18/most-teaching-going-remote-will-help-or-hurt-online-learning
  22. E-learning companies are seizing the moment—but experts say online classes don’t work - https://fortune.com/2020/03/17/online-classes-online-education-learning-google-classroom-school-closings/
  23. 'Panic-gogy': Teaching Online Classes During The Coronavirus Pandemic - https://www.npr.org/2020/03/19/817885991/panic-gogy-teaching-online-classes-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic
  24. Philly schools forbid graded ‘remote instruction’ during shutdown for equity concerns - https://whyy.org/articles/philly-schools-forbid-remote-instruction-during-shutdown-for-equity-concerns/
  25. To Grade or Not to Grade? During Coronavirus, That Is The Question - https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-03-19-to-grade-or-not-to-grade-during-coronavirus-that-is-the-question
  26. Teaching Through Coronavirus - https://www.tolerance.org/the-moment/march-19-2020-teaching-through-coronavirus
  27. Taking School Online With A Student Centered Approach - https://www.facinghistory.org/books-borrowing/taking-school-online-student-centered-approach?utm_campaign=COVID19&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=85047798&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8X-vlvJ2V8lZEx8oTiBxwKmyiCAdbgfORxjHTpmzxGn8Aa0iN1I72JdrBJL2avzhe_h4dpppgF5wrNroRUBv6DoD5APg&_hsmi=85047798
  28. Episode 36: E-learning in response to the COVID19 pandemic - http://edisaright.ca/episode-36-e-learning-in-response-to-the-covid19-pandemic
  29. Coronavirus: Remembering the Value of School in a Time of Crisis - https://lens.monash.edu/@education/2020/03/19/1379849/coronavirus-remembering-the-value-of-school-in-a-time-of-crisis
  30. Teaching through a “Digital Divide” Twitter Thread - https://twitter.com/bjfr/status/1241395227396575235
  31. Teacher Interrupted: Leaning into Social-Emotional Learning Amid the Covid-19 Crisis - https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-03-18-teacher-interrupted-leaning-into-social-emotional-learning-amid-the-covid-19-crisis
  32. A Trauma Informed Approach to Teaching Through Coronavirus - https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/a-trauma-informed-approach-to-teaching-through-coronavirus
  33. Twitter Thread on Equity and Distance Learning - https://twitter.com/jkirk___/status/1242025201707225089
  34. Twitter Thread on Equity and Support for Students - https://twitter.com/MaRewrites/status/124211333477146215 
  35. The Coronavirus and Our Work - https://rethinkingschoolsblog.com/2020/03/18/the-coronavirus-and-our-work/
  36. Educating the Whole Child at Home During Quarantine: Helping kids Cope with Anxiety and Learn From Life  - https://iamaneducator.com/2020/03/18/educating-the-whole-child-at-home-during-quarantine-helping-kids-cope-with-anxiety-and-learn-from-life-diary-of-a-teacher-during-the-coronavirus-crisis-entry-3/
  37. A collection of resources that focus on making online instruction trauma-informed, culturally responsive, culturally sustaining, and socially just. - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j6hXguBCsU4H3QVQLB-xgS2MrwupFlDULARsA0c1mPQ/edit?usp=sharing 
  38. Educating (And Being a Human) During a Pandemic - https://pressbooks.library.ualberta.ca/grimeducator/chapter/pandemic/
  39. The Ed Podcast - Emergency Response Teaching - https://www.theedpodcast.com/episodes/conversation-136-a-critical-conversation-2zxjh
  40. Committing to ungrading, in an emergency and after - https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2020/03/duke-university-gradin-coronavirus-covid-19-public-health-crisis-emergency-thinking-ungrading-pass-fail
  41. Schooling for Equity During and Beyond Covid-19 - http://behindthenumbers.ca/2020/03/27/schooling-for-equity-during-covid-19/?fbclid=IwAR0wVbCUb8ImkRWOWnCrozoBS61th8kBQkhrL4pAsrLqEgcGjlc8Kae4LYk
  42. Equity Isn’t Just About Technology, It’s also about Supporting Studies and Families - https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-03-26-equity-isn-t-just-about-technology-it-s-about-supporting-students-and-families?utm_campaign=site&utm_content=share-328
  43. Guiding Culturally Responsive Remote Learning - https://crehub.org/remote-learning
  44. A Healthy Reminder to Educators During School Closures - https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/a-healthy-reminder-to-educators-during-school-closures
  45. Standing up to Hate and Bias During Covid 19 - https://neaedjustice.org/2020/03/30/standing-up-to-hate-and-bias-related-to-covid-19/
  46. School Responses to Covid 19 - ELL and Immigrant Considerations - https://www.colorincolorado.org/coronavirus-ell
  47. Welcome Back to School: Learning During Covid-19  - https://buildingunionpower.ca/resources/f/welcome-back-to-school-learning-during-covid-19
  48. Ungrading Resources - https://www.humanrestorationproject.org/ungrading-resources
  49. As Schools Move Online, Many Studnets Stay Logged Out - https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/us/coronavirus-schools-attendance-absent.html
  50. Four Core Priorities for Trauma-Informed Distance Learning - https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55679/four-core-priorities-for-trauma-informed-distance-learning
  51. When Schools Cause Trauma - https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/summer-2019/when-schools-cause-trauma
  52. Grading During Covid - 19 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=343&v=Y0hXUMqJPUg&feature=emb_title&fbclid=IwAR07HJ05KpbTgkopnBKrIZ9p11aRyOH0BICrgOETKdgzSIWXQ7dhBlwiTRA
  53. 4 in 10 Teens Say They Haven’t Done Online Learning Since Schools Closed - https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/08/829618124/4-in-10-u-s-teens-say-they-havent-done-online-learning-since-schools-closed?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social
  54. Equity Literacy During COVID-19 Crisis - https://www.equityliteracy.org/equity-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR1taBQmsm9rp1sgyzwvP0YVHbW1yJAucE1wkz00YBgLr4XEUZbnHaZpBCU
  55. New Pandemic EdTech Power Network - https://codeactsineducation.wordpress.com/2020/04/01/new-pandemic-edtech-power-networks/
  56. Educators Worry Gap May Grow for Disadvantaged Students Stuck At Home - https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-tdsb-aims-to-bridge-gaps-in-at-home-education/
  57. Resist The Urge to Grade Students During The Coronavius Pandemic - https://inservice.ascd.org/resist-the-urge-to-grade-students-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/
  58. Educating Ontario Students During Covid-19 - https://www.broadbentinstitute.ca/educating_ontario_students_during_covid_19
  59. Research on COVID-19 Remote Teaching - Assessment and Evaluation https://t.co/RM3w7vmlVK?amp=1 

  60. Ramon San Vicente and Alison Gaymes — Schooling for equity during and beyond COVID-19 - https://t.co/E5VgOEMbDD?amp=1 

  61. The Digital Inequity Issues of Confronting the Coronavirus with online learning - https://t.co/T5ccqtiVq7?amp=1