Gateway Group

Virtual Learning Experience Survey Results

Key Questions:

1. What are the challenges in virtual learning for students, families, and teachers?
2. What is working in virtual learning for students, families, and teachers?
3. What improvements can we make to the experience for students, families, and teachers?
4. What do we need to be mindful of as virtual learning evolves?

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Key Assumptions:

• We changed 2 centuries of “normal” structures with less than 2 weeks notice.
• This is virtual learning in the time of crisis, not “homeschooling.”
• We will get through this together.

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Student/Parent Experience Survey

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5

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Too Little Too Much

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Too Little Too Much

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Too Little Too Much

11

Too Little Too Much

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Too Easy Too Difficult

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Staffulty

Experience Survey

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Much Less Much More

Themes

Positives

Parents/Students

• Self-Paced, developing Independence
• Parents are engaged in the learning with students
• Connecting with teachers and peers, 1 on 1 support, how much the teachers care
• Spending time with family, pursuing interests
• Extra sleep, comfy clothes

Staffulty

• Developing new technology skills
• Finding ways to stay connects with students, families, and each other
• Parents are engaging as partners in learning
• Extra sleep, comfy clothes, no commute

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Challenges

Parents/Students

• Lack of direct, in-person access to the teachers
• Balancing the workload of classes, organizing time and work
• Establishing a routine, finding motivation, checking on completion of work

Staffulty

• Lack of direct, in-person access to the kids
• Worried about kids who are missing work, unmotivated, etc.
• “Am I enough?”
• Balancing teaching and own kids at home
• Establishing routines and boundaries for working from home

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Concerns for the Future

Parents/Students

• Skill gaps in Math/Science
• Reviewing content
• Getting back into a routine

Staffulty

• Supporting social-emotional needs (for both kids and adults)
• Getting back into routines (for both kids and adults)

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Planned Improvements

Nothing replaces the student/teacher relationship.

• The single biggest factor in the success of a student is the relationship with their teacher.
• We will work to provide more opportunities for asynchronous direct instruction via recorded videos from the teachers that teach skills, review content, or outline assignment expectations.

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Fostering Independence and Helping Parents Help Their Students

• We will work to improve the clarity of expectations and deadlines for assignments. We will encourage the use of virtual learning organizers and checklists.
• We will work to provide rubrics and other ways for students to self-assess.

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Providing Enrichment and Differentiation

• We will work to increase student choices in assignments and projects.
• Gateway Library Enrichment Bingo for PBIS points and enrichment links https://gatewayhslibrary.weebly.com/family.html

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Virtual Learning Can’t Replicate the Full School Experience.

• We researched virtual learning when we created our plans, including west coast schools who shut down earlier than our schools and online charter schools. We considered neuroscience and best practice when devising guidelines.
• Elementary - 1-2 hours/day; Secondary School - 2-4 hours/day of virtual instruction
• Focusing on the most essential skills and content; we acknowledge that this is not the complete curriculum.
• Kids are still “learning” throughout the day through play, interactions with family, pursuit of hobbies, etc.

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Our teachers can’t pour from an empty cup.

• We ask that our teachers establish working hours and boundaries for working-from-home.
• Use the published office hours. If it does not fit your schedule, please send an email and allow 24 hours for a response to schedule an individual appointment..
• We encourage teachers to take care of themselves and their families.
• ​

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Thank you!

Dr. Amy Mount

amount@gatewayhs.com

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