Description
Designed for K-8 teachers, this course is centered around Jennifer Serravallo’s book Connecting with Students Online, which was written to support teachers during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. The intent of the course is to “help clarify the essence of effective online teaching while addressing crucial topics including assessment and progress monitoring, student engagement and accountability, supporting students’ social and emotional needs, getting books into students’ hands, and avoiding teacher burnout.” The underlying message is that the same principles of pedagogy that are effective for online teaching are the same as those that are effective for the face-to-face classroom.
Course Outline
Week 1: Student Orientation
Week 2: Holding True to Priorities while Moving Online and Connecting with Caregivers at Home
Week 3: Planning and Revising Curriculum Units for Online Instruction
Week 4: Managing Time, Across a Day, Across the Week
Week 5: Supporting Students’ Independent Practice at Home
Week 6: Methods and Structures for Teaching Online (6-A)
Week 7: Methods and Structures for Teaching Online (6-B)
Prerequisites
This is an intermediate level course for teachers, literacy coaches, curriculum specialists, professional development specialists, or other school personnel. Participants are expected to have regular access to computers with Internet access. In addition, participants should be proficient with browsing the Internet, uploading and downloading content, navigating to computer files, and with using word processing software, email, and attachments.
Required Materials
This course requires that participants purchase Connecting with Students Online by Jennifer Serravallo. Print copies of the book are widely available for order. All materials in this course are the property of the South Carolina Department of Education Office of VirtualSC PD. All course materials needed/required for the workshop, other than the book listed above, are available online.