{"id":7846,"date":"2020-03-29T09:24:06","date_gmt":"2020-03-29T09:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/?p=7846"},"modified":"2020-03-29T10:12:20","modified_gmt":"2020-03-29T10:12:20","slug":"the-big-shift-advice-for-teaching-through-a-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/the-big-shift-advice-for-teaching-through-a-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"The Big Shift: Advice for Teaching Through a Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Life as an international teacher requires you to be incredibly flexible as you move between countries, cultures, and schools. But nothing has required as much of a willingness to adapt and evolve my practice as being locked in my apartment and having to reinvent my approach to the classroom. Switching it up for my 10th grade Language Acquisition class was one hurdle, figuring out how to co-teach 7th grade Humanities required even more of a leap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I am in my first year of working in Bangkok after several years in China. Like the rest of the world, I\nwatched this pandemic unfold there with a heavy heart, fear for my former students and anxiety that it\nwas coming soon to Thailand. But then it came, and step-by-step we readied for the change and in the\nend, it was a swift and easy transition to delivering my classes online and reaching students no matter\nwhere they are.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our administrators warned us weeks in advance that this could happen and had a meeting to show us\nhow to use Zoom. Our librarian made sure many digital resources are available on our library page. But\nat the end of the day, it was down to each individual teacher to remap their techniques and plans the\nday the call came to close.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First and foremost, we as educators have to change with the world around us and educate our students\nto operate in the world that is to come in the years ahead and not just the one we live in today. This\nchallenge is forcing all of us to adapt our practices and approaches to teaching to reach across digital\ndivides and keep learning alive. To be honest, I probably would have never drug all of my lessons into\nthe modern age or ever opened Zoom or a Padlet if this hadn\u2019t happened. No matter what, I am grateful\nfor that. Silver linings!\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advice from Lockdown:\n<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Relax<\/strong> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a deep breath and remember that no matter what, you are still the amazing teacher you were\nbefore your school closed. You will continue to be that teacher and your stress and worry for how you\nwill keep teaching today is proof that you are dedicated and committed to reaching your students.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Start over <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your students are not only adapting to your new class and ways of digital teaching. They are also\nadapting to every other teacher they have and their new systems. Treat the first week like the first week\nof any school year. Teach expectations, set boundaries, get to know your kids in this new way, find a\nnew balance and a new norm.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slow down <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest surprise to me was how little work my students were able to accomplish in the same\namount of time. Even if I kept them in Zoom with me to complete something, they fumbled and\nstruggled to get the task done. We take it for granted that they are digital wizards because they live on\ntheir devices all day. They don\u2019t have any more experience at this than we do, and they need time.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stick with what matters <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look at your unit and decide what the most important things are for your students to master in this unit\nand keep your focus on those critical components. Add in the rest if you have time, but lock a laser focus\non the heart of the topics and achieve those goals first.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Walk away <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do not let yourself fall into the trap of confusing down time and work time. Just because you moved\nyour work to your home, doesn\u2019t mean it should dominate your life. You and your students need you at\npeak mental and emotional health right now. Take breaks, walk away, and don\u2019t let this overtake every\npart of your life. You are living in this crisis too. You have mental, emotional, and physical needs too. See\nto them first so you have something left to give to your students when you hit week 3, 6, or 10 of school\nclosures. Locked in your home? Have a Zoom game night or dinner with friends. Take walks. Have a life.\nYou need it to sustain you.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reach out <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember you are not alone. There are countless teachers in the same situation you are in and we are\nall just figuring it out. Join a group where you can find resources and advice from other teachers like\nEducator Temporary School Closure Community. Don\u2019t just Zoom with your students, have meetings\nwith your co-workers to see what they are doing. Don\u2019t feel as if you are the only one struggling. We are\nall adapting and coming together like never before.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lean in <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end we will all come out of this as better teachers with countless hours of self-study professional development from all the new systems we are adapting to. So find your fellow teachers and learn from them, teach them, and stand strong. Show your students what it really looks like to embrace a life-long love of learning and take them on the journey with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article was submitted to us by guest author and ISC Member Michelle Overman. Check out her website at<\/em>www.zestyteacher.com<\/em><\/a> and follow her on Twitter at <\/em>@ZestyTeacher<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Life as an international teacher requires you to be incredibly flexible as you move between countries, cultures, and schools. But nothing has required as much of a willingness to adapt and evolve my practice as being locked in my apartment and having to reinvent my approach to the classroom. Switching it up for my 10th […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[12],"tags":[795,57,2793,2791,2770,1966,2792],"class_list":["post-7846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-highlighted-articles","tag-anxiety","tag-international-teacher","tag-lockdown","tag-pandemic","tag-remote-teaching","tag-transition","tag-zoom"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/aleksander-vlad-jiVeo0i1EB4-unsplash.jpg?fit=900%2C600&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2flVT-22y","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8565,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/how-have-international-schools-been-doing-during-the-covid-19-pandemic\/","url_meta":{"origin":7846,"position":0},"title":"How Have International Schools Been Doing During the COVID 19 Pandemic?","author":"ISCommunity","date":"December 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Nobody was fully prepared to deal with the lockdowns international schools have been experiencing. Some international schools experienced teaching from home, doing remote learning. And though many international schools are back to in-person learning at the moment (with or without masks), others are still in the throws of remote teaching!\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Discussion Topics"","block_context":{"text":"Discussion Topics","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/discussion-topics\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/kids-5560586_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/kids-5560586_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/kids-5560586_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/kids-5560586_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/kids-5560586_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7908,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/10-consequences-of-covid-19-on-international-schools-around-the-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":7846,"position":1},"title":"10 Consequences of Covid-19 on International Schools around the World","author":"ISCommunity","date":"May 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The vast number of international schools around the world are still closed and doing some kind of remote learning. It has truly been a challenge for these schools to adapt and adjust to this new way of teaching. The pressure has been on the school's administration to organize a clear\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Top 10 Lists"","block_context":{"text":"Top 10 Lists","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/top-10-lists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/class-5120412_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/class-5120412_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/class-5120412_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/class-5120412_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/class-5120412_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8458,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/member-spotlight-41-jess-gosling-an-international-teacher-working-in-taiwan\/","url_meta":{"origin":7846,"position":2},"title":"Member Spotlight #41: Jess Gosling (An international teacher working in Taiwan)","author":"ISCommunity","date":"August 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Every so often\u00a0International School Community\u00a0is looking to\u00a0highlight one of our members in our\u00a0Member Spotlight\u00a0blog category.\u00a0 This month we interviewed Jess Gosling: Tell us about your background.\u00a0 Where are you from? Hi, my name is Jess Gosling and I\u2019ve been living and working abroad for more than 10 years. I am\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Member Spotlights"","block_context":{"text":"Member Spotlights","link":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/category\/member-spotlights\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Photo-1.jpeg?fit=631%2C820&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Photo-1.jpeg?fit=631%2C820&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Photo-1.jpeg?fit=631%2C820&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8495,"url":"https:\/\/internationalschoolcommunity.com\/blog\/save-at-international-schools-anywhere-tip-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":7846,"position":3},"title":"Save $$$ at International Schools ANYWHERE: Tip #2","author":"ISCommunity","date":"September 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"As a career international teacher, I am happy to continue this series on Save $$$ ANYWHERE! 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