Distance Learning Archives - The Present Teacher

3 Student Engagement Strategies to Transform Online Learning

According to the World Economic Forum, over 1.2 billion children were out of the classroom when the pandemic struck.

As a result, millions of children and teachers transitioned to online learning.

In a world where teachers were just starting to use online learning, it is no surprise that there weren’t many effective pieces of training about how to engage students in online learning.

Now after a year of teaching online, teachers are coming together to share the top student engagement strategies for online learning.

Keeping students engaged while learning online can feel like an uphill battle.

Keeping students engaged online can feel like:

You are so overwhelmed that you have no idea where to start
You have to completely reinvent the wheel
It’s a constant battle to keep students logged in or paying attention all-day
Your idea of what would be “fun” doesn’t match what your students consider fun.

That’s why I want to share with you the Top 3 Engagement Strategies for Online Learning.

Online learning can be an unpredictable place especially in the middle of a pandemic.

We are in this together and we are stronger together.

Whether you are just starting to teach online or have been and need some fresh ideas, grab a quick cup of much-deserved coffee, and let’s get started.

We are going to talk about:

What is student engagement?
Why is it important?
5 Student Engagement Strategies For Online Learning that You Can Use Right Now

Also, download the “Ultimate Student Engagement Guide with Over 30 Student Engagement Strategies” that you can do in 5 minutes or less!

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Categories: Distance Learning

Fantastic Primary Activities Inspired by “The Bad Seed”

After a very cold and snowy winter, Spring is right around the corner.

Are you as excited as I am?

One of my favorite things about Spring is all the wonderfully fun activities I have planned for my Kindergarten class.

This year I have been focusing on incorporating read aloud into our activities. For example, “The Kissing Hand,” “5 Little Pumpkins,” “Sneezy the Snowman,” to name a few.

Well, this Spring I wanted to focus on something that addressed social and emotional health as well as introduced my kids to a Seed.

This is because I have a great science experiment with seeds that I will be sharing later in this post.

That’s when I decided to focus my activities around the book “The Bad Seed.”

“The Bad Seed” is a very cute book about a seed that is “bad” who tries his best to become a “good” seed.

This is perfect for reviewing expectations in the classroom and I love the message that no one is a “bad seed.” We can all choose to make good choices if we try.

But, if you have read any of my other blog posts, you know that I don’t let stories end there.

In this post, I am going to share some great activities to do with your students that are perfect for this book.

Whether you are in person, hybrid, or teaching virtually (like I am) these activities are great for primary students. Regardless of what learning may look like.

So let’s go ahead and get started!

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Categories: Distance Learning

Fantastic Valentine’s Day Activities for Distance Learning

Well, it is February 2021 and we are still Virtual Learning. It’s crazy to think that some schools like mine have been virtual since March 2020.

If you have read any of my other posts like “Chester and The Kissing Hand,” “Pete the Cat and Halloween,” “The Polar Express and Christmas,” etc, then you know that I love creating resources to go along with your favorite books.

This is such a passion for me because I LOVED books as a kid. And it has been a dream of mine to bring books to life for my kids.

That’s why this Valentine’s Season I am creating Valentine’s Day Activities for Virtual or Distance Learning that can accompany any of your favorite books.

Because having fun in school is still important, even if you are teaching Virtually. Besides, anything I can do to make your life a little less hectic I am happy to do!

So without further ado here are my top Valentine’s Day Activities For Distance Learning.

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Categories: Distance Learning, New Teachers

Top 10 Amazing Teacher Hacks For Teaching Virtually in 2021

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” -Alexander Graham Bell

It’s the new year of 2021 and many schools are still Hybrid or Distance Learning.

While many teachers enjoyed their Winter Break, many of us created New Year Resolutions for the upcoming year.

One of the top Resolutions for 2021 is to be prepared for Distance or Virtual Learning.

While we do not have a certainty of what the future may look like, we can be as prepared for the future as we can.

As someone who has been Teaching Virtually since March 2020, I am eager to share some teacher hacks that I have learned.

So if you are someone who is just now teaching virtually, or you want some new hacks and resources to “up your game,” here are the top Teacher Hacks you need for Virtual Teaching in 2021.

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Categories: Distance Learning

Wonderful “The Polar Express” Activities for Distance Learning

I still remember the first time I saw “The Polar Express” as a child. The movie seemed so vivid and magical that for days I seemed to play “The Polar Express” in my backyard.

As a teacher, I realize just how magical and impactful the “The Polar Express” book and the movie are.

As a Student Teacher, I first witnessed my first magical Polar Express Party with my Kindergarten students. My mentor had a natural knack for bringing the book to life for our students. The students seemed so engrossed in the awe behind it all that they didn’t even realize that they were learning.

Once I got my classroom, I wanted to create my own Polar Express Party for my students. In years passed, my students have enjoyed our “The Polar Express” party. Filled with Hot Chocolate, Pajamas, and Golden Tickets.

This year I worried that my Polar Express Party would end due to Distance Learning. Determined, however, I decided to adapt the party into a Digital Party.

Just because the world is different right now, doesn’t mean we can’t create amazing memories. That’s why I wanted to share my 5 Digital Polar Express Activities I will be doing this winter to keep the ritual going.

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Categories: Distance Learning, New Teachers

How to Differentiate Instruction While Distance Learning

“Finally, as a Virtual Teaching Kindergarten Teacher, I was able to breathe and rest easy knowing that my students were actually learning.”

This is me now.

But it wasn’t that long ago when I was hastily packing up my classroom. Grabbing everything in sight as we ventured into the unknown world of Distance Learning.

I brought home everything I could: paper, books, calendars, whiteboards. Not knowing what this term “Virtual Learning” actually entailed. That’s when all the questions started:

“Will I still be able to assess my students?”

“How do I know that they are actually learning?”

“Can I still meet my students at the skill levels they are currently at if I can’t even work with them one on one?”

Fast forward 7 months… and we are still here.

Except for this time, I can rest easy. Because I finally found the answer to my problem: Differentiated Instruction.

Now I know some might get an uneasy feeling by the phrase “Differentiated Instruction.” Some people might even want to click out of this post.

I was the same when I first started. Distance Learning is already hard enough, how am I supposed to Differentiate Instruction too?

But I am here to tell you that Differentiating Instruction is exactly the answer you are looking for. Differentiating Instruction does not have to be that difficult. In fact, I guarantee there are some ideas that I am going to suggest that you are already doing.

Because of Differentiating Instruction, I go to bed at night happily knowing that my students are learning. I know that because of all the systems I have set in place, I have time to do things that I enjoy most. Like building relationships.

And I want to share with you exactly how I got there with this step by step post on how to use Differentiated Instruction while Distance Learning. But first, let’s go over what Differentiated Instruction is.

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