EdCircuit Staff 
Table of Contents
As back-to-school time begins across the U.S., many teachers are reflecting on instructional strategies they piloted during 2020 and 2021, and considering how they can sustain these practices in the new year. While most schools plan a full return to in-person learning, a variety of hybrid and blended instructional environments are still part of the plan for many schools. Regardless of what each individual school or district encounters this year, there are a number of lessons learned from the past two years of pandemic teaching that educators will be able to use to great effect moving forward.
In part one of these two-part series, a variety of teachers reflected on some of their notable successes from the past year. In part two below, five teachers, each of whom has been named to the current class of Extraordinary Educators by Curriculum Associates, describe some of the new strategies they developed in the face of COVID-19, which they plan to continue using in 2021-22:
Andrea Baney, 4th grade teacher at Liberty Valley Intermediate School in Danville, Pennsylvania:
Over the past year, I, as well as many others, have recognized the importance of human connection. From six feet apart, to masks, and quarantine, our lives were changed drastically. As a classroom teacher, it was my responsibility to step up and make sure that my students felt safe and loved throughout the pandemic. Enter: Social-Emotional Learning.
Social-emotional learning (SEL) has always been embedded in education, but, unfortunately, it has been pushed to the side due to demands with standards, pacing, and state testing. The pandemic made me realize the importance of moving SEL back up the educational ladder to where it belongs: the forefront. We all crave human connection, and it is just as important and necessary for my students.
From virtual to in-person instruction, I tried to incorporate as many SEL activities as possible throughout the year. Every morning, we started the day with a “Morning Meeting” question. Students shared answers and got to know one another. I created a “Daily Check-In” through Google Forms so that students could privately share with me how they were feeling and doing, whether they were at home or in school. My students also participated in read-alouds and activities that promoted human connection and collaboration.
SEL is something that I plan to continue in my classroom. It is my responsibility, as an educator, to be sure that my students are heard, cared for, and understood in this ever-changing world.
Brandi Adam, instructional coach and teacher at Red Bank Elementary School in Chattanooga, Tennessee:
A school year, overabundant in uncertainties, helped reignite an important teaching and learning strategy that children needed more than ever: the empowerment to confidently lead their own learning.
When we finally returned to school, it was clear that students were starving for a sense of security, stability, and some level of control in this otherwise capricious time. Offering solid, standards-based academic choices through a “choose your own adventure” type of curriculum encouraged buy-in for engineering their own educational experiences and a renewed excitement to share their thinking through speaking and writing. This sense of ownership gave them revitalized self-assurance, consistency, and most importantly, some of their control back.
Seeing the pride and interest in the kids’ eyes as they taught one another using the learning methods or topics they chose reminded me that “the teacher needs to be the guide on the side, not the sage on the stage.”
As an instructional coach going forward, I will continue this work with other educators by facilitating student-centered classrooms where every decision is made based on educating the whole child in a way that gives all students choice, voice, and the equal opportunity, not just to pass, but to thrive.
Shane Twamley, language arts teacher at Kraemer Middle School in Placentia, California:
I intend to communicate and have parent-student Zoom conferences as needed. Secondly, my school used the i-Ready math and reading diagnostics in lieu of the state testing. Because each teacher was responsible for administering the diagnostic, we now have more teachers aware of its accessibility. This aligns with my goals for the district to continue a focus on literacy and learn how to align lesson planning with diagnostic results. I will be sharing with our school and district how to address student gaps with lesson plans and goal-setting through the i-Ready diagnostic. I’m excited that more teachers are aware and on board with i-Ready as a resource to help our students and teachers.
Meg Tegerdine, special education teacher at the Ackerman School in Florrisant, Missouri:
Over the last year, I found integrating technology throughout all content areas was extremely helpful in limiting material cross-contact, but also found it increased student engagement and academic progress. Now that my students have access to 1:1 devices, I will be utilizing technology integration as much as I can. One way I plan to incorporate more technology usage is to utilize our classroom website as a project for students to create and update. I feel that in previous years I have relied heavily on paper/pencil tasks, and while those are necessary, they are not always the most motivating or engaging tasks. I also feel that as our world becomes much more technology-based, students need to continue to learn computer and web-based skills to increase their academic progress and possible career opportunities later in life.
Melinda Geer, 3rd grade teacher at Glenwood Elementary School in Kentwood, Michigan:
What a year! It was full of unknowns, “can’t dos,” and so many uncertainties for both teachers and students. My main goal was to try and keep as much “normalcy” as possible for my students. One way I was able to do this was through games; in particular, math games. Even though kids were not able to share a deck of cards to practice multiplication fluency, I figured out a way they could still play a math card game with friends with their own deck of cards. “Quarantined Top It” was born! This is “Multiplication Top It,” a card game that requires only a deck of cards. My students were able to play from their “quarantined table” with three friends. Each student had their own deck of cards, the table group took turns turning over two cards and multiplying them. Whomever had the highest product won all the cards. Students even added their own way of keeping track of cards won by writing names and amounts on their whiteboard or paper. The strategy of having kids use their own deck of cards for a math game spread into other card games too. I even observed students practicing multiplication facts on their own with a deck of cards and playing our “new” version during free time. I plan to continue this simple strategy for card games next year.
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