Organizing Your Hybrid or Digital Classroom

As we continue to adjust to hybrid teaching there are a few norms that I have been using which have helped facilitate a smooth experience for students whether they are sitting in my classroom or at their kitchen table. I've also smoothed out the best practices for keeping myself organized as well.

Many of these tips will apply to anyone using and navigating a digital platform regardless of whether they link up with students at home during the day. As we look toward the future and the ever-changing landscape of education, I know I will carry more than one of these strategies with me into next school year.

Use an Electronic Calendar

It doesn't matter where the calendar resides; Outlook, Google, LMS. Just use one. Using a calendar will help you keep a clear focus on what has been shared with your class and what needs to be communicated. Students and/or families will be able to quickly and easily look to the day's schedule and have a clear understanding of the scheduled meetings and assignments.

When my students log in to their LMS for the day, they check their calendar to see what it scheduled. This includes all meetings as well as assignments. Within the calendar, students can click on the cell and click through to the meeting and/or assignments using the embedded links.

Using a calendar helps the students stay organized. I have found that it also helps parents and other family members that may be helping their child(ren). As adults, we are very familiar with using and navagating calendars; it makes sense that family members will find relief in a calendar while trying to navigate digital platforms during this new age of education.

Another benefit of using a calendar is when students have missed school they can go into the calendar and make up the work. If it is set up correctly, you can give them access to not just the missed assingments and materials but the recorded lessons as well. 

Create a File for Assigning Copies

If you are assigning work through a digital platform, I highly recommend creating a file specifically for "Assigning Copies". This file is the go-to spot where I place every assignment I will be loading into the LMS. It helps me see what has been created for the students and it also keeps me from inadvertently changing or deleting an assignemnt (which then ripples to the students).

To make locating the file even easier, I named it using the school year. By using a number first within the name of the file, my Google Drive moves it "up" within my Drive and makes it faster/easier to find. 

Create a File for Modeling 

Along with a file for the student copies, I also have a designated file for my copies. Once I have assigned the students their copies, I will make a copy for me. When I need to use materials or model directly for the students, I have confidence that I am only typing on my copy and not changing the copies I have assigned the students.

When I do create a copy for my files, I keep the word "copy" in the name. Keeping that word in the name is a failsafe for me when I am glancing up into the tabs and choosing which item to use. If I see the word "copy", I know it is mine and safe for modeling and editing.

Again, I start the folder name with a number to make it higher within the layout and faster to access.

Use Daily Checklists

Although the calendar is a fine place for me to refer to, I also use checklists to make sure I have added everything needed into the calendar. For me, I still like the old-fashioned paper/pencil checklists. Oftentimes I will make a list and set it on the keyboard at my teacher station so that I rememeber to post and organize things for that day or upcoming lessons. I will admit, there is a bit of satisfaction in checking items off the list and then throwing the list away!

Run Multiple Screens

This is huge. I cannot imagine teaching virtually without multiple screens running. For any given lesson, I have my main teaching screen, the screen where we are "meeting" and I can monitor the chat feed, and GoGuardian. And, I usually have a few others running as well.

When my district paused in-person learning and went 100% remote, I moved my teaching station to be in front of my Panel. It was easier to watch multiple screens on the bigger screen compared to my Chromebook. When we are hybrid, I run the big screen as the teaching screen, my teaching station screen for the meeting chat, and my Chromebook for GoGuardian.

Open and Order Your Tabs Accordingly

Although I may be running several screens at once, there is an order to what is running on each screen. Just as I carefully choose what is on each screen, I also carefully choose the order in which the tabs are opened on the screen.

For instance, the screen that I will never share with the students will house the tabs I want to stay private and not accidently share with my students. Tabs for attendance, email, and GoGuardian will be on that screen.

My main teaching screen will hold the tabs for any materials I will be "screen sharing" with my students. I open and order the tabs before I open the meeting. And, I put them in order from left to right in the order I plan to teach/share/model them. Using a consistent method in ordering your tabs will help you locate things quickly. It decreases your cognitive load in finding what you need and helps run the meeting more smoothly.

Record the Lesson and Post it in the LMS

This can be a hard one for some teachers. I still remember the first time going live on YouTube last March. It was a trainwreck, I made mistakes, and it wasn't my finest hour...but the students were thrilled to see me and have some interaction. They want to see you, too!

I have been recording every single lesson. Once the lesson is complete, I embed the link into the assignment directions. Students who are unable to watch live, come late, leave early, or watch to review the information have the option of clicking in and watching later on.

The lessons I post are all raw footage. I don't edit or "clean" anything up. If I make a mistake, if there is an interruption, if there is a glitch, I leave it all there. I don't have time to make it all "pretty"; and the reality is, that's not how our days unfold anyway. I post exactly what went on. It is what it is. 

My goal is to offer students one more way to connect and learn, it's about function over fashion. 

It Will Get Better and Better

I am nearly at the halfway point of the school year. I am still learning and will continue to hone the way I manage hybrid teaching. There are some perks to teaching hybrid. I do know that I am better than I was in September and will continue to get better. As I look at the system I currently have in place, I see big changes compared to what I was doing in September. I also realize that there may be more changes made before the school year is complete. It is my most fervant wish to master this system just in time to go back to a classic classroom. Because, no matter what, the growing pains I have endured during hybrid teaching will translate that much more easily in a classic classroom when we are back together again- all day, every day.

Things I Like About Hybrid Teaching

Education is a tough gig right now. There are always struggles in this profession, but the usual and expected pitfalls pale in comparisson to what we have faced over the better part of the last year. 

Hybrid teaching has been a steep learning curve for sure! And, there are so many things I miss: standing at my door and high-fiving kids in the morning, clusters of students working on collaborative activities at a table, eating lunch with my collegues; I even miss staff meetings...

But I try to be a "glass is half full" kinda gal and in that spirit I will share with you the parts of this new normal that I like.

The Schedule

Before I dig into all the facets of a hybrid model that I am grateful for, let me start out by disclosing my schedule. I realize that my schedule is more than likely not like your schedule. Each district has designed their own approach to delivering instruction during this time. So, my experience is just that - my experience. However, I am hoping that some of the things that I have recognized as a "plus" to teaching hybrid will resonate with you. 

Fricther's Hybrid Schedule:

Monday/Tuesday - AA Students

Wednesday - 100% Virtual

Thursday/Friday - BB Students

I will also disclose that students leave for the day at approximately 1:00 and the rest of the day is designated for teaching the students who are at home, small group instruction, planning, and contacting families.

Better Lunch

Lunch is better when it's not rushed. In 20 years of teaching, I've learned how to eat and do many things at the same time: walk the hall, make copies, email parents, grade papers, etc. It's a pleasant experience to eat every day and not contantly watch the clock. Granted, my lunch is later than ever (we eat once the students have left for the day). But, it's such a nice change of pace to not constantly have my eyes checking the clock on the wall to see when my 30 minutes is up. I still do some of those things while eating; the difference is that I can always finish my meal later if I am interrupted or run short on time. 

Wednesday lunches are some of the best. We had a food truck come to our building one week and it is common for teachers in my building to order delivery. The restaurants in the community has even adjusted their delivery policies knowing that teachers will be calling in for some warm tastiness every Wednesday. As an added bonus, some restaurants have teamed up with local organizations, booster clubs, or school teams to sponsor fund-raising endeavors.

Wednesdays are Fridays

Lunch isn't the only awesome part of Wednesdays. Wednesdays have started to feel like Fridays. Who doesn't love a Friday, right? 

In my district we have students on Monday and Tuesday, an all virtual day on Wednesday, and a different set of students on Thursday and Friday. In a weird sort of unpredictable turn of events, Wednesdays have taken on the feel of Fridays. I dress a little more comfortably; knowing that my students will only see me from the waist up. Sneakers are a staple on Wednesdays.

Wednesdays are also an opportunity to breathe a bit. I am fortunate enough to have time in my schedule to plan upcoming lessons, grab some PD, and make phone calls to families. This deliberate scheduling has been critical in my ability to teach in a hybrid model and not carry home all the extra work for nights and weekends.

Wednesdays are becoming my favorite day of the week!

Muliple Modes of Relationship-Building

I love to start my day standing at the door and greeting students as they come into the classroom. It is different this year for sure; masks and the lack of high-fives make it less than ideal.

However, working in a hybrid model, I have many other avenues to build relationships. For some students, they send me a daily greeting through our LMS or email. For others, they like to be the first to click into the virtual meeting. Others take on a quasi-TA role while in meetings: they share information in the chat for students coming into the meeting late or copy/paste info to make it easier for students to take notes. I have also enjoyed using our "Question of the Day" to learn more about my students. 

For students who may struggle with person-to-person interactions, the hybrid model gives them opportunity to connect in a more comfortable format. No matter the method a studnt uses, I always respond. Always. 

Direct and Speedy Student Feedback

I haven't graded a "paper" since school began. I knew there was always a possibility that we could find ourselves in another lockdown/remote situation. Thus, my plan was to stay as digital as possible.

In that same vein, all student work has been done on the computer and through an LMS my district subscribed to over the summer. I enjoy reading the student responses. The speed and efficiency with which I can respond to their work is unlike anything I have ever experienced. 

I do have several ways to respond; there are marking tools as well as a speaking option. I typically stick to typing my thoughts in the comment box. The students get their feedback and I am thrilled to report they oftentimes will read what I have written and apply the tips to their next endeavor.

It is student-specific and direct. It is one of my favorite aspects of the hybrid model.

Small Class Size

On AA Days I have 12 students in attendance. On BB Days I have 9. It is a dream. In any given year a total count of 21 students would be dreamy. Given the unique turn of events our class sizes are not only smaller, but when that roster is split into two groups, it's beyond heavenly.

My district has split the teachers' student rosters into 2 groups. Thus, I have a "smaller" class. The number of students sitting in front of me on a given day is far fewer than ever in my career. In fact, the number of students in front of me equates to what in some years' past was a "small group"!

As with small group instruction, the discussions are richer, more personal, and more meaningful. I am able to learn about and help my students on a much more individualized level.

Easy Classroom Management

I don't have any disicpline issues this year. I don't have that one student who I know will drain my energy. With such fewer students, there is little room for misbehavior. It is much easier to monitor a student body that is half (and even one-third!) of what I've worked with in the past. 

That's not to say that I don't work with students who may struggle with attentiveness or staying organized. But, the other behaviors which typically manifest in other ways when students struggle in these areas is absent this year.

Hybrid Has Perks

Hybrid teaching has some perks. I have adjusted and am learning to love certain aspects of this unique time in education. I have a good system in place that keeps me and my students organized while using a hybrid model. You can read about it here: Organizing Your Hybrid or Digital Teaching.

However, please don't misunderstand, I long for the days when I will have a classroom filled with students clustered at a table or spread across the floor working together on a roller coaster STEM challenge. I will see those days again and when they return I will be waiting at my classroom door with a clipboard in my hand and a smile on my face.