Overview
When thinking out what is needed for a strong classroom and/or school culture for students participating in remote and/or hybrid learning, it is important to remember to offer opportunities for fun. Strategically planning for in-formal connections enables students to form camaraderie and re-experience the “hallway moments” in a new way. When interviewing educators who are implementing remote, hybrid, and simultaneous learning, time and time again, they noted opportunities for shared experience and/or offering options to engage outside the classroom as being key to a positive culture. Some examples of ways to offer time for fun include, but are not limited to:
Virtual lunch or recess games where in-person and remote learners play games together virtually during lunch time. This is especially good for re-creating hallway moments for middle and high school students. Some example games that were noted were Uno, Pokémon, or Among Us.
5 minute movement where students participate in silly and fun movement activities (e.g., dancing, jumping jacks etc.) that help break up the day and/or lesson and engage informally with their peers in an active way.
Weekly class meeting, which can either kick-off or close out the week for elementary kids who are with the same class all day. Students can choose games, activities, music, fun questions to ask each other, or even a YouTube clip to watch together.
Afterschool virtual clubs are especially helpful when building school culture among in-person and remote learners during simultaneous learning because it offers students a way to dive deeper into content areas, identify areas of common interest, and even share their talents and skills in new ways.