Setting Expectations Through Surveys

Overview

When re-entering in-person learning after being remote in some capacity for over a year, there will be inevitable challenges – not only around shifting back to in-person learning but also around supporting mindsets for both students and teachers alike. Teachers may have one picture in their head of what learning will look like, while students may be envisioning another reality. In order to share these visions and ensure alignment on expectations across the board, it is important to find insight into what these visions look like.

One way to "recalibrate re-entry" is to survey students, caregivers, and then offer educators a way to reflect on their expectations. This will enable educators to:

• Offer personalized supports that meet students' needs, both academically and holistically. While engaging with remote learning, many students and caregivers learned a lot about themselves as learners. They may have figured out creative ways to focus, what they need to calm themselves down, and how and where they learn best. For example, a student may have found that if they doodle, they're better able to focus on the teacher during a lecture but doodling in person could cause some tension unless the teacher is aware of this coping mechanism. By being informed, aligned, and transparent about these learnings, teachers and students can better understand each other and what is needed to succeed.
• Leverage students' skills from remote learning. As students were thrown into the driver's seat of their own learning, they were tasked with the challenge of learning without the physical proximity of a teacher to ensure they were on task. Students have had the opportunity to grow new skills and abilities around what it means to be self-directed learning – whether that involved building a to-do list, prioritizing assignments, or even knowing how and where to look for help. Moving back to in-person learning, it may feel jarring for students to lose that sense of ownership if they are not offered opportunities that are appropriately learner-driven. For example, if a student is used to choosing how to show mastery or working through a playlist at their own pace, it may be hard to transition back to a more one-size-fits-all learning experience. Consequently, it is important for teachers, caregivers, and students to share what they enjoyed about remote learning and how they can infuse some of those practices and experiences into in-person learning.