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Teachers Desperate For More Remote Learning Training Ahead Of School Reopening
By
Jessica Gould
Published Aug 26, 2020
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By
Jessica Gould
Published Aug 26, 2020
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While much about the 2020-21 school year is still getting hammered out, one thing is clear: 1.1 million New York City public school students will rely on remote learning, with about a third of them—maybe more—connecting to school exclusively through a screen from afar.
And yet, many teachers told Gothamist/WNYC they have received little or no training from the city’s Department of Education on how to improve remote instruction, wasting months of preparation for September. Some don’t even know what subjects or grades they’ll be asked to teach.
“There has been no training,” said Martin Urbach, a music teacher in Manhattan.
DOE officials have refuted those claims, saying training was available and thousands of teachers participated. The DOE’s Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Learning offered live and on-demand training on subjects ranging from teaching literacy remotely to virtual science. The Division of Instructional and Information Technology held sessions on software and platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. There are numerous resources listed on its website.
Listen to WNYC's Jessica Gould on the status of remote learning here:
“Teachers have gotten better at learning the online environment,” Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza said on Tuesday during a news conference with Mayor Bill de Blasio. “There’s resources that we’ve developed not only as a school system but in sharing with more school systems. There’s more curriculum. Students have devices. Parents have gotten some support as well.”
In addition, the DOE released new guidelines for remote learning, including requiring live instruction every day, something experts say improves the level of engagement and quality of instruction.
Still, many teachers said they haven’t heard about any of that professional development. “I have gotten notice of zero trainings about remote learning,” said Liat Olenick, a science teacher in Brooklyn. “Many of my colleagues and other teachers I know around the city have also done zero remote learning training. And it’s very concerning because the summer is almost over and we’ve been asking for the ability to make remote learning better because it’s the majority of what students will be doing this fall, even if schools do ultimately open for hybrid learning.”
As the system moves towards reopening on the projected date of September 10th, the only large school system in the nation to do so during the coronavirus outbreak, more than 300,000, or roughly one-third of the student body, has elected to learn remotely. And that number is widely expected to grow as families receive their schedules and determine their comfort levels with school under these conditions. And if there is a resurgence of COVID-19 cases, entire schools or the whole system will revert back to remote-only learning.
De Blasio has not been a major supporter of remote learning, arguing that it isn’t as effective as in-person learning, which is why he’s been pushing so hard for students to return to classrooms next month.
“Remote learning just can’t do for a kid what in-person learning can do,” he said at Tuesday’s news conference. De Blasio has emphasized remote learning exacerbates educational inequities.
Most students, parents and teachers agree that remote learning is not as good as being in school. Some parents and students said it was nothing short of a disaster this past spring when schools shut abruptly to stop the spread of COVID-19. But education experts said there are ways to do it well, or at least better.
“I think it would have been great if New York City had spent more time focusing on their remote learning plan for the fall,” said Elizabeth Chu, executive director of the Center for Public Research at Columbia University.
The center reviewed what worked best in Connecticut last spring and came up with some recommendations. They include ensuring students are equipped with technology, streamlining platforms, consistent schedules, live instruction every day, community-building activities such as small group meetings at the beginning and the end of each day, and collecting and responding to feedback from families.
For Chu, the findings hit home: her son attends a public elementary school in the city.
“It was quite a challenge and one we’re hoping to not repeat this year,” she said. “Our son did not have any real connection with his teachers or his peers during the spring. He had all asynchronous instruction. It was hard to lose that connection with school, it was hard to lose that connection with friends. It was a lot for us as parents.”
She said her research gives her hope that remote learning could get better, if it is a priority.
For one teacher, online teaching has inspired new levels of creativity. Pedro Dones teaches math and special education at M.S. 363 in the Bronx. Faced with over 90 students, some with special needs, he adopted his alter-ego character from his side gig as a pro wrestler to grab, and hold, their attention.
Pedro Juan Dones, a teacher at MS 363 in the Bronx, won a Big Apple Award for his efforts in remote teaching this past spring.
Pedro Juan Dones
The Big Action wears purple sequins, gold chains, and gold teeth. He makes silly math jokes. In his short YouTube lessons he encourages his students to keep trying.
“It would have been really easy to stand in front of the computer and say, ‘alright, we’re going to turn this page, we’re going to do that,’” he said. “But that wasn’t me. All I really had to do was adjust the way I was me. I could still play, I could enjoy myself.”
This year Dones won the Big Apple Award--recognizing excellence in teacher--citing his creativity in remote teaching. He’s a mentor to colleagues at M.S. 363 and said he’d love to share tips with teachers across the system.
He thought the DOE might tap him and others who excelled in remote learning to train others but he never got a call.
“There’s got to be other people out there who did a really good job too,” he said. “And we’re not hearing anything from them.”
Tagged
COVID-19
education
schools reopening
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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