Tips for Teaching during a Pandemic

This past semester was a cacophony of attendance problems, behavior issues, and missing assignments. Students and teachers both were thrust into a new type of in-person learning that came with pandemic procedures, restrictions, and precautions. Despite these unnerving variables, my freshman English students achieved at pre-pandemic levels! How did this happen? It all came down to how I adapted as a teacher in a pandemic.

Incorporate Social Time

The main reason for our students' behavior issues has to do with all of the social isolation of the past two years. They were denied the experience of building and maintaining friendships, working through interpersonal conflict, and maturing in social situations. You can imagine that suddenly being immersed in a social environment causes them to feel overstimulated, anxious, and of course, very distracted. 

In order to compensate for this, we need to build in true social time.  I'm not talking about pair-and-share or small group, teacher-led discussions. I'm talking about gossiping, exchanging contact info, and sharing memes and videos. I allow these moments at the beginning of class while I'm taking role (instead of a bell ringer) to get some of it out of their systems early and when students finish their work to reward their effort.

Make Your Lessons Interactive

Another aspect of pandemic teaching that should be considered is what students were doing when they weren't in-person learning. They certainly weren't sitting in one seat all day, listening to a lecture, and focusing only on the assignment at hand. No, they were in and out of their seat, opening other tabs, playing games, and avoiding rigor any way possible. Why? Because they could.

Now, their freedom is gone, and they no longer have the ability to do whatever they want when they get bored. For this reason, we have to keep them mentally and physically engaged with frequent interactions. I like to use the Google Slides add-on called Pear Deck for this because it mimics the Internet format they're so addicted to and allows me to mix up the types of interactions to keep them from getting bored. I also incorporate a ton of gamification in my units, which my students say is their favorite thing about my teaching style.

Use Adaptive Pacing

Because of all the absences, school-shock, and burnout we have to deal with, it's important to adapt our pacing. I start the year with less rigorous and more teacher-guided lessons, gradually release responsibility as the year progresses, and then reel it back in again whenever absences sweep through my classes. This may mean abridging content or even skipping it altogether. If you have to do this, don't stress too much. It's not as much about the content as it is the standards and skills they gain from it. For example, even with this type of pacing, my students were able to achieve a full grade level's worth of skill growth in just one semester.

Build in Brain Breaks

Even with adaptive pacing, you will still have students who have trouble dealing in a classroom environment. Whether due to maturity, disability, or energy, these students will need brain breaks in order to relieve their urges. For this, I allow students to step outside for a couple of minutes, pace around the classroom, play with fidgets, socialize during transitions, and go out on teacher-approved errands. 

Give Them (and Yourself) Leniency

If after all of your efforts, it's just still not working, it's time to consider leniency. Your students are dealing with a lot, and a little bit of flexibility will go a long way in building their confidence and motivation at school. Although they do need to learn about deadlines they will face in life, consider that you too are given leniency in trying times. In the business world, a deadline can often be moved as long as there is communication between the parties involved. Why not teach our students this valuable skill as well?

Your students aren't the only ones you should be offering leniency. You need to give it to yourself as well. You too are dealing with so much right now. It's OK to mess up. You simply need to recognize that, so you can adapt and move on.

Model Mental Health Self-Talk

When you do give yourself leniency, let your students know it. Be explicit when it comes to your mental and emotional health. Use self-talk in front of your students to model healthy behavior. By showing your own struggles and vulnerabilities, you'll not only become more human to them, but you'll also show them that it's normal and acceptable to struggle. You'll also give them tools to deal with those struggles in order to build resiliency - something we all really need right now.

In order to teach successfully in this pandemic, you'll need to decide what has and hasn't been working for you or your students and then adapt accordingly. The most effective strategies for you will likely differ from those of other teachers, but hopefully, these tips will at least point you in the right direction. Once you've found your pandemic groove though, please share your strategies in the comments below!