Elementary School ESL Classes

four presentations to international head of schools meetings about our online schooling, and about our reopening in May. Also, I made sure I strengthened our partnerships with higher education institutions, NGO’s, etc.. I was really pleased to hear from our accrediting body, the Middle States Association (MSA) that we were at the high end of what schools were doing and, in many cases, ahead. Finally, I was invited to moderate and speak on global panels where ACS Athens was highlighted as a leading institution.

Meanwhile the changes kept coming and we kept pivoting. Nonetheless, my eye was on the goal and in making sure everyone was on the boat, but also that they were understanding and grappling with the internal chaos via my letters so that they could cope.

References Avgerinou, M.D. (2011). Visual scaffolding for action research training. In M.D. Avgerinou, P. Search, S. Chandler & N. Valanides (Eds.), Visual literacy in the 21st century: Trends, demands, and capacities. (pp. 29-32). Chicago, IL: IVLA.

Avgerinou, M.D., & Gialamas, S.P. (2016). The i2Flex methodology: Definition, praxis, and conditions for success. In M.D. Avgerinou, & S.P. Gialamas (Eds.), Revolutionizing K-12 blended learning through the i2Flex classroom model (pp. 135-159). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Avgerinou, M.D., & Moros, S.E. (2020). The 5-Phase process as a balancing act during times of disruption: Transitioning to virtual teaching at ACS Athens elementary school. In R.E., Ferdig, E., Baumgartner, R., Hartshorne, R., Kaplan-Rakowski, & C. Mouza (Eds.). Teaching, Technology, and Teacher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Stories from the Field (pp. 583-589). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Available at https://www.learntechlib. org/p/216903/

Bonk, C.J., Kirkley, J., Hara, N., & Dennen, V. (2001). Finding the instructor in post-secondary online learning: Pedagogical, social, managerial and technological locations. In J. Stephenson (Ed.), Teaching and learning online: Pedagogies for new technologies (pp. 76-97). London, UK: Kogan Page.

Dede, C. (2020, March 27). Necessity is the father of transformation. Available at: https://silverliningforlearning.org/ necessity-is-the-father-of-transformation/

Hesse, M.B. (1983). The cognitive claims of metaphor. In J.P. Van Noppen (Ed.). Metaphor and Religion. Brussels: Vrije Universiteit.

Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (2008). Metaphors we live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Postman, N. (1996). The end of education. Redefining the value of school.Vintage: Random House.

Seitz, J. (1998). Non-verbal metaphor: A review of theories and evidence. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, 124(1), 95-119. Available at www.highbeam.com

COVID19 – Reflection Of Practices Undertaken In The Elementary School ESL Classes

by Dr. Jenny Grigoropoulos, Elementary School ESL Faculty

Many changes have affected education globally in recent years; the most significant and massively altering one is the unfortunate pandemic of COVID19. Within a few hours, our entire educational institution moved K-12 classes online. Meanwhile, all educators were called upon to conduct synchronous and asynchronous instructional meetings with their students to deliver content in accordance with the curriculum and scope and sequence as per grade level and subject area. This situation found my students mature and ready to adapt their learning through our virtual classes. I was prepared to follow my educational methodologies and approaches, as both my students of higher grades and I were already familiarized with online learning through our projects and assignments based on the i2Flex instruction model. I found that fourth and fifth graders were more

independent and easily adaptable to the new virtual reality and experience. The challenging task was to engage earlier grades in the new learning practices. Additionally, first and second graders needed parental support to participate in the synchronous and asynchronous lessons. Therefore, teacher-parent partnerships and collaborations were necessary and essential for student success. Parents were often stressed or unsure about materials, resources, access to online platforms, and expectations. Moreover, it was evident that both students and parents were seeking support and communication, even if that was through virtual meetings and emails.

Being familiar with Moodle as the platform through which both synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning took place provided for a smooth transcendence towards the new reality of elementary school ESL classes in five different phases (Avgerinou & Moros, 2020). The initial phase, during the first weeks of lockdown, was through asynchronous instruction mainly based on the review of material taught throughout the academic year aiming towards the consolidation of knowledge already acquired, while providing for a smooth transition into the virtual learning practices. During that period of time, strong ties and collaboration among colleagues were established through regular ESL team and elementary school meetings, which created the groundwork for effective and meaningful teaching practices both in terms of instructional content as well as lesson delivery. Daily assignment logs, PowerPoint presentations, and regular communication with parents set the foundation for the second phase (Gruber & Bauer, 2020).

During the second phase, there was the creation and design of synchronous meetings with students per grade level, which consisted of two mandatory class sessions, and an “office hour” meeting, through the Big Blue Button (BBB), which is an interactive tool of Moodle. Students of all grade levels showed readiness and eagerness to participate in the three virtual meetings on a weekly basis. Something noteworthy was that students who might have been quiet or reluctant to actively participate in the face-to-face learning environment seemed to be more attentive and resourceful during virtual classes. Moreover, the virtual setting “increased student motivation and engagement, expanded educational access, offered high-quality learning opportunities, increased educational choice, and instructional flexibility” as well as my instructional innovation adding Project-Based Learning (PBL) on the four domains of speaking, listening, reading and writing (Avgerinou & Moros, 2020, p. 586). Due to the increased amount of time that students had to spend online for their virtual classes as well as for assignment submission, the administration designed “screen-free Wednesdays” during which students could work on lesson review, worksheets, or to catch up on assignments while teachers could work on planning, grading, and other educator responsibilities and expectations. The last phase occurred on June 1st when the elementary school reopened. Students were separated into two groups; the blue and the gold groups. They attended face-to-face classes on a rotation basis while the students who stayed at home joined class through BBB concurrently. Students were very attentive during this phase, and their efforts were remarkable through their participation and assignment submission. During all this time, I attended workshops and meetings, as well as read articles in an effort to learn how to teach my students meaningfully. My research informed my teaching practices and supported my lesson design and delivery while preparing me to be a more effective educator.

In conclusion and as mentioned earlier, ACS Athens moved all academic, support, and wellness K-12 classes entirely online within 24 hours from the announcement of school closure. Initially, I was entangled with the research of meaningful and purposeful tools to use in my ESL classes. The collaboration and relationships built since the beginning of the year provided a cushion during lockdown and school closure. My training, research, and participation in online classes during my doctorate gave me much knowledge as well as resourceful and applicable practices. However, the most important and meaningful resources was the collaboration with parents and students, the enhanced teamwork, and the support built with colleagues and administrators (Ferdig, Baumgartner, Hartshorne, Kaplan-Rakowski, & Mouza, 2020).

References Avgerinou, M. D., & Moros, S. E. (2020) The 5-Phase Process as a Balancing Act during Times of Disruption: Transitioning to Virtual Teaching at an International JK-5 School.

Ferdig, R. E., Baumgartner, E., Hartshorne, R., Kaplan-Rakowski, R., & Mouza, C. (2020). Teaching, Technology, and Teacher Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Stories from the Field. Waynesville, NC, USA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

Gruber, & Bauer, E. (2020) Fostering Interaction in Synchronous Online Class Sessions with Foreign Language Learners.

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