Remote Learning

Kim Miles exploring the "rainforest" during her Sixth Age lesson on money.

REMOTE LEARNING DURING COVID-19

In mid - March, when the Maryland State Superintendent of Schools, Karen B. Salmon, announced that schools would temporarily close due to COVID-19, Calvert raced ahead, prepared with an innovative plan for providing high-quality education without in-person instruction.

But that does not mean there were not bumps along the way.

Students missed walking through Calvert School's halls and participating in their favorite after school clubs and sports teams. Sheltering at home, without the structure of a school schedule, made it difficult to stay motivated in their lessons. They were sad they could not see their teachers, and their teachers missed seeing them.

“Although I get to talk to them virtually, I wish I could be in their classrooms, and I miss my whole class being together,” Caroline Niccolini ’20 said. “I really miss the routine of school, and little things like my locker, visiting my favorite teachers in their offices, and walking to class with my friends.” But in true Calvert spirit, these challenges were quickly overcome, replaced with the same enriching education and community support our families have come to know. As always, Calvert remains committed to providing all children with the foundation they need to succeed.

“Overall, this experience could have been completely divided and unconnected, but Calvert completely changed that and has allowed for this amazing community to stay connected although very much separated,” Ryan McGonigle ’20 said. “This has truly opened my eyes and those around me to realize how truly lucky we are to attend such an amazing school and have an even better community through these unprecedented times.”

Just before spring break, when the school initially closed, it wasn’t clear how much time would pass before classes could safely resume. At first, administrators planned to begin remote learning and re-evaluate after two weeks, when they hoped Calvert could reopen. However, as the news on COVID-19 continued to worsen, Calvert leaders quickly

took action, revamping and refining the curriculum to suit long-term, at-home instruction.

That meant teachers worked long days as they developed an innovative remote-learning program that balanced Calvert’s advanced academics against the unpredictable nature of learning from home.

The result? A blended remote-learning program that focused on two forms of communication: synchronous and asynchronous.

Synchronous moments revolved around “live” real-time interaction, similar to being together in a classroom. Asynchronous learning included pre-recorded lessons, worksheets, writing prompts, games, and homework that could be completed at any time – and Calvert’s blended approach combined the best parts of each.

Through asynchronous instruction, students received daily assignments from their core academic classes, including

pre-recorded video lessons produced by their teachers. To keep their students interested in these online lessons, many teachers turned to innovative new instruction methods, exposing the boys and girls to sights and sounds they cannot usually experience in the classroom.

Sixth Age homeroom teacher Kim Miles, a self-described animal lover, included her pets in many of her reading and math lessons. In one lesson, she explored “the rainforest” (a greenhouse-type structure off the side of her home) with the help of her dog. In another, she used hens and their eggs to help her young students visualize “en” words like “pen” and “den.”

Using her home and animals in this way, she said, helped create a student-teacher connection even though they were not able to be together. Additionally, it helped establish a visual connection to what they were learning.

“Having a story or a storyline, one with Jen with the ‘en’ words and using the eggs from the hen is going to give them a little bit more information to be able to remember things, and to relate to things a little bit better,” Mrs. Miles said.

Ninth Age homeroom teacher Jason Till printed out his students’ class pictures, attached them to popsicle sticks, and interacted with them during many of his early lessons – asking them math problems and mimicking the question-and-answer discourse seen in a classroom. He likes to

Top: Jason Till with one of his "students" during a virtual math lesson. Bottom: Dozens of Lower School students gather virtually for a morning P.E. class.

Kathie Jefferson getting ready for a virtual story time.

connect with his students using humor, and they absolutely loved seeing their faces pop up in lessons.

Kathie Jefferson, who teachers Fifth and Sixth Age small groups, used her videos to continue the hands-on learning techniques she prefers at school. In addition to using online programs like Kahoot and Seesaw, she encouraged her families to play word games and create scavenger hunts for the kids to do at home. Throughout the remote learning process, she made it a priority to ensure that her students were having fun.

“I want to start them off with actually liking school, and for Fifth Age, this is their first year, so they don't really know that this isn't normal,” she said. “I want them to still really like coming to school, especially when we get to go back.”

In the Middle School, asynchronous learning leaned more heavily on online file-sharing programs like Google Classroom and Assignment Center, which allowed Calvert teachers and students to easily assign and submit classwork and continue with their curriculum. In April, we also launched open gradebooks, giving our families the ability to track grades in real time and adjust their students' study habits.

“We’re sharper now. Our online content is so much sharper,” Head of Middle School Matt Buck said. “Our assignments, design, our organization online, our web pages, the way we're using links and resources and video. All of that is so much sharper.”

In past years, Eric Cowell’s Sixth Grade science students have celebrated Earth Week by visiting Lower School classrooms and teaching their peers about environmental science. This year, though, they took Earth Week online, creating informative videos that were then shared with Lower School classes and posted online, furthering their eco-friendly message.

Like many Calvert teachers, Mr. Cowell had to adapt or reinvent his lessons to fit the remote-learning model – but despite that extra work, his biggest challenge was spending so much time away from his students.

“I've had some really amazing face-to-face experiences with kids virtually, but if we were in the classroom, those experiences would be happening every day,” Mr. Cowell said. “So, that's probably been my biggest struggle: going from constant contact with colleagues, students, and past students, to now just being online.”

Early on, Calvert’s leadership team recognized that maintaining strong student-teacher connections was vital for student development during these unprecedented times. That is why Calvert rolled out a weekly schedule of advisories, town halls, office hours, and study halls. While these synchronous moments were not required, many students across all grade levels attended, showing the true strength of the Calvert community.

For our boys and girls, as well as our teachers, these “live” interactions simulated the small groups and one-on-one instruction they get in the classroom, helping to improve academic performance and make these strange times a little bit less scary.

“It allows them to have conversations and have the interaction that they're craving, in this world of isolation,” Lower School Head Elizabeth Martin said. “It also allows for question and answer time, which is also key in any learning environment.”

Perhaps most importantly, though, these synchronous moments gave students something fun and exciting to look forward to, a little bit of Calvert normalcy.

In weekly Sixth Grade town hall meetings, for example, many students volunteered to deliver announcements over

video call, and many more tuned in for the calls, happy to play games and spend time with their peers.

Even students who are usually shy or quiet at school joined in, contributing more than they would in the classroom. It is one of the small silver linings of this unique situation.

“There are kids who have come out of the shadows in this space, kids who will interact because it's a different way to interact,” Sixth Grade Dean Angel Menefee said. “Maybe they're not a kid that likes to use their voice in front of everyone, but they'll put something in a chat. It's just fun to see them having fun.”

In mid-April, we also introduced Community Wednesdays to the weekly schedule, giving students a built-in break that they could use to attend virtual club meetings, catch up on assignments, or attend study hall. Like other synchronous moments, Community Wednesdays were designed to help students reconnect with their friends and resume co-curricular enrichment.

Activities, all provided over video meetings, included band, baking club, diversity club, glee club, and sports teams like tennis, baseball, and lacrosse.

Craig Bennett, who teaches Middle School history, used Community Wednesdays to take students on virtual “field trips” around Baltimore. Starting with Federal Hill and Patterson Park, he traveled to each location and used his cell phone to record on-site lessons about their history. The idea came from wanting to innovate and do something different from a standard lesson, something that would provide the personal touch students might be missing.

Craig Bennett on Federal Hill during one of his history lessons.

“I just wanted to show the kids somehow that, even though we have shifted to this new format, your teachers are still doing whatever they can to deliver the content and provide students with the best learning experience possible,” Mr. Bennett said.

And he is not alone.

Over the past three months, teachers and administrators have gone above and beyond for Calvert's boys and girls. They have tackled numerous new challenges, learned new programs, and integrated new technologies into their lessons – and in the months to come, these efforts will continue as Calvert plots a new course for the fall.

Whether they are sitting in a Calvert classroom or studying from home, our boys and girls are supported by friends, teachers, and administrators who care deeply about their success. We look forward to safely learning together again soon.

"There are kids who have come out of the shadows in this space, kids who will interact because it's a different way to interact."

Angel Menefee during one of her virtual classes.