BLENDING THE RULES

Corinne Yeager and Kyra Sandstrom

We are all experiencing untold changes to our everyday lives from the COVID-19 pandemic. How classrooms look and many of the tools we use to teach have shifted significantly to incorporate distance learning. When we closed our classrooms last spring, many of us thought this phase of teaching would last two, maybe three weeks. We prepared for the short term and transitioned to online learning. As the weeks went on, the short-term plan turned into a long-term plan. Both teachers and students showed resilience as we navigated the challenges of spring right through until the end of the year. Everyone willingly jumped in to do their part, because that is what was best for the students. We never would have thought the pandemic would change our ways of thinking about teaching and learning. But here we are, nine months later, rethinking our teaching with blended learning, hybrid learning, distance learning, in-class learning, and how students learn overall.

Why? It’s what’s best for the students.

Hybrid learning refers to the overarching structure of offering both on-campus and online learning experiences for students this year. Through implementing elements from a variety of blended learning models, teachers can offer that flexibility.

By offering seamless transitions between in-person and online instruction, the blended learning model gives greater equity and access to the Pegasus experience for all students. Blended learning gives students more control and agency over their learning, which stays true to the Pegasus mission of fostering self-reliance, confidence, and innovative thinking.

From Spring To Fall

During the summer, the team affectionately known as BLAT (Blended Learning Advisory Team) spent time distinguishing between the emergency closure experience we had in March and the hybrid model we wanted to develop for the 2020-2021 school year. We knew we could celebrate and learn from the successes and challenges of the spring, and that we could take advantage of those experiences to rethink and plan for the upcoming year.

It would be impossible to take everything we used to do in a face-to-face classroom, put it into a remote or hybrid classroom, and expect the same results. Instead, we looked at how we could modify the cadence of a class to be a better fit for this blended model.

We also wanted to avoid the need for teachers to teach two separate lessons (one for on-campus students and one for distance learners). In order to make these pieces work, we restructured the pacing of a lesson or unit, adjusted the tools or materials, used a different instructional model, and allowed the flexibility to structure class time differently. As one example, Allyson Grimes, second grade teacher, explains, “Using Google based programs has truly been the hero! Google Classroom has given me the opportunity to assign, differentiate, and provide meaningful feedback for all of my students. With the combination of Google Classroom and tutorial videos I made from Screencastify, my students can use Google Docs, Google Slides, and now Google Earth for our Heritage Project this year. Our students “fly” to their country, drop a pin, and write a caption about their landmarks they have been learning about in class! Then, using Google Slides, and the powers of Zoom, record a presentation to share with their families and friends. It is such a gift to be able to share the story of their heritage and virtually be able to teach about the beautiful and diverse cultures of our Pegasus community.”

Pegasus teachers have been empowered to take ownership over their curriculum since Dr. Hathaway founded the school. Pegasus is a place where teachers have always had autonomy to design and develop grade level curriculum. As masters of their craft, Pegasus teachers consistently look for ways to fine tune and tweak their curriculum. This autonomy is rooted in who we are, and blended learning gives us an opportunity to extend that experience to our students where they have autonomy and ownership of their learning.

We are hearing from teachers at other schools and districts that distance learners can feel disconnected. Colleagues tell us that lessons designed for face-to-face instruction are not engaging or translating well over the screen and as a result, students who once loved school are struggling to find the motivation to show up on Zoom.

Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, states, “the three elements of true motivation are autonomy, mastery, and purpose.” When teachers strategically design lessons with these elements in mind, we are able to engage students in authentic academic experiences that tap into their intrinsic motivation to learn.

Pegasus teachers are actively designing lessons that engage distance learners socially, emotionally, and cognitively. We are setting students up to be active participants in the learning process. Grimes gives an example, “Back in March, I started my students with websites to help them stay connected. One thing that my students loved was ‘Talent Tuesdays.’ I made each student a Flipgrid account, and we had our own weekly talent show, where kids were able to sing, show us their amazing piano skills, and share magic jokes. Flipgrid continues to help my ‘Roomies and Zoomies’ stay connected with one another.”

Reimagined Classrooms

Teachers have had the most success when these pandemic adjustments center around incorporating student centered learning, student choice, and reallocating instructional time. With student-centered learning, the classroom becomes a place where students connect. Historically, Pegasus teachers have employed ideas of student-centered learning, but this year presented a new challenge. Looking at what is best for students both in class and as distance learners, we incorporated new digital tools.

Librarian Carin Meister describes her experience incorporating more technology to streamline her lessons, “When planning for this year, I wanted to cover all the important content and curriculum that I usually do. From research skills to discovering new authors and books, the topics I am covering have stayed the same. The big difference is definitely in the delivery. I have had to digitize most everything I do, even my storytimes have gone digital. This is not just to account for distance learners, but also for how spread out the on-campus students are within the classroom. Even our on-campus learners need lessons delivered electronically so that they can see the fine details of a book’s illustrations. Important reading skills like inferencing can’t happen unless students can really see a book’s details.” The teachers carefully and thoughtfully design units, projects, and activities, but by making those projects student driven, the teacher is a facilitator of student learning rather than being the “sage on the stage.” As students engage, teachers are able to give ongoing, high-quality feedback, which communicates to students that they are on the right track. This also tracks their progression and shows students their teachers care.

In the spring of 2020, Josh Thimons created Our Economy Today, a class where middle school students studied the economy during the pandemic in real time. As part of the final project, each student interviewed business owners in their community about the impact of the pandemic on their businesses. Student Riley B. (’20) explains, “I was nervous to reach out to my local businesses as part of the class, but learning about the impact of COVID on these businesses where I have been a customer gave me a new perspective. I enjoyed talking about current events in the class because there weren’t any wrong answers. In the larger world, often students’ ideas aren’t taken seriously but in the Our Economy Today class, everyone’s ideas were heard and considered. The discussions we had in class increased my curiosity to go to the next level and learn about what was happening in our economy.”

Another example is student choice which allows students to choose their pace, path, time, and tools in order to meet a

learning goal. This creates an incredible amount of ownership for the students. It may look like structured choice boards, a menu of options, a tic-tac-toe board, choice in how to prioritize content to determine their own pacing or sequence of information. Not every student is working on the same thing; instead, projects reflect their own learning styles.

Reallocating instructional time has been a significant shift this year. We are incorporating asynchronous specialist classes, creating remote electives, and rethinking the way we are using synchronous time. Purposeful class time and connections between teachers and students is at an all-time premium this year. To adapt with these changes and maximize the amount of quality instructional time, teachers lean into different instructional models. For example, the flipped classroom model where students watch a video or read beforehand, allows teachers to reallocate synchronous class time to be used for more personalized touchpoints with students. Several of our middle school teachers are using their synchronous time with students for class discussions, answering questions, small group work, or student conferencing rather than solely for direct instruction. Direct instruction is still valuable, but by flipping the traditional classroom model, we are able to better utilize synchronous instructional time for more meaningful connections with students.

Sixth-grade science teacher, Jamie Kunze explains some of these adjustments, “To me, a few of the characteristics of a Pegasus education are a curriculum that stimulates the minds of the students, allows for creativity, and helps to provide opportunities for individual growth. I feel that the hybrid learning experience has not only maintained some of these goals, but in some ways, embraced them further. The mix of daily experiences provides unique conversations that we may have not had otherwise. The time we live in has created new aspects of projects that have never before been seen. For example, with the current sixth-grade community changes project, many students have integrated in an entire section on the impact of COVID on the area that they are studying. The students are being challenged to better understand the impact of events this year. Their passion and excitement to better understand is definitely taking these projects to the next level.”

Beyond The Pandemic

Although we long for the day when things can return to “normal,” some of the changes spurred by the pandemic will remain at Pegasus even after the pandemic is over. The pandemic prompted us to expand our one student to one device program in all grades, rather than just for middle school students. These devices will follow students here as they grow throughout their academic careers.

In order to assign digital work and streamline student workflow, we shifted to unified learning management platforms such as Google Sites, Seesaw, and Google Classroom. While frequency of use and implementation may look different over time, we don’t see these platforms completely disappearing after the pandemic.

Innovative thinking has always been at the forefront of Pegasus educators. The pandemic only amplified the clever, creative, original, out-of-the-box ideas, methods, and practices that our community has implemented. We know this high level of innovation is part of the fabric of what makes us unique, and it will be here well beyond the virus. Why? It’s what’s best for the students.

Corinne Yeager is The Pegasus School’s technology coach and an Orange County native. She considers herself a travel bug, is always experimenting in the kitchen, and is looking forward to welcoming her first child in February. Contact: cyeager@thepegasusschool.org

Kyra Sandstrom is a third grader teacher at The Pegasus School. When not teaching, you can find her cooking new recipes in the kitchen, running a 5k, or watching her teenage sons play hockey. Contact: ksandstrom@thepegasusschool.org

Blended learning gives students more control and agency over their learning, which stays true to the Pegasus mission of fostering self-reliance, confidence, and innovative thinking.