Critical Components of Quarantine Teaching

Quarantines and school closures, substitute shortages, and teacher burnout—there’s a good chance you’ve navigated one or more of these challenging scenarios recently.

Some describe quarantine teaching as a revolving door with teachers running in circles. For students, the school day might be the most regular, dependable, and predictable part of their lives. School is a place with structure and reliable feedback, not to mention friends and social time. But last year, we all took a crash course that tested every aspect of our world, not just teaching.

What did we learn from virtual learning, quarantine teaching, and school closures? In this previously recorded webinar, Edmentum talks about how quarantine learning resembles the structure of the flipped classroom.

In the flipped classroom, videos or readings are assigned as homework. Instead of lecturing, teachers are accessible for targeted practice at school in small groups for team learning. Obviously, one-on-one focus and targeted practice are constrained by the requirements of quarantine. Personal time for lab or practical work might happen in a video conference or by phone, but the assessments and assignments are virtually the same as the classic flip.

What are some other concepts to consider for education flexibility and for staying ahead of the curve?

• Remember that personalized learning is focused. Select specific learning resources for learners who need additional material.
   
• Plan in one-week increments. Quarantined schooling can take the format of the flipped classroom. Keeping a uniform cadence for lesson plans keeps everyone on the same page. You never know when snow days or other interruptions will strike.
   
• Plan your chain of communication. It might be one person for each school or district who knows everything ahead of time. That person can answer questions about how to log in to the virtual learning system, where to pick up school lunches, what to do for a family who needs rent assistance, etc.
   
• Plan for social-emotional learning (SEL). Regular check-ins for social and emotional well-being will reap mental health benefits and provide a necessary foundation for learning. Brushing up on coping skills, stress management, and mindfulness helps you and your students.
   
• Plan for special education and Section 504 plans too! For students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a Section 504 plan, make quarantine contingency plans and make them part of the IEP/504.

Interested in more resources for teaching students in quarantine? Whether you’ve started implementing virtual days to make up class time or you’re just looking for more information to help prepare for the unexpected, we’ve compiled a list of our best resources to help you and your students get the most out of days out of the classroom due to quarantine.