Learning in Quarantine: 4 Ways to Use Courseware to Keep Instruction On Track

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in districts across the country during these first few months of the new school year, we can unfortunately expect to see a revolving door of students moving in and out of quarantine. Educators are likely asking themselves, “How can I keep my students learning and engaged to minimize the risks of them falling behind?”

This is where educational technology can play a crucial role in helping educators continue to provide high-quality instruction for students in the physical classroom, as well as those who are homebound. Specifically, let’s take a closer look at four ways that Courseware, Edmentum’s standards-aligned digital curricula, can be used during these unexpected instructional interruptions.

1. Reinforce Concepts from the Last School Year

Now that school is back in session, many students will need to review concepts they learned during the last school year, as they likely did not have the opportunity to continue practicing these concepts during the summer. For quarantined students, this is even more pertinent because they won’t be able to attend class in person during review time, which puts them at risk of falling even further behind. You can use quarantine as an opportunity to reinforce topics students previously learned, especially if those topics will likely show up on end-of-year assessments. For instance, if your students are in English III this year, then you can use Flex Assignments to have them work through modules from the Courseware English II course while they are learning remotely. When students return to class, they’ll be better prepared for the advanced content that awaits them, and you’ll save some class time that otherwise would have been dedicated to reviewing.

2. Reteach Content Taught in Class

A couple of weeks or more away from in-person instruction can provide an opportunity for students to work on content they were previously struggling with. For example, if a student had trouble with graphing linear equations when you taught it in class, you can assign the corresponding module from the Courseware Algebra I course to reteach it. Instructor-friendly reports let you see how the student responds to the questions within the tutorial, the practice, and the mastery test so that you have a clear picture of student progress. Because the online module offers an alternative way of presenting the same information, working through it independently may be enough to clear up any misconceptions and move students to mastery without taking up class time. However, if the reporting data shows that students continue to struggle with the content, then that signals to you that they need additional support.

3. Encourage Online Learning Already in Progress

If your students are already regularly engaging in digital curriculum inside of your day-to-day blended model, then encourage them to continue working on their courses from home. Because these students are already familiar with learning online, the disruption can be minimal. Additionally, some students might even complete their coursework faster than expected because they can learn and study at their own pace.  

4. Help Connect Learning Concepts to Real-World Applications

Classroom instruction time is finite. There are often many additional topics that teachers would like to explore with students, but they can't because there just isn't enough time. While students are learning from home, you can use that time to have them dig into a topic that takes what they have learned in the classroom one step further. For example, have you been wishing you had the time to teach your high schoolers basic personal finance concepts as a part of the math curriculum or extend your students' understanding of strong writing and research skills by connecting those concepts to the field of journalism? Assign students modules from Courseware's career and technical education (CTE) courses to align to the specific extension topics you want them to work on while they are quarantined. When students return to the classroom, engage them in a discussion about what they learned and how it ties back to the original subject area. Your students will come back with a new understanding of how the concepts they are learning in school connect to the real world.

Want to learn more about how to use Courseware successfully in quarantine? Check out our Courseware Getting Started Resources page for helpful resources and tutorials. And don’t forget to register for our upcoming webinar, Quick Solves and Technology Tips for Quarantine Success.