Resources for effective online teaching and engagement

Note these resources related to remote teaching from one of the RELs.

Whether you’re starting off 2021 teaching 100% online, in person, or a hybrid of both, McREL is ready to help you and your teaching team home in on what works best to engage students in high-quality online learning and engage families in supporting education at home. Resources and professional learning supports Check out some of the resources below, and contact McREL to learn more about our professional learning (PL) services for: Designing lessons that spark curiosity in any setting Inspiring students to engage with their learning Breaking down communication barriers and partnering with families Request More Info & Schedule a PD Session Free Download: Digital Lessons Learned Despite the challenges of shifting to online school in 2020, many teachers found some bright spots, things that worked well online that can also be adapted for better in-person learning. In this free paper, McREL’s instructional coaches share ideas gathered from teachers and research on ways to engage with students and focus more deeply on their needs. Download the paper now Free Download: To Make Big Changes for Students, Try These Simple Shifts Teachers can get big results with their students by making modest adjustments in their classroom practices—online and in person. In this free paper, you’ll learn seven “Simple Shifts”—changes every teacher can make to turn dodgy classroom situations into engaging learning opportunities. Download the paper now Customized Professional Learning Contact us today to learn about our professional learning and coaching services, contextualized to your school’s specific goals and needs. On-demand, self-paced online courses for teachers and school leaders Live online presentations and coaching sessions Online “office hours” for collaborative, consultative conversations Onsite PL sessions being scheduled now for fall 2021 Contact Us to Learn More McREL International is a nonprofit, mission-driven organization that provides professional learning services to help educators and their students flourish.

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Changing Schools | January newsletter

Several relevant items for readers in this REL newsletter.

January 2021 Every School Has Bright Spots It Can Build on When our team of coaches and consultants begin working at a school, we always take an assets-oriented approach, finding what’s working well and can be replicated and built upon, supported by good evidence-based strategies and processes. Together with teachers and school leaders, we identify these bright spots, recognize them for what they are, and learn to leverage them to help launch a schoolwide journey toward improvement, engagement, innovation, and accelerated achievement. It’s in this spirit that we launch 2021 with new resources to help schools adapt to and overcome adversity, including two white papers and a blog series that all contend online and in-person learning are not opposites. Rather, the skills and relationships you build in one format can carry over, making you even more successful in the other. Wishing you a 2021 full of the best gifts there are: joyful, successful teaching and learning! Bryan Goodwin, CEO, McREL International New From McREL Digital Lessons Learned The switch to online learning in 2020 was a shock and a steep learning curve for us all, but many teachers also found a few good things that can endure when we return to classrooms. In this white paper, some of McREL’s school improvement coaches and consultants share how the teachers they work with have seized the digital moment to focus even more deeply on students’ needs and master techniques that will help them succeed in any format or learning environment. Download the free paper. And in case you missed these recent publications over the holidays, our special report on student engagement, produced in collaboration with student researchers, found that students perceive teachers as caring and effective (or not) for reasons that transcend online or in-person format. And our white paper on classroom walkthroughs looked at the origins, theory, and uses of walkthroughs, and offered adaptations for online and hybrid models. New Online PD Course Creating the Environment for Learning is an on-demand, self-paced professional learning course for teachers that explores the key ingredients for establishing a classroom environment that supports high levels of engaged student learning. This 3-hour short-form course gives practical, research-based insights and tips for building a positive climate, setting up intentional structures for learning, engaging students with feedback that reinforces effort and nurtures growth, and more. Learn more and sign up as a team or as an individual here. Browse all our online PD courses. The Six-Phase Learning Model: Online Adaptability In a blog series based on the book Learning That Sticks, Bryan Goodwin shows that the six-phase brain-based model for learning is just as applicable to remote learning as in-person. The reason? Our students’ brains absorb new information in predictable ways, regardless of where the information comes from. This means that teachers have the opportunity to look beyond computers vs. bricks-and-mortar, and instead craft lessons and activities that tap into what’s happening within students’ brains at any given moment in the learning process. Read the first two posts of the series now. Free Webinar With New England ISTE Get more tips and insights on how to use the six-phase model for learning to design and deliver memorable online instruction. Join New England ISTE and Bryan Goodwin on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. ET for a webinar on tools and tactics that teachers can use right away, wherever they’re teaching. Learn more and register. Research Roundup A selection of research news that ties into our work on leadership, instruction, school improvement, and professional learning here at McREL. Violence and student mobility. Exposure to violence and geographic mobility can each damage student learning. A study of Baltimore students says these phenomena should not be considered in isolation: As parents seek better conditions for their children by moving them out of schools where violence has occurred, they may inadvertently be harming their chances of keeping up academically. Read the paper, which was co-authored by McREL’s Faith Connolly, in the American Educational Research Journal. Measuring the impact of effective schools. A working paper from a team studying Chicago high schools supports a point McREL has been making for years: A school’s overall effectiveness (as opposed to a narrow focus on just test scores) can significantly impact all students’ achievement, but especially for those students who enter school less educationally advantaged. Download the paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. General education teachers need ESL support. Specialists are a great resource, but they can’t be solely responsible for helping multilingual students acquire English. Much of that learning happens in general education classrooms, yet most novice teachers feel unprepared for this part of the job, according to a paper in the Journal of Teacher Education. Read the study and if you’re in need of professional learning related to teaching English learners, consider McREL’s online PD course Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners: Student Learning Strategies and the book it’s based on, Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners. Both are designed for general classroom teachers and ESL specialists alike. Autonomy as key to academic engagement. Scholars are keen to learn what leads students to feel engaged with academic work so that teachers can develop strategies based on this insight. A new Taiwanese study identifies a precursor to engagement in eighth graders that could be useful: nurturing students’ autonomy, which helps them contribute more to their own success. Read the paper in The Journal of Educational Research and for more on student engagement, McREL has published several free white papers recently related to this topic. Grant Opportunities for Schools, Districts, and State Systems Every month we compile this list of current and upcoming grant opportunities that schools might use to fund a variety of improvement efforts. If you need cost-effective assistance with planning and writing an application proposal for any of these grants, contact us at info@mcrel.org. And if your grant project requires an external evaluation, we can be your partner. Common abbreviations: institutions of higher education (IHEs); local education agencies (LEAs); and state education agencies (SEAs). Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES) The INCLUDES program seeks collaborative efforts to enhance preparation of, increase participation in, and ensure contributions from historically underrepresented and underserved groups in STEM, which will lead to new STEM talent and leadership to secure our nation’s future and long-term economic competitiveness. These grants can range from $1M to $2M per year. Letters of intent were due Oct. 5, and applications are due Jan. 26, 2021. Learn more. Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities—Improving Retention of Special Education Teachers and Early Intervention Personnel This program aims to help SEAs and Part C lead agencies in their efforts to (1) address state-identified needs for personnel preparation in special education, early intervention, related services, and regular education to work with children, including infants and toddlers, and youth with disabilities; and (2) ensure that those personnel have the necessary skills and knowledge, derived from practices determined through scientifically based research, to be successful in serving those children. These grants can range from $700,000 to 750,000 for up to 36 months. Applications are due Feb. 9, 2021. Learn more. Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) SEA Grants This program aims to build or expand the capacity of SEAs, in partnership with mental health agencies overseeing school-aged youth, and with three LEAs to (1) increase awareness of mental health issues among school-aged youth; (2) provide training for school personnel and other adults who interact with school-aged youth to detect and respond to mental health issues; and (3) connect school-aged youth who may have behavioral health issues, and their families, to needed services. These grants can be for up to $1.8M per year for up to five years. Applications are due Feb. 15, 2021. Learn more. Research Networks Focused on Critical Problems of Education Policy and Practice Through this grant program, the National Center on Education Research (NCER) will focus resources and attention on specific education problems or issues that are a high priority for the nation, and establish both a structure and process for researchers who are working on these issues to share ideas, build new knowledge, and strengthen their research and dissemination capacity. Under this competition, NCER will consider only applications that address one of the following topics: (1) Adult Skills Network, which includes Network Lead and Research Teams; and (2) Digital Learning Platforms Network, which includes Network Lead and Platform Development Teams. These grants can range from $1M to $3.8M for up to five years depending on the chosen topic and role. Applications are due Feb. 25, 2021. Contact us for more information. Transformative Research in the Education Sciences Through this grant program, NCER will support innovative or unconventional research that has the potential to lead to new scientific paradigms, new and more effective approaches to education practice or policy, or transformative technologies that substantially increase learner outcomes. Under this competition, NCER will consider only applications that demonstrate the potential to produce a major impact in an area relevant to the Institute’s mission through innovative or unconventional research. These grants can range from $500,000 to $3M for up to five years. Applications are due Feb. 25, 2021. Contact us for more information. WE’RE HIRING! As a growing organization, we’re expanding our team of educators, researchers, project managers, and communicators to provide supports and services to more schools, districts, and education agencies. Interested in joining our team? Check out these current openings on the McREL careers page: Managing Researcher (Honolulu) Research Director (Honolulu) Research Associate (Denver) Researcher (Denver) CONTACT US TODAY Learn more about how our coaching, professional learning, and analysis services can help your school or system reach its goals. CONTACT US  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌ Bookstore | News | Careers | Learn Online | Free Resources McREL International P 800.858.6830 | F 303.337.3005 info@mcrel.org | www.mcrel.org

REL Webinar: Helping Young English Learners at Home

A regional education laboratory event that may be of interest to those engaged in remote teaching.

Join REL West, REL Northwest, and REL Northeast & Islands for a free webinar designed for district and school staff who work with English learner students in grades K–5 and their families. The webinar will— Share content from the What Works Clearinghouse 2014 practice guide, Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School Introduce new family and caregiver activity sheets, which are based on the practice guide and are available in English and Spanish, and explain how they can be used to strengthen language development for children at home with simple and fun activities Present an Educator’s Guide that offers tips for reaching out to and supporting families and caregivers as they use the activity sheets Helping Young English Learners at Home: Simple and Fun Activities to Strengthen Language Development February 3, 2021 3:00-4:30 p.m. PT Register here ***** The Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) build the capacity of educators to use data and research to improve student outcomes. Each REL responds to needs identified in its region and makes learning opportunities and other resources available to educators throughout the United States. The REL program is a part of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in the U.S. Department of Education. To receive regular updates on REL work, including events and reports, follow IES on Facebook and Twitter. To provide feedback on this or other REL work, email Contact.IES@ed.gov. The Institute of Education Sciences, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the nation’s leading source for rigorous, independent education research, evaluation and statistics.

By visiting Newsflash you may also sign up to receive information from IES and its four Centers NCES, NCER, NCEE, & NCSER to stay abreast of all activities within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).

Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic at Home: A Video with Tips for Building a Foundation to Move Forward

This REL item may be of interest to some readers.

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Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic at Home: A Video with Tips for Building a Foundation to Move Forward

In response to COVID-19, REL Mid-Atlantic has collaborated with other labs across the country to put together evidence-based resources about teaching and learning in a remote environment. A new video draws on these resources to provide tips to help families and caregivers build young children’s basic skills at home. View the recommendations for strengthening reading, writing, and arithmetic, especially in the early years.

 

This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) under contract ED-IES-17-C-0006, with REL Mid-Atlantic, administered by Mathematica. The content does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of IES or the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government.

REL Webinar: Addressing Collective Trauma and Supporting the Well-being of Students and School Staff

This is webinar that isn’t really focused on the theme of this blog, but I think is important and I wanted to pass this along to readers.

COVID-19 and racial inequities are unfortunate realities that can lead to student trauma. This webinar will define and discuss collective trauma and provide educators with research-based and promising strategies to support student and staff social-emotional well-being in schools. Join REL Southwest for a free webinar on collective trauma in the current contexts of COVID-19 and social injustice. In this interactive webinar presenters will discuss collective trauma and how it may affect staff and students. Afterward, participants will join a breakout session to explore one of the following: a four-step model for working through collective trauma, particularly racial trauma a session to learn how integrating trauma-sensitive strategies and social-emotional learning (SEL) can support a holistic approach to meeting student and staff needs Participants will— Gain a better understanding of the definition and effects of collective trauma among adults and children Become aware of the research base and evidence of the effects of collective trauma among adults and children Understand how to engage in solutions-based discussions and collective reflection on community trauma related to social injustice and inequity Understand how designing approaches that integrate trauma-sensitive strategies and SEL can help address collective trauma and inequity This webinar is designed for a broad national audience of principals, instructional coaches, teachers, district staff, and state education staff. Addressing Collective Trauma and Supporting the Well-being of Students and School Staff January 21, 2021 3:00–4:45 p.m. Central Time Register here ***** The Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) build the capacity of educators to use data and research to improve student outcomes. Each REL responds to needs identified in its region and makes learning opportunities and other resources available to educators throughout the United States. The REL program is a part of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in the U.S. Department of Education. To receive regular updates on REL work, including events and reports, follow IES on Facebook and Twitter. To provide feedback on this or other REL work, email Contact.IES@ed.gov. The Institute of Education Sciences, a part of the U.S. Department of Education, is the nation’s leading source for rigorous, independent education research, evaluation and statistics.

By visiting Newsflash you may also sign up to receive information from IES and its four Centers NCES, NCER, NCEE, & NCSER to stay abreast of all activities within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).