Flattening the curve: a learning curve

Finding new ways to teach students during the pandemic NORWOOD NEWSPAPER CLUB This month, due to the restrictions and demands of distance learning, Norwood Newspaper Club is brought to you by Norwood Elementary School students’ Grade 5 teacher, Ms. Rickards. In an effort to flatten the curve of the global pandemic, classes closed in Alberta […]

Editor April 23, 2020

Finding new ways to teach students during the pandemic

NORWOOD NEWSPAPER CLUB

This month, due to the restrictions and demands of distance learning, Norwood Newspaper Club is brought to you by Norwood Elementary School students’ Grade 5 teacher, Ms. Rickards.

In an effort to flatten the curve of the global pandemic, classes closed in Alberta in late March. School is nevertheless still open, and teachers across the province have scrambled to put together distance learning plans and methods to deliver lessons online. It’s proven to be a steep learning curve for both students and teachers as we search for ways to continue educating from home.

There is no replacement for a real, live teacher to respond to the needs of a diverse class of growing individuals. But we’ve come together to help each other find ways to reach out to our students and their families during this hard time.

Here is a glimpse into the new temporary “classrooms” of some of our hard-working teachers.

Norwood Newspaper Club was formed by Ms. Rickards as a way to have members of her Grade 5 class at Norwood Elementary School learn about being journalists.

“Be consistent, always be there when you say you are going to be there (on time), and work on maintaining connections with the kids and the parents,” says Mrs. Toogood, Grade 2 teacher at Norwood. “To keep things consistent I have read to them every day since this began!” | Mrs. Toogood

“I have found it important to create a comfortable work environment,” says Ms. Matkowski, Grade 3 teacher at Norwood. “This way, you will look forward to working in a spot you’re not used to working. Stick to your normal routine as much as you can. Don’t be afraid to put on some makeup and do your hair! Look good, feel good, right?” | Ms. Matkowski

“My classroom is my kitchen and my living room where I take pictures and videos and ideas of what parents can do at home with their younger ones,” says Mrs. Dorward, pre-K teacher at Norwood. “Then I put those videos and pictures together into lesson plans and post them daily in an online Google Classroom. The parents are able to send me pictures and videos back of what their children have been working on and some of their finished products. It’s a way we are able to stay connected!” | Mrs. Dorward

“I keep to a regular schedule and am at my desk from 8 am to 4 pm every day working on Google Classroom to create lessons and look at student work, plus teach, place phone calls, and attend virtual meetings. I still end up drinking cold coffee! But it helps to be able to connect to the kids and parents and keep learning. | Ms. Rickards

Norwood Newspaper Club was formed by Ms. Rickards as a way to have members of her Grade 5 class at Norwood Elementary School learn about being journalists.

Featured Image: “This is my new Kindergarten classroom,” says Mrs. Dionne, who is connecting with her students through Google Meets, videos, and games. “Keep learning, playing, and growing.” | Mrs. Dionne, Kindergarten teacher at Norwood