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Four Core Priorities for Trauma-Informed Distance Learning

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Four Core Priorities for Trauma-Informed Distance Learning

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When possible, teachers can ask parents for insights into what their children need right now. For some kids, school work gives them a healthy focus. For others, self-care may be the priority. Venet shared an adage for staying flexible: "there are different paths up the mountain."
Connection
Relationships are key to resilience, "so anything that teachers can do to help foster relationships should be a priority right now," said Venet. She's heard from parents that some teachers are sending impersonal emails checking on whether students have logged into online learning. Such emails can have unintended consequences because people affected by trauma sometimes interpret neutral signals as negative. "I invite (educators) to be crystal, crystal clear with students that you miss them and you care about them," Venet said. And because the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted many types of relationships, she recommended that teachers also consider how to help students connect with each other, with family and with their community .
Empowerment
Empowerment applies to assignments, as well. "Now more than ever, kids don't need to be doing fake work. They don't need to be doing worksheets," said Venet. "Give them problems to solve. Ask what they're interested in. There's so much data coming out right now for them to be working with. There's so many stories coming out ... Give them tools to think about 'How am I affecting the world around me?'"

More advice for understanding trauma

In addition to the four priorities, Venet shared some reminders and cautions for teachers getting started with trauma-informed teaching .

Use trauma as "a lens, not a label" to understand students.

Trauma is a response, not an event. Do not assume that any particular child definitely did or did not experience something as trauma.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic is creating widespread anxiety, not all kids are experiencing it as stressful. Resources and relationships play a role.

For some students, school closures may be an escape from the stress or trauma caused by , bullying, not seeing themselves in the curriculum , test anxiety and other issues.

Social and emotional learning can help students, but the systemic issues that create stress and trauma also need to be addressed .

Trauma is not destiny. Healing is possible.

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Four Core Priorities for Trauma-Informed Distance Learning | KQED

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Not being able to see students face-to-face can create a huge challenge to educators who are teaching with a trauma informed lens. However, some of those in-person best practices can help inform what teachers do while distance learning.

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Remaking Schools in the Time of Coronavirus

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Remaking Schools in the Time of Coronavirus

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Remaking Schools in the Time of Coronavirus

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Eventbrite - Haymarket Books presents Remaking Schools in the Time of Coronavirus - Wednesday, April 22, 2020 - Find event and ticket information.

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Screen Time & Media Balance: In this session, we will address concerns around increased screen time and explore ways to encourage your students to achieve a healthy media balance while continuing to learn online.

Maintaining Student Safety & Privacy: As students spend more time online, it is important for us to understand how to keep them safe. Learn what you and your students can do to maintain student privacy and safety.

Digital Footprint & Identity: How can we help students shape a positive digital identity and footprint? In this session, we will discuss the dangers of oversharing and explore ways to help your students consider their identity in the growing digital world.

Building Positive Online Communities: In this session we will discuss strategies for building positive online communities by addressing issues such as cyberbullying, digital drama, and online hate speech.

Media Literacy and the Fake News Problem: Explore ways to encourage students to be smart consumers of online information. In this session, we will examine how and why fake news are made, how to identify credible courses, and more.

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Screen Time & Media Balance: In this session, we will address concerns around increased screen time and explore ways to encourage your students to achieve a healthy media balance while continuing to learn online. Maintaining Student Safety & Privacy: As students spend more time online, it is important for us to understand how to keep them safe.

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Using Chrome Extensions to support Students with Special Needs

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Using Chrome Extensions to support Students with Special Needs

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Chrome Extensions for Struggling Students and Special Needs

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Technology can be a powerful tool to assist students when learning, as it provides accessibility and accommodations to support everyone. In…

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by Bianca Dávila on April 1 2020

This week, we'll be launching our series with a focus on building connections through technology. Maintaining connections is a key, research-based strategy in any learning environment, and we know many of you are looking for ways to engage and connect with your students, connect them with each other, and ensure they feel supported during this trying time.

So, where might you start? We've mapped out two approaches being used by various educators to reach their students. Read below for resources and tips on how to connect with students virtually "in-person" via scheduled time together (for example, on Zoom and Google Hangouts Meet) and how to connect with them on their own time via recorded videos and audio posted on different platforms.

Connecting together (i.e., "synchronously") at the same time

As we shift to teaching in a remote setting, it's important to offer students as many touch points as possible to ensure they still feel connected to you, one another, and the broader school community. Setting up virtual meeting times is one way to connect in real-time, replicating vital components of the classroom instructional experience virtually, including creating opportunities for discourse, checking in for understanding, and collecting in-the-moment data to help plan for further lessons. Perhaps even more importantly, these moments also allow you to check in with your students on a personal level to continue to build and strength existing relationships. Similarly, coming together at the same time allows for students to connect with one another, continuing to build the friendships they've cultivated and supporting their social and emotional development and wellbeing.

As you move to begin planning (or continue planning for those of you who've already begun), consider the following tactics when planning out your virtual meetings and lessons:

Connect with students in real time with live lessons using a variety of platforms. This can include video platforms, but also audio ones if students have limited internet access.

Offer multiple session times to ensure a wider reach for all students (for example, while students might have devices, they may not have a parent on hand to help). If needed, set up one-on-one calls for students who are not able to join. Record live sessions for students who aren't able to attend.

Across all sessions, create clear norms and routines for engagement. While video offers more opportunity for nonverbal modeling and support, students may not already know how to engage inclusively. Talk together about the "rules" you want to co-create and abide by.

Read below for some tips on two popular "synchronous" connection platforms: Zoom and Google Hangouts Meet

For many of you, Zoom is now serving as your new classroom, and it's harder than ever to maintain student privacy, minimize distractions, and track engagement. Zoom has provided some great tips on how to create a secure environment, prevent disruptions, and engage students remotely in your new digital classroom. A few tips and resources include:

For heightened classroom security, be sure to turn on your waiting room so students aren't unsupervised in your Zoom room.

Remember to "lock" your room once your class has begun to prevent gatecrashers from joining.

To help minimize student distractions, consider restricting the one-on-one chat function so that students aren't engaged in side chatter.

Consider setting up specific implementation rules to ensure privacy, security, and comfort for all students and teachers, such as the ones shared by Highline Public Schools.

To boost and track engagement, use the polling feature to administer real-time checks for understanding.

Consider enabling the attendee attention tracking feature to ensure that students aren't engaging with other content online and are focused on your live lesson.

For more tips and step-by-step instructions on making sure your classroom is a safe environment with minimal disruptions, check out this blog from Zoom on Best Practices for Securing Your Virtual Classroom and for a comprehensive how-to and for more suggestions on the Zoom tools you can use for engagement, check out Tips & Tricks: Teachers Educating on Zoom.

Want more help? TLA has partnered with GetSetUp.io to help teachers access group-based online training on Zoom. This free class is taught by former teachers and is designed to help you get up and running.

Similarly to Zoom, Google has become the go-to platform for many districts across the nation as they offer a number of digital tools including Hangouts Meet, Classroom, and an extensive suite of resources that allow you to collaborate and share real-time feedback. In response to COVID-19 and the need for remote learning, Google has created a useful hub where you can easily find all of the Google tools available to you along with tutorials on how to use them. Their hub is categorized for teachers who are doing live video lessons and for those teaching without video, and Google has provided tips on using their tools to keep students engaged and ensuring your lessons are accessible to all students - including those with various learning differences.

For quick video tutorials on all things Google (including Google Classroom and Hangouts Meet), check out the education technology-focused blog, Control Alt Achieve, whose owner is a certified Google for Education trainer and innovator.

Want more help? TLA has partnered with GetSetUp.io to help teachers access free, group-based online training on Google Hangouts Meet as well as other tools. Find their free Google training courses here.

Connecting with students on their own time

While scheduling opportunities to connect with students in real-time is important, it's not always feasible for many teachers or for their students, nor is it always necessary-- connections can be made through "asynchronous" approaches too (think back to that great email you've gotten, or a hand-written note!). Pre-recorded video and audio can serve as great ways to still create touchpoints with students, let them know that you're thinking of them, and to give them a sense of normalcy by giving them opportunities to engage in routines that they're familiar with and to feel loved and cared for from afar.

There are a variety of things you could pre-record to send to students or upload to different channels such as YouTube or Google Classroom.

Record a message for your students letting them know how you're doing. Many students are worried about how their teachers are doing, so send a message to let them know you're okay and are thinking of them.

Video yourself engaging in routines you'd like to see them doing, such as independently reading, exercising, or planning lessons. This can encourage students to mimic these routines on their own.

For extracurricular activities, record yourself leading different projects or activities like one preschool gym teacher has done by posting videos of gym activities for students to do at home with their families.

Continue daily read-alouds by shifting them to video recordings.
Be sure to check with the publisher of your book to ensure that temporary permission has been granted to do an online read-aloud. This list contains a comprehensive list of publishers who have granted open licenses.

For those teachers who were in the middle of reading aloud Harry Potter to their students, J.K. Rowling has granted an open license for teachers during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Similarly, Scholastic, Disney Publishing Worldwide, Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins, and many more have provided temporary permission for digital read-alouds for all of their children's books. These publishers have created guidelines for digital read-alouds to help educators and families in the shift to online learning.

Looking for more help? TLA has partnered with GetSetUp.io to help teachers access free group-based online training on screencasting and video tools.

We hope you've found these resources helpful. Check in with us each week to learn about more vetted resources for remote learning. You can also follow #TLAOneThing on Twitter to track all of our tips in the coming weeks.

We would love to hear your feedback on this series - or your requests for additional help! If you haven't yet, we would love for you to fill out this survey so we can better understand how to support you. Feel free to reach out to us at bianca.davila@learningaccelerator.org to share your thoughts and questions.

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we’ll be launching our series with a focus on building connections through technology. maintaining connections is a key

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research-based strategy in any learning environment

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and we know many of you are looking for ways to engage and connect with your students

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and ensure they feel supported during this trying time. 
 so

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where might you start? we've mapped out two approaches being used by various educators to reach their students. read below for resources and tips on how to connect with students virtually “in-person” via scheduled time together (for example

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on zoom and google hangouts meet) and how to connect with them on their own time via recorded videos and audio posted on different platforms. 
 connecting together (i.e.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
“synchronously”) at the same time 
 as we shift to teaching in a remote setting

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
it’s important to offer students as many touch points as possible to ensure they still feel connected to you

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and the broader school community . setting up virtual meeting times is one way to connect in real-time

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
replicating vital components of the classroom instructional experience virtually

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including creating opportunities for discourse

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and collecting in-the-moment data to help plan for further lessons. perhaps even more importantly

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these moments also allow you to check in with your students on a personal level to continue to build and strength existing relationships. similarly

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coming together at the same time allows for students to connect with one another

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continuing to build the friendships they’ve cultivated and supporting their social and emotional development and wellbeing. 
 as you move to begin planning (or continue planning for those of you who’ve already begun)

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consider the following tactics when planning out your virtual meetings and lessons: 
 connect with students in real time with live lessons using a variety of platforms. this can include video platforms

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but also audio ones if students have limited internet access. offer multiple session times to ensure a wider reach for all students (for example

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they may not have a parent on hand to help). if needed

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set up one-on-one calls for students who are not able to join. record live sessions for students who aren’t able to attend. across all sessions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
create clear norms and routines for engagement. while video offers more opportunity for nonverbal modeling and support

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
students may not already know how to engage inclusively. talk together about the “rules” you want to co-create and abide by.  
 read below for some tips on two popular “synchronous” connection platforms: zoom and google hangouts meet 
  
 for many of you

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zoom is now serving as your new classroom

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and it’s harder than ever to maintain student privacy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
and track engagement. zoom has provided some great tips on how to create a secure environment

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and engage students remotely in your new digital classroom. a few tips and resources include: 
 for heightened classroom security

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be sure to turn on your waiting room so students aren’t unsupervised in your zoom room. remember to “lock” your room once your class has begun to prevent gatecrashers from joining.  to help minimize student distractions

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consider restricting the one-on-one chat function so that students aren’t engaged in side chatter.  consider setting up specific implementation rules to ensure privacy

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and comfort for all students and teachers

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such as the ones shared by highline public schools . to boost and track engagement

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use the polling feature to administer real-time checks for understanding. consider enabling the attendee attention tracking feature to ensure that students aren’t engaging with other content online and are focused on your live lesson. 
 for more tips and step-by-step instructions on making sure your classroom is a safe environment with minimal disruptions

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Week 1 - Today's One Thing for Teachers: Building Connections

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This week, we'll be launching our series with a focus on building connections through technology. Maintaining connections is a key, research-based strategy in any learning environment, and we know many of you are looking for ways to engage and connect with your students, connect them with each...

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We've developed these resources to support student well-being and learning during school closures, and we will keep this page updated as we publish new pieces.

One educator explains the value of addressing the pandemic head-on in class.

A children's rights attorney and a policy analyst from the Southern Poverty Law Center explain educators' rights to workplace safety, students' rights to education access and what it might take to advocate for both.

"I have begun to feel helpless during this time," writes author Jamilah Pitts. "But I never felt helpless as a teacher."

Taking time to check assumptions about family engagement can make a huge difference in the lives of your students and their caregivers.

Social distancing means this year's Ramadan will look different for Muslim students. Here's what educators can do to help.

Experts from the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence offer recommendations for supporting students with learning disabilities through the coronavirus pandemic.

Advocate for students and families during this crisis by using this resource to evaluate your district's response to the coronavirus pandemic and offer recommendations for changes.

Experts at The Trevor Project offered their recommendations for ways educators can support LGBTQ students through coronavirus school closures.

Amid school closures, online classes can offer new opportunities for culturally responsive teaching. Here's what one educator is trying with her fifth grade students.

Experts from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network share their recommendations for educators supporting students during the COVID-19 crisis.

As COVID-19 infections increase, so too does racism and xenophobia. Use our "Speak Up" strategies to let people know you're not OK with racist or xenophobic comments about coronavirus or anything else.

We asked educators what they need, and we listened. We hope this message-and these resources-offer some help.

An instructional coach experiencing long-term school closures in Washington state shares some encouraging words for fellow educators who are grappling with the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and their own emotions.

The spread of the new coronavirus has become racialized, so it's critical that educators understand the historical context and confront racist tropes and xenophobia from students and colleagues.

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We're grateful to the educators continuing to support students and families through the COVID-19 pandemic. We've developed these resources to support student well-being and learning during school closures, and we will keep this page updated as we publish new pieces.

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Improving the health and happiness of the world, one educator at a time.

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Resources to Support Teaching and Learning Virtually Due to COVID-19

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http://www.wgbh.org/authenticate/login

WGBH Distance Learning Center

As schools and students, families and educators adapt to the current health crisis, WGBH - in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, WGBY/New England Public Media, and The Basics - is supporting them by gathering some of our free, trusted digital resources from PBS LearningMedia and our award-winning educational preschool programming. PBS LearningMedia resources span disciplines for grades PreK-12, are aligned to national and state standards, and include videos, comprehensive lessons, and other activities. Family Activities support learning and development for children ages 0 to 8. Start exploring your resource options below.

Browse Resource Collections

In Partnership With:

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http://www.wgbh.org/authenticate/login As schools and students, families and educators adapt to the current health crisis, WGBH - in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education , the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care , WGBY/New England Public Media, and The Basics - is supporting them by gathering some of our free, trusted digital resources from PBS LearningMedia and our award-winning educational preschool programming .

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Update, 3/19/20: Since we first published this post, school closures in response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak have become the norm across the country. It's also clear that in many communities, schools will remain closed for months-or even for the remainder of the school year. TNTP is committed to doing everything we can to ensure that students have access to the educational opportunities they deserve even while schools are closed. In the weeks ahead, we'll offer practical advice school districts can use to design and implement high-quality distance learning-and tackle the many other unexpected challenges they're now facing. In the meantime, we've updated our list of home learning resources and strategies below. We hope you'll find it useful, whether your district is scrambling to respond to a just-announced closure or thinking about how to make your initial plans work for months instead of weeks. In addition, we're still offering a limited number of free planning sessions for school system leaders-to help think through instructional content, staff training plans, schedules for home learning, or other resources that might be useful as you navigate this uncertainty. To learn more, email us.
CHOOSING HOME LEARNING RESOURCES: GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Choosing among countless virtual learning resources can be overwhelming, but you can use a few basic principles to narrow your search:

Try to use what you've already been using. Teachers and students will have the most success with materials they're familiar with. If you can leverage your existing resources virtually-especially if you're confident in their quality-you should.

Keep it clear and simple. Don't overwhelm your staff and families with too many resources. Plan for about 2.5-4.5 hours of instruction per day, depending on age, and give families specific advice about when and how to use the materials you recommend. When it comes to delivering virtual instruction, don't underestimate the power of the simplest solutions-for example, teacher-to-student phone calls.

Make sure your plan works for all families. It's better to take a little longer to roll out a virtual learning plan that works for families than to rush a plan that causes frustration. Be sure to think through issues like training and access to technology.

Reading is everything. If nothing else, make sure students have access to high-quality texts (fiction and nonfiction), and stress that reading should happen every day.

Planning for extended closures

If your system is facing the prospect of closures that last for weeks or months, you'll need to be clear on your goal for a long-term distance learning strategy. You're likely facing one of two situations.

If you've already adopted a high-quality curriculum that teachers and students are familiar with, your goal should be creating a distance learning strategy that's simply an extension of your existing academic strategy. That means finding the best way to deliver virtual instruction using your existing resources, and accounting for what teachers and students will need to effectively teach and access the curriculum from home.

If curriculum varies across your system, or if your teachers primarily create their own materials, your goal should be providing a simple, concrete plan to help families use resources you provide, and finding ways to connect teachers and students virtually. That means focusing on any additional support teachers will need to implement virtual learning, and any support or resources students will need to access materials at home.

THE LISTS

With those guiding principles in mind, we've created two lists of home learning resources. The standalonelist has resources that don't require extensive knowledge of a particular curriculum, for sure in the absence of a more robust curriculum or while you develop a longer-term virtual learning plan. The existing curriculum/long-term list includes high-quality curricular resources and their virtual or free offerings. Note that many of these resources require familiarity with the underlying curriculum and shouldn't be introduced for the first time virtually. Finally, we've included a list of virtual platforms for connecting teachers and students
All subjects

Khan Academy (all grades): Video lessons and practice across a wide variety of topics at all grade levels, from preschool through graduation. Check out the step-by-step video and quick-start guide for using with remote instruction. High school math lessons, in particular, are a great accompaniment to teaher-created materials.

NYC Department of Education "Learn at Home" materials (all grades): These standards-aligned packets are a good option for students without internet or computer access.

Scholastic (K-8): Free lessons for all content areas.

ELA

TumbleBooks (elementary): Digital library for elementary students.

Unite for Literacy (elementary): Digital library for elementary students.

Time for Kids (elementary): Student articles for grades K-6; good for knowledge-building reading.

CommonLit (upper elementary/secondary): More than 2,000 high-quality free reading passages for grades 3-12.

Newsela (upper elementary/secondary): Nonfiction texts at different independent reading levels paired with activities, including news articles, science pieces and social studies pieces.

New York Times writing curriculum (secondary): Flexible program for middle and high schools based on the real-world writing found in newspapers, from editorials and reviews to personal narratives and analysis essays.

Math ELA Math Science

PhD Science (3-5): Great Minds is sharing free, recorded daily lessons delivered by their own teachers, viewable on any device (including smartphones). If possible, send students home with their PhD Science module 4 logbooks.

Zoom: Currently free, easy to use with a computer or smartphone, lots of great features (e.g. whiteboard, screen sharing, chat). There is a learning curve, though, and students would likely need training on how to use it.

Google Classroom: Free; highly recommended by many educators; accessible by computer, phone, and even game consoles. Many schools already have Google accounts for students, which makes this easy to access. See the guide for teachers and guide for administering assessments.

Teacher-directed phone calls: Allows teachers to connect with students 1:1, no internet required. Teachers could create a Google Voice phone number for students to call and text. Calendly is a useful tool to quickly schedule 1:1 check-ins.

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Resources for Learning at Home When Schools Close (UPDATED)

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Update, 3/19/20: Since we first published this post, school closures in response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak have become the norm across the country. It's also clear that in many communities, schools will remain closed for months-or even for the remainder of the school year.

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If you're working from home, prepare for your day as you would for an office job: take a shower, and get dressed. Credit... Alamy

Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast in October 2012 while I lived in New York and juggled three jobs. Along with working at a restaurant and a news agency on nights and weekends, I spent my weekdays commuting from Brooklyn to a media company in Manhattan. When the hurricane made landfall, it crippled the city's public transportation system for weeks, leaving me all but severed from office headquarters.

More than 8.1 million people in the region were without electricity in the days that followed. Yet in my Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment we had power, internet, and plumbing. This fortune came with another price: Those of us who were able to work remotely.

In the calm days following the storm, I woke up each morning, rolled across my sheets, reached for my laptop, logged into various tools - Google Chat, Basecamp, Trello - and got to work. My roommate would bring me coffee from the bodega, and I would not leave my bed until my shift ended (eight hours later), around which time I would shower and hike to a nearby bar for dinner. As the city fought to restore power, there was a candlelight afterglow wherever I walked. That first week I told myself, "I could get used to this."

Then things soured. I began to loathe working remotely. I felt unkempt and dirty, lonely and disconnected, malnourished and unhealthy. Turns out in my hasty jump into remote work, I had fallen for the most common pitfalls. More than five years later, I'm now a regular from-afar employee - whether it be from an apartment in Brooklyn, a cabin in upstate New York, or my tiny home in Maine - and I can comfortably and productively contribute a solid day's work from almost anywhere.

There are many things that contribute to becoming a successful work-from-home employee. As more companies across nearly every industry accommodate an increasing number of employees wishing to forego the morning commute and office pantry footfall, remote work has become an increasingly easy and breathlessly viable option for many who seek it.

Here is a modest guide to becoming a successful remote employee, a culmination of what I've learned along the way.

Don't wake up to the blue hue of your smartphone and immediately start working. Place it across the room, or better yet, in an adjacent one, and force yourself up and out of bed to turn off your alarm each morning. When the alarm does go off, get up and prepare for your day as you would for an office job: take a shower, and get dressed.

Business attire is (obviously) not required, but act as though you will be interacting with colleagues in person. After all, you never know when they may want to video chat, and you don't want to beg off because you look unkempt or aren't wearing a shirt.

This also sets the tempo for the day and discourages the sleepy notion that, perhaps, just maybe, you can crawl back into bed for a nap around lunch - although there's something to be said for workday naps.

Whether it's a rented office space or a den converted into a home office or a cabin in the woods for that matter, find a space away from your bedroom to work. (Then again, F. Scott Fitzgerald did most of his work while lying in bed.) Worst case, toss your laptop in your bag, grab a pair of headphones and head to a local coffee shop that has Wi-Fi or even a quiet spot at your local library to set up shop and get things done. Just be courteous if you plan to make a public space your office - be sure that coffee shop is O.K. with people working there for long hours, and make your all-day presence at one of their tables worthwhile by buying food and drinks.

"Set up an area that is for work," said Chris Heinonen, a staff writer at Wirecutter, a New York Times company where a majority of writers and editors work from home. "I have an office, but I've set up a corner of my bedroom in the past, as long as it is a work area."

If you find your apartment too cramped or if the thought of working at a loud cafe or taking calls in a whisper-quiet public library is unbearable, there are plenty of co-working spaces to be found. Services like ShareDesk, WeWork or Croissant help you rent an office space and sit among freelancers and other professionals, maybe making some new friends or even taking advantage of a stocked pantry or kitchen. If you have the cash, you can even have a quiet executive-style office to yourself. Smaller co-working spaces that cater to locals and neighborhoods are a great (and often more affordable) option as well. Just visit Google Maps and search "co-working spaces near" and add your town name to see what's available around you.

Before divorcing completely from the office, check with your corporate IT department and your manager to see if you are equipped with the programs and applications necessary to work remotely. Security first: If you connect to your company's internal systems or email through a Virtual Private Network or other secure tunnel, make sure you've tested it and that it functions from where you plan to work. Also, have a backup plan in the event your connection experiences disruptions.

The same advice applies to internet connectivity. I make sure that if the wireless internet in my home office fails, I can still connect seamlessly through my smartphone, set up as a Wi-Fi hot spot. To do this, make sure you have the right wireless plan, especially if you handle large files. You don't want to get hit with hefty overage fees on your cell bill just because you worked from home. Similarly, your company may provide special equipment for remote employees or pay for their mobile phone or internet service. Check with your IT or human resources department to see how they can help.

Also, make sure your workspace is set up with everything you need: a comfortable chair, any special tools you need and even a phone or headset. Wirecutter has a great rundown of the best gear you need for a home office.

The ability to communicate quickly and reliably is the most priceless attribute a remote employee needs to succeed. Update your manager or boss frequently. Most offices use some group chat service, like Slack, to communicate with each other during the day, and tools like Google Hangouts or Skype for video calls and meetings. Make sure they're installed and you know how to use them, and make your presence known to your colleagues (especially your boss) when you are available and working.

Find out which of those platforms are the most convenient for the people with whom you frequently communicate. If you're not working and are out on a walk or a lunch date, don't ignore that message from a co-worker seeking clarification or assistance. Follow up, and be sure that while you are on the clock, you remain as available as if you were seated right beside them, even if it's just to say "I'm away from my desk, but I'll let you know as soon as I'm back."

Set goals. Make a list of things that need to be tackled today, this week, and this month.

"Having a consistent schedule and being kind of strict about it is really useful for drawing outlines around your time so that you can keep things balanced for both work and play," said Jacqui Cheng, editor in chief of Wirecutter, and someone who's worked from home full time or close to full time for over 12 years.

Follow the S.M.A.R.T. goal approach: Make sure your to-do list for the day includes tasks that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. Friends who work from home have long touted Francesco Cirillo's Pomodoro productivity technique as an effective way to tackle a goal, or even longer projects, by helping you stay focused for 25-minute intervals with 5-minute breaks in between. Tackle one task within the 25 minutes? Move on to the next. The TomatoTimer web application is a simple timer that can help you get started and stay focused.

Block out disturbances. Set (and enforce) boundaries if you're working at home by explaining to family members or children that your work area is off limits, and they should avoid interrupting unless it's important. Set aside time and breaks to spend with them, so they don't feel entitled to your working time.

Perhaps more nefarious, however, are the social media streams that steal our time. Apps available for Google Chrome, such as StayFocusd, allot a specific amount of time per day on select websites (like Facebook or Twitter) before rendering those sites inaccessible for the remainder of the day. Other web apps like Strict Workflow, which is similar to the TomatoTimer, are worth checking out as well.

There are similar tools available for other web browsers and even mobile devices; just don't spend more time installing and updating apps to keep you focused than you spend on focused work.

Find time to go for short walks to help inspire productivity and creativity. One of the blessings of working remotely is the opportunity to live a more active lifestyle instead of being deskbound, but it's important to make activity a habit. Otherwise you'll fall into the inertia of sitting at your desk all day and never leaving the house at night.

Kevin Purdy, a staff writer at Wirecutter who has worked from home full time for roughly a decade and is a partner in the Buffalo, N.Y. co-working space CoworkBuffalo, calls his regular "get up and get out" appointments a "knitting circle."

"Have a regularly scheduled social meeting: pre-work coffee, lunch with a friend or group of friends," he said. "It helps you feel like you have a regular schedule, gives you some outside inspiration, and if nothing else, it enforces the Wear Pants rule at least once or twice a week."

It's important to socialize to combat the inherent loneliness and isolation you'll feel while out of a traditional office setting. I've found that chatting with the owner of my corner store or other local establishment gives my days a light, communal routine, similar to what I would get in an office environment.

If you are more secluded, brisk bike rides or short hikes elevate endorphins and sharpen focus the same as a quick tour of your neighborhood. Worst case, make plans to get out of the house with family or friends when the workday is over.

Separating your technology from the place where you come to recharge and disconnect at the end of the day is invaluable to the discipline needed for working remotely. Just as you should wake up in a room absent of technology, you should return to one once you've completed a day's work. When you log off for the day, log off. Close your work chat programs and emails and consider yourself "out for the day," and "home now."

Trying to mix work and free time runs the danger of never quite powering down or shutting off, and can lead to burnout and depression from feeling like you're always on and available. To boot, your friends and family miss out on the time you would spend with them if you worked in an office instead of at home. Make sure to enforce your boundaries.

Play with your dog or cat or goldfish and relish the fact that you work from home! Not everyone can. After all, if you get tired of it or dislike it, you can always go back to the office.

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Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast in October 2012 while I lived in New York and juggled three jobs. Along with working at a restaurant and a news agency on nights and weekends, I spent my weekdays commuting from Brooklyn to a media company in Manhattan.

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If you're noticing anxiety in yourself or those around you these days, you're not alone. With mention of COVID-19 (commonly known as coronavirus) filling radio and television news, social media feeds, and our email inboxes, it's no wonder we're all anxious. Between the uncertainty, the real health risks, and the hype, fear and anxiety are feelings that are both valid and common. We wanted to provide you with a few ideas for managing those feelings.

Start with yourself. Before you help others with their feelings, make sure you are okay-that you are calm enough to validate, reassure, and support others. Practice your calming strategies. Practice self-care. Talk to others. Breathe.

Be aware of your own emotions and accept how you feel. With widespread illness, real uncertainty exists. We may be worried about our own health and safety, the well-being of our family members, or even childcare or workplace issues. Remind yourself that a certain level of anxiety is grounded and normal. Seek professional help if you feel your anxiety or fear is getting in the way.

Focus on the facts. Consult reliable and up-to-date sources of information such as the Center for Disease Control website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html and your local news source for updates on closings, procedures, and guidelines.

Control the amount of information you take in. In times like these, we may feel like we have no control. One thing we can control is how much information we seek out and how often we tune in. Take breaks as needed from the news, social media, and conversations that make you feel anxious.

Don't be afraid to say no. If someone asks you to attend a social event or goes to hug you or shake your hand and you are not interested, this is not a time to push yourself past your comfort zone. Give yourself permission to say no, as your physical and mental health is the most important thing. At a loss for words? Try something like, "With all the germs going around, I'll take a raincheck."

Respect others' decisions but know what's right for you. We all handle the news differently. You may know someone stocking up on masks and paper goods; others may be continuing to host parties. Let them go about their business, and think about what you need to do for you and your own physical and emotional well-being.

Be your best self when dealing with stigma and fears. If you hear rumors or notice suspicion around certain groups of people being sick, question ungrounded assumptions and do your best to protect those who are stigmatized or judged. Have compassion for those who are ill and those whose lives have been disrupted by the virus or society's response to it, including having compassion for yourself.

Support others who are dealing with anxiety and uncertainty. When helping others with their anxiety, particularly your colleagues, students, or children, we suggest you:

Manage your own anxiety first.

Don't be afraid to discuss the situation-open communication sometimes is the best way to allay unpleasant emotions.

Don't assume you know how others, and particularly children, are feeling or why they're feeling that way. Ask.

Consider the age and developmental level of those with whom you speak. Take your cues from them on what to discuss.

Reassure children with facts. Remind them that adults, in particular capable scientists and health care workers, are working together to keep everyone safe. Discuss what you are doing and what they can do to stay safe and germ-free.

Dealing with the uncertainty of the current situation is difficult for everyone, and we want to support in any way we can. Please feel free to share the above with your school community, and do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions, suggestions, or seek additional guidance in this area. Below are links to other resources you may find helpful as you navigate this challenging time.

Sincerely,

The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence Team

Webinar Recording

Managing Anxiety around COVID-19
We have created a document of strategies attendees of the webinar listed above use to manage anxiety during this time. To access the document, click here.

Additional Resources

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If you're noticing anxiety in yourself or those around you these days, you're not alone. With mention of COVID-19 (commonly known as coronavirus) filling radio and television news, social media feeds, and our email inboxes, it's no wonder we're all anxious.

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A temporary hub of information and tools to help teachers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis.

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Helping Students Cope with Transition to Remote Learning

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Helping Students Cope with Transition to Remote Learning

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If you're concerned about quickly transitioning to the virtual classroom, you are not alone. Educators and students around the globe are settling in-at home-to finish out the school year in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. For many, the digital classroom is a completely new environment. But there's good news: studies show that learning online is just as effective as learning in the physical classroom, as long as you prepare yourself-and your students-to succeed.

While you'll surely need to focus on how to adapt your lectures, materials, and assignments to better suit the online classroom, it's also critical to think about how your students may struggle to adjust-as individuals and as a group. As you begin your transition to teaching online, consider these 10 ways to become a better leader and resource for your students during this unprecedented time.

1. Ensure Your Students Are Equipped Technically

As quickly as you can, determine: Do your students have the technology they need to fully participate in virtual learning? Does every student have access to a device that can perform the functions necessary for online learning, and does that device have the basic software installed to run classroom sessions?

You don't need to have all the technology answers, but you do need to be a resource for your students. Know the contact information for your institution's IT department, and direct students to any assistance services they may require. Ensuring that every student has full access to the resources they need, and can overcome barriers at home to participate effectively online is critical so that no one feels excluded or left behind.

2. Give Voice to the Trauma of What Is Happening

The COVID-19 virus-and the mandated social distancing it has necessitated-has created ongoing and escalating consequences and worries for your students. As an educator, you must initially meet them where they are psychologically. Give them space and time to voice the thoughts and emotions they are experiencing before delving into your lessons. Ask students how they are doing. Otherwise, you'll be ignoring the whole reason you're making the transition online-the elephant in the virtual room, as it were-and missing an important moment to connect with your students.

As we know from Greenberg, Clair, and Maclean, professors play an important role in the wake of traumatic events-and many believe that role includes acknowledging that students are going through emotional and psychological stress. In addressing the ongoing trauma of this pandemic, acknowledge the position you and your students are in and the emotions that come with it. You need to do that before you can ask them to carve out time to continue learning.

No matter how you decide to address the more personal impact of COVID-19 on your students, remind them of the support services available to them through your institution and acknowledge that you are all going through this difficult time together.

3. Set Ground Rules Early On

From the beginning, establish-and sometimes reset-ground rules. You should still ask students not to multitask or check their phones during class, for example. To enforce this, ask students to use video and keep their cameras on throughout class; it really makes a difference. Then get into whatever material you have planned for the day.

Do a "class launch" that sets expectations for this new way of learning-you want to clarify, in detail, how the class will work together online. How should the class communicate and how often? How big should breakout groups be? Ask your students what they think, and take that into consideration as you establish new norms.

4. Find New Ways to Check in with Students

Ensure that students have ongoing opportunities to speak as a group about the new state of affairs-this isn't a once-and-done conversation. Early on, say something like, It's a new world; we're not sure how long this is going to last, but for the rest of the semester, I want to make sure that everyone feels they have the setup and support they need.

Remember, too, that with online teaching, there's not just one meeting time, one form of communication, or one medium of conveying messages. Make sure you communicate redundantly to avoid confusion and ensure that everyone has heard and understood you. Follow up with an email or announcement, and have multiple touchpoints (through various media) to keep the conversation going after class.

5. Create an Effective Culture for Your Virtual Class

Building a great online class culture is very important, and very difficult, to do-it requires you to actively work on it. Here are three effective steps to facilitate a supportive culture for your online classroom:

Make sure students always feel like they know what's going on. At home, they are away from their campus hub and can feel like they've lost touch with what's happening at their school, with their classmates and teachers. Communication is extremely important: send more emails or announcements, implement one-on-one conversations, and encourage more discussions.

Take care to ensure that students don't feel like they have less access to you than their peers do. Because everyone is at home, their methods of communicating with you may be different. Make sure you are accessible and available to everyone equally. Engage your students more than ever and do it fairly. They need to feel like there's parity among them.

When you run synchronous class time with the entire group, make sure you're balancing for inclusion and airtime. If you have students who tend to dominate the conversation during in-person discussions, they're going to dominate virtually as well. Make space for all students to participate. Call on students who are less inclined to speak up when other students are dominating class time.

6. Diversify Modes to Enhance Engagement

During your class sessions, diversify the modes. Every 20 minutes, change how you are engaging your students. Consider using varied modes such as slides, videos, polls, lecture, reflection activities, and simulations. This practice enhances student engagement and breaks up your class time in a productive and vibrant way. You must create this new rhythm for yourself and your students to set expectations for their engagement throughout the class.

7. Recognize the Psychological Impact of Screen-Only Learning

Without the benefit of face-to-face contact, educators and students in online-only environments may feel isolated and lonely. If you and your students were accustomed to having unplanned and informal "hallway" conversations before or after class, you now realize the importance of those interactions to your overall learning experience. Those conversations can have a direct impact on participation and on students' sense of connection with you and each other, and they can easily go away with remote environments.

How do you recreate those informal social moments? Here are a few ideas:

Set up online office hours through whichever medium is best for you and your class, be it email, instant chat, or voice and video calling. Make yourself available for student support on a regular and consistent basis just as you would in person.

Create a virtual "hallway" where students are encouraged to have more candid-but class appropriate-conversations, just as they might have before their in-person classes. For example, you can log in to the online tool you are using a few minutes early and let students know that you will be there then. You can privately instant message with individual students or chat with those who show up early as a group. Alternately, you can implement a separate chat, establish a hashtag for the class, have phone or video calls, or encourage informal engagement on applications like WhatsApp, WeChat, or Viber.

8. Proactively Assist Struggling Students

First, recognize the signs of a struggling student: they're withdrawn, they're communicating less. When you see them on video during class time, they are more inhibited. They aren't participating in class discussions. Then, talk to them; have a conversation-this student may need more engagement and contact from others. Make sure they have what they need. During this time, we need to make sure that, within our classes and broader university communities, there are services available to help students when they need it. Know where to direct students to take advantage of any assistive and support services that your institution may provide.

Students might be feeling that their sense of purpose and community is undermined; when campus life is suspended, students-and educators-can feel like they're no longer a part of something bigger than just themselves. As leaders, we need to help our students with this, and part of that is being much more visible as a resource. Through video lectures, discussions, and other communication, be confident and calm. And above all, be available as a resource.

9. Trust Your Students

As you make the move to the virtual classroom and begin to teach your students online, keep this in mind: You have to trust your students. This is an era when we should heed Ernest Hemingway's quote, "The way to make people trustworthy is to trust them." You can't always see what your students are doing, but give them assignments, equip them to do their work, check in on them like you have in the past, and know that you're giving them important resources and support during a challenging time.

10. Stay Positive

Despite the trying circumstances that are prompting this move to digital learning, remember this important positive aspect: Students are developing virtual skills that will be helpful to them throughout their careers in the digital age. As long as you face this change head on and take advantage of the strengths of online learning, it can absolutely be a successful experience for you and your students.

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10 Ways to Help Your Students Cope with the Transition to Virtual Learning

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If you're concerned about quickly transitioning to the virtual classroom, you are not alone. Educators and students around the globe are settling in-at home-to finish out the school year in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. For many, the digital classroom is a completely new environment.

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Establishing Structures for Remote Learning

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Establishing Structures for Remote Learning

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This is not just a collection of engaging project ideas. Kids can view beautiful versions of completed projects, done by students of all ages from all over the world, to get inspired, get ideas, and set high standards for their work.

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PBL leads to deeper understanding and greater retention of content knowledge

PBLWorks offers online and in-person Project Based Learning workshops and courses for educators seeking to give their students more. Whether you are new to Project Based Learning, advancing your practice, teaching in-person, or facilitating PBL curricula online, we have a path just for you. Pick your pathway and explore how to get started today...

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Project Based Learning for all. We build the capacity of teachers and school leaders to design and facilitate quality Project Based Learning.