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By making time on a regular basis to engage students in a morning or class meeting, teachers can build a positive classroom culture

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Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment For Distance Learning

BetterLesson Instructional Coach

In a traditional school setting, it is essential that all students feel seen, heard, treated fairly, and protected in order to thrive. In a distance learning setting, this is all the more important. Reaching out to students individually, building a welcoming online class culture, and creating an inclusive curriculum are ways to create a supportive online learning environment.
Implementation steps:

1. To support students to feel truly seen and heard in a distance-learning setting, consider:

Making sure you connect individually with students. Consider creating a free Google Voice account. This will give you a number (that is not your personal cell phone number) that you can use to connect with students via calls and texts. Reach out to students one by one to see how they are doing, ensure they have critical resources, and be a presence in their lives.

Creating virtual spaces for students to share about their identity, their background, or their interests. Also, consider using synchronous video sessions for students to share how they are doing in a remote setting, and what is challenging and what they like about online learning. Adapt the strategy "I wish my teacher knew" and consider tools like FlipGrid or Padlet.

Building an inclusive distance-learning curriculum. In a traditional setting, students must feel like their experiences are reflected in the curriculum. This sentiment doesn't change in a distance-learning setting. Find videos, images, and texts to include in your curriculum that reflect students' lives. Consider a tool like Seesaw or Sutori which makes embedding texts, videos, and images easy. Consult the Better Lesson strategy Integrating Inclusive Content, Windows and Mirrors found in the resource section below.

For students with limited technology, consider sending packets home to students that reflect the same inclusive digital-curriculum. Also, remember that most students have access to a phone, especially through their families. Call students, or send encouraging pictures or images to their phone. Use the phone to ensure that students are still included in the curriculum.

Identifying community resources for food and relief and sharing these with students. Consider making an Instagram account that students can follow where you can share these resources.

Using Google Translator to send individual messages to students and families whose native language is not English. Make sure you continue collaborating with the EL teacher so that the proper modifications can be made to any documents or assignments. Consider recording yourself with the Talk and Comment Google feature or Vocaroo.

2. To support students to feel treated fairly and protected in a distance-learning setting, consider:

Creating resources to reestablish routines and expectations around digital tools, grading policies, and assessments. Consult the Better Lesson strategies found in the resources about creating shared work time expectations and creating norms for digital tool use.

Communicating new expectations, norms, and policies with families. Consider an app like Remind that allows you text with families and students.

To modify this step for asynchronous distance learning, try creating screen-casts that feature you explaining new routines and expectations to students and their families.

3. Ensuring that students' have access to online learning is one important way to help create an inclusive learning environment. Creating modifications and providing scaffolds helps build an inclusive learning environment. Consider the following tech tools to help all students access the curriculum:

Screencastify or Loom to create step-by-step directions for students and provide self-created tutorials.

Newsela to offer differentiated texts for students.

Graphic Organizer maker to support students' to organize and their thinking.

4. Design your online learning with the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as your framework. Ensure that new content is represented in multiple ways, that students have multiple means of action and expression, and that there are multiple ways for students to engage in learning. Consult the UDL resources shared below.

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Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment

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Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment For Distance Learning BetterLesson Instructional Coach In a traditional school setting, it is essential that all students feel seen, heard, treated fairly, and protected in order to thrive. In a distance learning setting, this is all the more important.

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Want to build a culture of learning and empathy driven by students? Make a Positive News Board for students to recognize their peers!

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Learn more about HyperDocs here!

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Educators around the world are entering digital lesson design with varying experiences and expertise. Our HyperDocs Online Academy is your source for learning about designing and delivering the engagement-driving digital lessons we call HyperDocs. Our course instruction method is what we call 'just in time teaching' so that you can take on new learning when you are ready, and explore the Academy at your own pace.

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Examples from real teachers: