“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place” says George Bernard Shaw. Can you argue with that? I don’t think so… in fact, I believe that communication will either make you or break you.

And, before the world as we know it changed, we might have been annoyed with the social media blitz that has permeated our microcosm of society – our schools. But now, that social media blitz, Google Meets, Skype, and Zoom, etc., are keeping us all connected to each other.

Before the pandemic, I started writing about the assault of cyber bullying and the sharing of personal pictures for the world to see. Now, I’m grateful for the myriad ways our teachers, instructional coaches, students, and parents have stayed connected ensuring they are kept “in the loop” for all things Covid-19 related.

To say that this coronavirus has changed our current environs is an understatement. It has changed more than our lives… it has changed us for the future. But, that is not all a bad thing. There are unseen benefits, aka silver linings, in every experience and this one is no exception.

In talking with a number of instructional coaches and teachers, we’ve discovered many new learnings have emerged from our virtual world. Here are some of the positives they both mentioned:

1)      More frequent contacts and engagement with instructional coaches

2)      Deeper questions about content

3)      Increased desire to learn more about technology tools

4)      Multiple opportunities to discuss integrating technology into instruction

5)      More time spent in planning for instruction

6)      More time spent in reflecting about instruction

7)      Heightened understanding about student engagement and its importance in student achievement

8)      Extended time for teachers to work with students who need support

9)      Flexibility to plan extension activities to enhance their students’ learning 

10) Ongoing practice using technology

There were, however, a few negatives:

1)     Lack of personal contact and seeing students F2F

2)     Not being able to answer questions in real time unless the session was LIVE

3)     Not being able to “single” out students who needed the extra ‘touch’ of recognition

4)     Learning is social and without F2F contact, students, teachers, and instructional coaches are less social

5)      Absence of synchronous collaborative learning and collegial sharing

Clearly, the positives outweigh the negatives. But my burning questions are, “What have we learned that will help us prepare for the next school year? What am I taking with me as the next year begins?

So, what have you learned about teaching and learning through this pandemic?