Distance Learning Advice from Students and Teachers

By AUSDDigital Communications Intern Anya Yang

With the2020-2021 school year taking place through distance learning, families andteachers alike at Arcadia Unified School District are adapting to this new formof virtual education. However, amidst the uncertainty of our current situation,there are a few methods and tips that teachers and students have learned tomake this experience run as smoothly as possible.

For Students

StayingOrganized

GoogleClassroom can be difficult to maneuver, but sophomore Anvitha Marlapati has atrick for staying organized. “Instead of scrolling up and down the feed onGoogle Classroom, you can simply click ‘Classwork’ at the top of your screen.”You can organize your necessary assignments with this feature as it easilydisplays your unfinished work alongside a calendar with marked due dates.

“Check yourstudent email every single day,” Marlapati continued. Staying up to date onyour assignments, announcements, and any other important news from your peersand teachers is essential.

“Check Remind,or any other app that your teacher uses. The reason they ask you to downloadthese apps is so they can communicate with you much easier,” Marlapati alsoencouraged.

“Make a to-do list,” recommended Mrs. DeSurra, an English teacher at Arcadia High School (AHS). “I love to break things down into smaller steps and list them on a to-do list, and then I can cross them off as I accomplish things.” A free and user-friendly resource for creating to-do-lists is Google Keep. You can access it as an app or on your desktop. It has convenient features such as list sharing, device synchronization, and voice pairing capabilities.

“Takeadvantage of teachers’ office hours! They’re a great opportunity for studentsto visit their teacher and ask questions, or they can share their screen andexplain things better,” encouraged Mrs. Murphy, a sixth-grade teacher atFoothills Middle School (FMS). If there’s anything you don’t understand,double-checking with your teacher privately through their office hours is agreat way for more personal interaction.

Staying onSchedule

DeSurra alsoadvised easily distracted students to set timers. “There are so manydistractions constantly popping up,” she explained. “But I just focus for 20minutes and ignore phones, emails, and any other distractions of my house, thentake my break. You may want to try 10 or 15 minutes of focused work!”

Similarly,FMS teacher Mr. Young recommends that students set their alarm clocksaccordingly. “I set my first alarm clock to go off about an hour and a halfbefore my first live session, which gives me plenty of time to think about whatI need to do during the day,” he explained. “If you don’t have an alarm clock,you can set up your Google Calendar to send you notices.”

Mrs.Vannasdall, a teacher at Rancho Learning Center, also recommends for those whohave such devices in their homes to “download apps like Alexa” to set multiplealarms. These apps are best paired with smart speakers like Google Home or theAmazon Echo Dot.

For Teachers

RemainingPositive and Empathetic

Besidesstaying on track academically, it’s important to focus on the well-being of ourcommunity during these times. Ms. Keating, a teacher at Holly Avenue ElementarySchool, echoed these sentiments, saying, “Ultimately, my job as a teacher is tocare for our kids’ hearts, and then care for their academics. If I can providea safe, warm, welcoming experience for them, we’re going to be able toaccomplish so much more.”

Mr. Green, a history teacher at AHS, mirrored Ms. Keating’s thoughts. “I’m trying to be more cognizant of the fact that everyone’s different. Sure, we’re all in this together, but I don’t know what’s going on in my students’ homes,” said Mr. Green. “I’m trying to be more empathetic, more understanding!”

General Tips

For more resources, the distance learning slideshows created by the district’s instructional coaches (accessible via email weekly) feature a multitude of helpful tips regarding topics like organizing Google Classroom, communicating with students, and receiving feedback. The most recent presentation can be found here.

Although these unpredictable times are definitely making for a unique school year, the students and teachers of Arcadia Unified School District are working hard together to ensure that our community stays supported and motivated. For more information about the Arcadia Unified School District, visit www.ausd.net.

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