Many educators and parents across Arkansas are experiencing a new way of teaching students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For many parents, hearing the word Zoom likely brought to mind speed rather than a place to have an interactive video meeting. AMI, short for alternative methods of instruction, were for snow days. Few probably ever thought they would become essential classroom assistants for their children as remote instruction became the norm.
Remote instruction offers its own challenges for educators. How do you conduct classroom discussions on topics when contact may be limited? What’s the best way to develop a curriculum that will provide the desired results? How do you share work examples that will guide students in the right direction? How do you keep that personal connection that is often vital to students thriving?
Since 2015, the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts has provided computer science teachers with professional development, digitally delivered content aligned to state standards and ongoing support to Arkansas students and teachers through the Coding Arkansas’ Future initiative.
Coding Arkansas’ Future has helped teachers of other subjects learn to teach computer science by delivering week-by-week lessons that they facilitate. Live video support for teachers and students is offered each week with regular online teacher meetings and fall and spring professional development opportunities available to ready participating educators for the certification exam.
In 2017, ASMSA added Advanced Biology Plus to its digital learning program, providing Arkansas school districts to work with its biology instructors to provide digital and on-site opportunities for students and daily support for Advanced Placement Biology teachers.
Both Coding Arkansas’ Future and Advanced Biology Plus programs use Zoom, an app that allows video conferencing, and Canvas, a learning management system, for their programs.
The institution is providing lessons from instructors involved in those programs and other ASMSA faculty members as additional resources for educators statewide. The resources can be accessed at https://asmsa.me/resources. In addition to computer science and biology, educators can find lessons from ASMSA’s physics and mathematics instructors as well as college admissions tips and other resources.
Daniel Moix, the director of Coding Arkansas’ Future, is releasing a new module each week. The modules focus on various areas of computer science. The materials are designed to be viewed on a computer but are accessible via mobile devices as well. Future modules from Moix will include activities in processing and Java. The modules are the same as used in the Computer Science 1 Plus and Computer Science 2 Plus courses offered by Coding Arkansas’ Future.
“We have provided computer science curriculum to Arkansas teachers and their students through our digital learning infrastructure since 2015,” Moix said. “In that time, we have had the opportunity to make several revisions to the content to make it more engaging, effective and accessible thanks to feedback from our partner teachers. We are proud to share these resources with our fellow educators around the state so they can focus on their efforts on connecting with their students at this critical time.”
Andrea Patterson, a career and technical education teacher at Cabot High School, is now teaching Computer Science 1 and 2 at her school after participating in Coding Arkansas’ Future. She said the experience has prepared her for this period of time where remote instruction is required.
“ASMSA’s course through Canvas has been very beneficial in providing me with an excellent example of how I need to teach my students through this time digital-only learning,” she said. “Interacting with Daniel and Lori (Kagebein, a Coding Arkansas’ Future computer science specialist) personally through email has provided me with the knowledge that I can learn without physical person-to-person interaction. It has encouraged me to learn as much as possible through the videos so I can pose intelligent, well thought-out questions before I contact them. Hopefully my experience will also be the experience of my students in regards to asking questions via email after viewing instructional videos.”
Ashley Johnson, a biology instructor at Malvern High School, has participated in the Advanced Biology Plus program for three years. She credits Dr. Patrycja Krakowiak and Dr. Whitney Holden, both life science specialists at ASMSA, for the way she teaches AP Biology.
“When I heard that we would have to teach our classes remotely and have to use digital learning, I wasn’t concerned about AP Biology because I knew this program is so well designed that the students have access to the entire course throughout the year on Canvas,” Johnson said.
“They can work entirely from home on this online program and maintain the rigor and content. There’s numerous additional resources embedded on the Canvas course to aid students in their understanding. If they have questions, they can email their teacher.”
Johnson said she also likes the videos Holden has created so students can independently study at their own pace. Holden has a YouTube channel where she shares videos with the general public as well. It can be found at https://asmsa.me/biologyprofessor. It is also listed on ASMSA’s resources page under the Biology tab.
Jennifer Cox, a science teacher at Fountain Lake Charter High School, said participating in the Advanced Biology Plus program has made the transition to remote teaching easier.
“During the AMI period of time, I have been able to continue to get quality content to my students,” she said. “This ability has helped my students to continue to prepare for their upcoming AP exam. When our school began to prepare for a large number of AMI days, I felt no stress for my AP Biology course. I knew that I still had the ability to provide the students with new content as well as review materials for the AP exam.
“I feel like ASMSA and the Canvas material that is provided my students in the AP Biology Plus program has been my best tool to use during this trying time.”
Emily Vickers, a biology and environmental science teacher at Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy in Bentonville, said the Advanced Biology Plus program has offered a series of lessons using consistent, vetted resources that have made this period of remote instruction easier.
"I am so thankful to have the Advanced Bio Plus program during this time of digital learning," Vickers said. "The program has been so helpful to me because my school works under a Classical model, which means that we focus on teacher led, face to face direction from the teacher to the student.
"While I’m working hard to compose digital lessons for my Classically based general education classes, my AP Biology class is already set to go. We haven’t missed a day since our school has been closed. Being a part of the Advanced Bio Plus program has relieved a huge burden and stress during this time of change and hardships."
All schools across Arkansas have moved to remote instruction in recent weeks, forcing educators to adopt new strategies on how to help their students continue to learn and be engaged in school work. Krakowiak offered some advice for those teachers who may not have any experience in remote instruction.
“The most important advice is to keep it simple,” Krakowiak said. “If you are used to a specific platform like Google Classroom, use it to its fullest capacity before moving onto other resources. If you have never done any online teaching, Google Classroom is a free resource that is easy to use and works well. One of the best ways to learn how to use it is to watch the many YouTube videos devoted to step-by-step guides.”
Holden said it’s also important to maintain a positive attitude and take advantage of the various online resources available to educators.
“First, I advise teachers to look on the bright side wherever possible,” Holden said. “Teaching remotely brings with it opportunities to use various online resources that can be very interactive, like virtual labs and simulations, that would otherwise not be used. The sudden shift to remote instruction is a great opportunity to have students use multiple resources and then assess which ones were the most effective (and most enjoyed!) before then deciding which resources are worth incorporating into future classes once in-person teaching has resumed.”
Don’t worry if you’re not doing things perfectly from day one, Holden said. A sudden shift in content delivery and communication strategy is bound to have some bumps but will become smoother as the days go by.
“Teachers should give themselves permission to try something new, evaluate it and then make changes,” Holden said. “Just remember to keep it simple and keep the lines of communication open so students can report what is working well and what may need to be reassessed.”
There are many services that are offering their services temporarily free to educators and students, said Krakowiak, who is a Nationally Board Certified in Science Education teacher. They include Labster.com (experiment simulator), Quizlet.com and Quizizz.com (practice quizzes), and peardeck.com (an interactive assessment tool for Google Slides) that she has found helpful.
Krakowiak also recommended using Citizen Science projects to engage students in research that shows how science impacts their daily lives. A list of projects can be found at citizenscience.org.
One challenge for many teachers is the lack of adequate online access many students may experience. Students may not have broadband internet access to allow them to participate in video sessions or to visit recommended websites. It is a challenge ASMSA teachers have experienced with its students as well.
The most important thing to do is maintain contact with the students in any way you can, Krakowiak and Holden agreed.
“Even if the contact needs to be via a phone call,” Krakowiak said. “The most important step is to identify these students. Then, either print out handouts and reading materials and mail them or put materials from different subjects on flash drives if the main problem is Internet connectivity.”
She said returning to ways students used to learn may be required as well. Have students read books they have at home and do “old-fashioned” book reports or write a review of a book for other students. Come up with math problems around the house such as measuring various objects or making budgets for their households. Watch birds that visit a birdfeeder and collect information on what kinds of birds visit the feeder, how often they do, and how that relates to temperature and humidity.
Holden said teachers’ concern for their students and the effort to provide adequate resources matter more than Internet speed. Phone calls will help keep students motivated to learn.
“I would tell teachers that what they are doing now is more important than ever! Continuing to place appropriate importance on education during this crisis emphatically underlines that which we have been telling our students for years — that education is essential and should always be a priority,” Holden said.
“Continuing to teach our students is also a critical part of maintaining continuity in a time that is otherwise characterized by a great deal of uncertainty. Providing regular opportunities to interact with their classmates and teachers should keep students focused and confident in their social networks.”
To learn more about ASMSA’s Coding Arkansas’ Future and Advanced Biology Plus programs, visit asmsa.me/digitallearning.