Remote learning nudges students out of their comfort zone…how might adults help?

Remote learning challenges students differently than traditional schooling, highlighting aspects of their study behaviors and habits they may wish to ignore...

for perhaps (just) a bit longer. 

Requiring students to work through readings, videos, or activities independently while their teachers provide coaching and feedback from cyberspace, remote learning nudges many students out of their comfort zone. It’s natural for students adjusting to their remote classes to struggle. 

And while they may feel kicked out of the proverbial nest, students will - whether they like it or not - learn valuable information about their own learning process.

How can loving adults help kids navigate moments of confusion and build confidence as independent learners? The first set of learning fundamentals within SYNAPSE centers on Simplifying the learning process:

Simplify - Reduce the process to its core elements.        

In former posts, we discussed the importance of creating a distraction-free study space and setting aside dedicated time for learning.

Remove distractions.

• Sweep the learning environment, moving other assignments out of sight. 

• Put phone in another room and switch to Do Not Disturb mode. 

• Close apps on the computer and archive tabs so they're no longer visible. 

• Turn off all music. 

Do One Thing.

• Commit time for a single task.

• Allow time for uninterrupted learning.

These actions help students prepare to learn. But what happens once students begin to work independently, exploring new topics? At some point, their initial understanding will give way, illuminating all they do not know about their current topic of study.

In other words, they will eventually become confused. 

Supporting students when they are confused is how parents and teachers can do game-changing work together.

Confusion is a natural part of learning and should be celebrated as a clear signal that new growth is starting to happen. Students need lots of reminders that this is the case and positive modeling from adults to help normalize this powerful feeling.

Then what? 

What should students ACTUALLY DO to work their way through new material that confuses them? Herewith two tips I often give students:

1 - Reduce complexity.

• Ignore details at the start. 

• Begin constructing new knowledge using very simple frameworks.

DON’T try to plow through dense readings expecting to understand and retain everything within them. 

DO spend five minutes considering the point of your reading or module…

Why do you think your teacher assigned it? 

Are you meant to learn the big picture and details of a complex process? 

Or are you examining an argument about a particular topic? 

Who is the author and their anticipated audience? 

What was their purpose for writing it? 

But HOW does one identify main ideas from challenging resources containing information they’ve never seen before? 

2 - Identify the main idea.

• Inspect titles, subheadings, introductions, figures, and topic sentences for the main idea.

• Make a sketch or flowchart to reinforce the basic gist. 

I encourage my students to cherry-pick their reading assignments, paying attention first and foremost to outlines provided by titles and sub-headings. This helps them to quickly build a simple framework or scaffold capable of supporting more detailed learning to come. 

This is MUCH more helpful than highlighting text!

When students highlight, they essentially delay the task at hand, rarely reading for understanding. Instead, they mark information “to be learned later,” rather than diving into any actual learning.

I coach my students to read only the topic sentences of each paragraph, ignoring supporting details during their first pass. They should simply look to isolate the main idea, gist, or purpose of the text. Phoebe, an excellent student of mine, calls this method “double reading,” and finds that waiting a few hours after her “pre-read,” (sometimes up to a day before returning to particularly dense texts), helps her benefit the most from her second, closer read. Once the main gist of a text or other resource is clear, students benefit from writing, sketching, or charting it down before moving on to all the details.

For example, while tackling the Electoral College, a student might compose the following summary sentence.

“Votes cast by electors from each state determine the winner of Presidential elections; elector number is proportional to state population.”

A simple sketch comparing the electoral votes awarded to California versus those awarded to Oklahoma, which has a relatively smaller population, can help drive the basics home. 

Parents, this is where you can really help!

Ask your child to explain the gist of what they’re learning over dinner or lunch. If you are anything like me, you’re genuinely rusty on much of what your kids are learning in school.

Win - win!

Explaining the main idea - even once - will further solidify it as a simple framework in your child’s mind.

This framework will then act as a labeled file, ready to accept more detailed information as your child continues to learn.

With a strong, supportive toehold in their subject and practice articulating main ideas, your student will be more confident and better positioned to take on the complexity of additional details.

In my biology classes, we put a fun spin on a classic formative assessment to help students extract main ideas and form strong frameworks, especially when starting new units of study.

We call this exercise “Tweet it!”

After a content-rich reading or class discussion, students take 10 minutes to write a 100 word summary of what they’ve learned. They then work with another student for an additional 10 minutes to produce a single, 280 character version to “Tweet” the main idea. Tweets are curated for use later, helping students “unpack” and review the information they’ve learned when studying for quizzes and tests. 

A parting tip for students…

Consider your resources. 

• Are they appropriate for your level?

• Is there a less complicated way to get started?

  
  Texts and other resources selected for coursework can often feel “heavy” or too difficult at the beginning of the term. Don’t be shy about assessing the resources you’re using for a particular class. Make sure they are appropriate and optimal for your current education level. If the level of content or writing is making your extraction of main ideas difficult, pause and consider other options. Are there simpler texts, pictures, or videos that would help clarify this topic as you learn the basics?

  Don’t be shy about asking your teacher or sharing what you find useful with them. Chances are, other students are in the same position. You’ll be helping your learning community to grow by speaking up!