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CONNECTED CLASSROOMS
for classwide competitions, using learning apps for homework and independent practice, and moving content to online learning management systems.
However, our research on connected classrooms repeatedly points to values that transfer across instructional spaces. These begin with practices that place student voices at the center of learning. Throughout this book, we make references to people-centered practices for teaching and learning in these spaces. People-centered practitioners recognize young people as the nucleus of learning and community in the classroom. The stories, lived experiences, and strengths each student brings to the classroom matter. People-centered practices include the following. • Starting with story sharing and relationships to build a connected community • Continuing to center these stories and relationships to further education • Committing to strengths-based approaches by asking, “What can you (and we) do well, and how can we build from there?” • Focusing on growth mindset to celebrate process, embrace challenges, and learn from experiences and successes (Growth mindset is further defined in chapter 2, page 43.) • Supporting students with strategies and resources rooted in equity and a deep understanding of context and experiences • Pushing past “the way we’ve always done it” to explore new possibilities for supporting this unique group of young people as they grow as scholars and community members This book encourages educators to develop these practices in any teaching space. What does this look like specifically in online and blended contexts? In one situation, Kathryn introduced herself to a new group of online students with this
©️2022 by Solution Tree Press
This increasing use of online and blended instruction is significantly shifting education. With it comes flexibility—chances for students to work at a self-directed pace, ways to access courses that may not be available in a physical building, solutions for medically fragile students, and different learning avenues for students who thrive in online environments. This shift also brings challenges for educators to solve together. A key challenge is how to create engagement and student ownership of learning when educators don’t see their students face-to-face each day. Teachers tend to be a relational bunch of people who take a holistic interest in students’ learning, personalities, hobbies, and social-emotional health. Building these relationships in online and blended spaces looks a little different than it does in a face-to-face context.
