Remote Learning to Support NC Educators
The Friday Institute recently partnered with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to provide professional learning opportunities for educators in support of their transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 crisis.
Through the Remote Learning for NC Educators project, over the course of six weeks, sixty-one sessions across eight focus areas engaged over 13,500 educators.
Though the Remote Learning Support webinar series is no longer synchronous, the content is still relevant and can be helpful to educators in schools and districts as they prepare for future remote learning plans. Reflective questions have been developed for each session to support professional learning network/community conversations and school and district professional development capacity building. These guiding questions can be located on each session page along with recordings and additional season materials.
The materials utilized during sessions are deeply grounded in the Instructional Principles for Remote Teaching & Learning, which are intended to acknowledge that teachers and students have a varying range of access to devices and the internet.
Recordings and resources from session can be found by clicking on the session title.
Select a Focus Area:
Remote Learning for Elementary Students Remote Learning for Secondary Students Digital Literacy and Remote Learning Focus on Leadership Addressing English Language Learners Addressing Learning Differences SEL from Afar SEL from Afar: Cultivating Resilience
Remote Learning for Elementary Students
Fostering engagement in a time of uncertainty
During this time of uncertainty, educators are exploring new and effective ways to engage with their students, families and school communities. Together we will share strategies for supporting active engagement and discuss ways you can capture new learnings for personal and professional reflection.
Differentiation for all learners: Tips and Strategies
The ability to reach all our students during this time is crucial. Together we will reflect on tips and strategies to not only make your remote learning accessible and equitable but ensure you are meeting your learners where they are with the tools, resources and support they need.
Differentiation for all learners: Foundations and Models
What does differentiation look like in a remote learning setting? We will share concrete, realistic, and customizable examples to support your curriculum and instruction.
Maintaining Motivation and Momentum
As students and families start to settle into their “new norm”, you may start to observe a decline in motivation and momentum. Let’s face it, burn-out is a real thing! Together we will share strategies to help you reengage and reignite with your students through remote learning as well as discuss ways to maintain your momentum and boost your motivation!
Reflecting and Learning From This Experience
Never before have we had to make changes and decisions like this. Let’s recap the best practices, resources, and updated information from the last month, as well as consider how we can move forward into August, the 2020-2012 school year, and beyond.
Remote Learning for Secondary Students
Instruction, Remote Learning, and the Adolescent Brain
In only a few short weeks, teaching and learning has drastically changed. In this session, we will share strategies and resources based on brain sciences. In particular, we will explore how secondary teachers can best align remote instruction to how the adolescent brain works to keep students engaged and excited about learning.
Remote Learning for Secondary Educators: Increasing Student Interest and Engagement
In this session, we will explore differentiation strategies that will deepen students’ interest, comprehension, and engagement with course content in a remote learning environment.
Student Voice & Choice in a Remote Learning Environment
Student voice & choice are equally important in a remote learning environment as in the classroom. Affording students the opportunity to direct their learning in a manner that best fits their needs, is extremely powerful. Learn the process, pedagogy, and practice of differentiating instruction for students in a remote learning environment. This session is designed for secondary educators.
Digital Literacy and Remote Learning
Strengthening Digital Literacy Skills: Eight Pathways For More Student Choice
In these times of great uncertainty, practicing effective digital literacy skills is even more essential than ever. This new school environment that was thrust upon us offers educators a chance to reimagine where and when students might learn, and drive more opportunities for student choice. This session will focus on sharing resources and strategies that educators could use in a synchronous or asynchronous platform to close-out this school year. Intended audience: 6-12 Educators
Rethinking Learning in the Digital Literacy Classroom
In a time where we’ve had to adapt every aspect of school, how can we hold on to literacy practices that truly matter? This session will guide you to utilize a few simple technology tools to fuel independence, create routines to simplify your teaching and structure minilessons for elementary students that can be used across the curriculum. Intended audience: K-6 Educators
Kids’ Questions Matter! Inquiry to Read, Write, Research and Think
With an inquiry mindset kids can do anything! This session will show you how to teach students to ask good questions, conduct independent research and collaborate with peers to share their findings. Using a simple daily structure and a few great websites we help students plan for long term inquiry projects that they care about and want to pursue. Intended audience: K-6 Educators
Forcing Perspective One Human At A Time: A Webinar for Teaching Media Literacy
During this session, we will look at the global landscape of media, civic values, and education today; and examine how a vantage point can be manipulated daily by today’s technology advancements. Then we will test your biases and emotional triggers to help move you closer to your staff, students, and communities’ footsteps. Finally, we will practice a few media literacy strategies that any K-20 educator can use with students to help combat mis/disinformation.
Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze? A Plea For Teaching Media Literacy & SEL in Your Classroom
In today’s world, media literacy and understanding social-emotional learning are more critical than ever! In this session, Darren will take you through two integrated lessons that will help you address the media demands of today’s student, as well as offer opportunities to commit to the whole child. After this webinar, you’ll be so willing to drink the “juice” that the “squeeze” will feel like no work at all.
Focus on Leadership
Principal & Coach Focus: Supporting Teachers in Implementing Remote Learning
The importance of principals and coaches providing support for their educators and students is more important than even in the challenging transition to remote learning. In this session we will focus on strategies for supporting instruction, social and emotional learning (SEL), and strong communication with the school community. Additional recommendations for coaching and leading from afar will be shared.
Principal & Coach Focus: Supporting Teachers and Students (Equity, Feedback and Collaboration Among Students)
The importance of principals and coaches providing support for their educators and students is more important than ever in the challenging transition to remote learning. In this session, we will focus on strategies for supporting instruction, social and emotional learning (SEL), and strong communication with the school community. Additional recommendations for coaching and leading from afar will be shared.
Principal & Coach Focus: Coaching and Guiding Teachers in Academic and Social & Emotional Learning
Your school has been engaged in remote learning for several weeks, and you are likely experiencing many successes and also some challenges. In this session, we will explore how you can lead and coach teachers and staff to support both academic and social emotional learning. We will identify ways to create opportunities for feedback and reflection with your teachers to support all students. We will specifically share specific strategies aligned to the Recommendations for Instructional Leaders for Remote Learning.
Principal & Coach Focus: Closing out the School Year and Bridging to the Next
While you are still in the thick of remote learning for this school year, many of you have started thinking about the bridge back to face to face learning and the connection to next year. This session will explore key areas to consider, including student’s academic and social and emotional learning. We will consider how to engage your leadership team and stakeholders and what is needed to prepare students with their individual needs and experiences.
Addressing ELL with Remote Learning
We Are All Language Teachers: Supporting English Learners Remotely Across the Content Areas
In this professional learning session, K-12 educators will deepen their understandings of quality remote teaching with English Learners and will engage in and share research-based, remote instructional practices that support ELLs’ literacy and language growth.
Scaffolding Instruction Remotely with English Learners
In this professional learning session, K-12 educators will analyze dynamic and situated remote instructional supports that develop English Learners’, and all students’, ability to engage with and make meaning of disciplinary concepts through interactive language practices.
Addressing Learning Differences with Remote Learning
Addressing Learning Differences with Remote Learning, Part I
With the transition to remote learning, we must be vigilant in addressing students who need additional supports in order to be successful. In this session, we will share resources and strategies to support student’s learning differences, including those in our EC programs, in our new learning contexts. Part I will focus on defining learning differences in the context of Principles for Remote Learning, connecting with students and families and promoting student engagement.
Addressing Learning Differences with Remote Learning, Part II
With the transition to remote learning, we must be vigilant in addressing students who need additional supports in order to be successful. In this session, we will share resources and strategies to support student’s learning differences, including those in our EC programs, in our new learning contexts. Part I will focus on defining learning differences in the context of Principles for Remote Learning, Universal Design for Learning, selecting appropriate tools and content, and pursuing educational equity.
Social-Emotional Learning from Afar
Addressing the Social and Emotional Needs of Students through Distance Learning
In a moment in history where we are all isolated, it has never been more important for us to feel connected to our students and each other. In this session, we will discuss strategies and activities to foster meaningful relationships and build a virtual learning community that supports our students’ social and emotional needs through empathy in our new virtual learning context.
Social-Emotional Learning from Afar: Cultivating Resilience
This is your brain on stress: Navigating uncharted waters
During this session, we will explore how the brain reacts to stress and how educators can help to manage this stress through a variety of brain-based strategies.
Stress, trauma, and resilience: Helping students manage the challenges of remote learning
We are all concerned about our students and how they are doing during this time. During this session, we will examine research based strategies that can help students with stress, trauma and resilience.
Partners
Teams
Selected Resources
White Paper – Engaging Your Latino Families During This Time of Crisis
Methods, suggestions and ideas to better reach and engage your Latin families during the COVID-19 crisis
White Paper – Instructional Design Principles for Remote Teaching and Learning
The Instructional Principles for Remote Teaching & Learning provide guidance to schools and districts during the COVID-19 crisis.
White Paper – Recommendations for Instructional Leaders
The Instructional Principles for Remote Teaching & Learning provide guidance for remote learning across NC during COVID-19.
Project Team
Dr Mary Ann Wolf
Nancy Kendig Mangum
Laura Albrecht
Jonathan Lee Barbee 
Emmy L Coleman
Alex M. Dreier
Dr Patricia Hilliard
Marie Pierson Himes 
Brittany Miller 
Shayla Rexrode
Dr Mark J Samberg
Jaclyn Bell Stevens