Doug Lemov's field notes

For teachers who spent months navigating the transition to all-remote instruction, making a second leap to the “next normal”–hybrid learning–can feel like another massive challenge in an already challenging year (and one that’s twice as daunting as the first!). After all, you’ve still got all the issues of online learning–glitchy internet, helping students feel connected and lovingly accountable–but now you’re navigating those challenges while also teaching a classroom of kiddos “live” and in-person. In spite of this, so many teachers are out there tackling this “next normal” with ingenuity and commitment to kids. Hats off to all of you, and especially to teachers like Mika Salazar, who have been gracious enough to share their video with us. Joaquin Hernandez put together some useful notes on some things he loved about Mika’s hybrid lesson and his conversation with her afterwards. His notes include a hybrid classroom shopping list!

We are especially grateful to Mika, a middle school science teacher at Ocean Hill Collegiate, for sharing her video. Doubly so because it shows her in action during her very first hybrid lesson. Here’s a brief snippet that stood out to us from her footage:

audio procedure system from TLAC Blog on Vimeo.

Notice how well-planned and engaging her procedures are and how carefully she makes students feel a part of the larger classroom community. 

To prepare for our upcoming webinar PD on hybrid learning, I interviewed Mika about her lesson and the transition to hybrid.  Our team found her reflections to be so useful–and her hybrid classroom to be so joyful and productive–that we had to share her insights on the blog!

Here are four (of the many) useful tips that Mika shared with us about making the switch to hybrid learning:

1. (Re)invest in Systems & Routines: Mika found that one of the most effective ways to streamline her hybrid instruction was to maintain or adapt her existing routines. Once she established clear routines for simple, recurring tasks, she found that it freed her up to focus on what matters most: her kids, building relationships, and her content. If you’re preparing to make the switch to hybrid, Mika recommends revisiting core routines for starting class, hand-raising, Turn and Talk, and Show Me. You may find that these (and other routines) benefit from simple tweaks. One such routine is her start to class. Before diving into each lesson, she makes it a habit to greet both Roomers and Zoomers and has students answer a fun, getting-to-know-you question that builds community.

In hindsight, Mika shared that one of the most important systems that she rolled out on day one was how and when students should mute/unmute to speak to the class. In any other classroom context, a system like this might seem superfluous, but in a hybrid setting in which all students –those in person and those remote–are learning on Zoom together, knowing when to mute and unmute your Zoom mic becomes essential. If a student forgets the procedure for muting/unmuting, the entire class receives a blast of audio feedback. As you surely noticed in the clip from Mika’s first hybrid lesson, with clear instructions and practice, this system rapidly becomes a habit. Today, discussions in Mika’s classroom unfold effortlessly, with students weaving in and out of discussions without missing a beat. 

2. Set Your Classroom Up for Connection. One of the most important ways you can prepare for hybrid learning is to be thoughtful about how you set up your classroom. Although there’s no one “right” way to arrange a classroom for hybrid learning, it can be tremendously helpful for you and your students if you arrange it in a way that allows them to see and hear each other. If you’re curious about Mika’s setup, check out this diagram (below). We especially loved how it allows all students to be seen and heard, and to follow along with any student-facing materials that she wants to display via her LCD projector.

3. Prep Your Tech. Not surprisingly, Mika was just as thoughtful about how she set up her tech for hybrid learning. If you want to replicate or adapt her arrangement, below is a list of what she calls her tech “essentials” and “nice-to-haves.” 

• Essentials: 
  • LCD projector, which she uses to share student-facing content. She keeps teacher-facing materials (students’ cameras, the Chat) materials are on the laptop screen.
  • Laptop with teleconferencing program
  • Portable computer speakers connected to laptop (which play audio from “Zoomers”)

• Nice-to-haves (that are uber-helpful) 
  • Wireless mouse and keyboard. This allows her to freely and easily toggle between tabs and applications.
  • Bluetooth headset. Mika’s wireless headset has been “a game-changer” for a few reasons. First, it allows her to also teach from the front of her classroom, which comes in handy if she wants to point something out or teach from a different vantage point. Second, it allows her remote learners to hear her, even as she circulates throughout her classroom. If you invest in a headset, Mika recommends being intentional about finding opportunities to step away from the screen. Being able to provide in-person learners with support in real time is one of the biggest advantages of hybrid learning, so we don’t want to neglect opportunities to do so! 
  • Utility cart. Mika’s utility cart is her primary workstation. Since it comes equipped with outlets, she can use it to maintain a charge for her laptop and portable computer speakers (the latter which broadcasts audio from remote Zoomers). She also recommends propping up your laptop with a monitor stand so the screen is within your field of vision.

4. Begin with the End. Throughout this pandemic, many teachers have found themselves grappling with two tensions. On one hand, teachers may feel urgency about “covering” as much of their curricula and standards as possible. On the other, they might also feel compelled to slow down the pace of their instruction to ensure they teach important topics with depth and rigor and avoid leaving students behind. Both of these tensions are right, and Mika says what has helped her resolve those is to use the learning objectives in her curricula to help her prioritize what she might modify or adapt. When she vets her materials with this lens, she almost always finds a way to cut or adapt content that’s less aligned to that lesson objective.

If you’re interested in learning more about hybrid instruction, please check out the Teach Like a Champion blog for our latest videos and analysis, or consider joining us at an upcoming 401 webinar: Fundamentals of Effective Hybrid Learning.

hybrid shopping list, hybrid teaching, Joaquin Hernandez, Mika Salazar, Systems and Routines