Less is More in this Transition.
Lakeland, Florida – The dramatic shift to virtual instruction is now underway. From a quality perspective, less is more.
Last week was full of preparation for teacher’s and staff. Let’s call it “Instructional Virtual Design 101.” Polk teachers scurried to reconstruct learning environments from the physical to virtual. Along with that, the flurry of excitement to reconnect with students was clearly demonstrated by the active parade routes throughout neighborhood streets. The coordinated effort to ramp up our schools is much appreciated.
After wrapping my second week at Florida Southern, I’m drawn back to the Provost’s charge to faculty which is to find the most essential outcomes, materials, and achievements. My challenge to Polk teachers is to seek the “less is more” concept.
Polk County schools made the adjustment and seized the opportunity for technological integration. In one of my earlier posts, I noted the vast amount of resources circling around academia. The main affordance of our global village is “information gluttony.” Now is not the time to prepare the thanksgiving dinner of overwhelming complexity. Keep it simple and find the essentials. Parents will support you and value purposeful simplicity.
Move your classes to a Monday-Sunday rotation. Release each module on Monday morning so students and parents do not feel overwhelmed. Subject-matter experts within each school should target essential outcomes from state assessment to service student achievement in preparation for next year and communicate that to your team. Make sure parents are aware of what core materials are needed to achieve those essential outcomes. Slowly release supplemental materials for parents to implement within the home. I’m sure these things are happening around our schools. These were just a few of the changes I’ve implemented.
Reading through the Instructional Continuity Plan, PCSB staff continues to lead with strong awareness of student needs within our county. The plan addresses accommodations for a diverse population and offers a great deal of flexibility in this crazy time.
These observations may only scratch the surface of what’s going on behind the curtain in homes and virtual environments around Polk County.
Within our home, I am conducting virtual classes at Florida Southern. My wife is in another room analyzing a bunch of words and images as a copy editor. My oldest is maintaining a rigid schedule and missing her peers. The middle one is trying to find his routine while my youngest needs quite a bit more attention. Lots of other things happening between the lines.
I would say that the timing for the pandemic was not too bad from a learning outcome standpoint. Most classrooms in the county were moving towards their FSA schedule. Actually, this week would be the launch dates for state testing. We have accomplished a great deal in the classroom already. Let’s keep the focus simple.
Media scholar Marshall Mcluhan offers universal media principles that can be applied to our tech transition. Implementing change may enhance some aspect within our environment. However, we need to expect reversals. We should expect systematic rumblings. As a parent and educator, I can sense them in my college students and within my own kids. Find ways to demonstrate flexibility to ease both parents and students.
My favorite designer Paul Rand states “quality is concerned with truth, not deception; with ideas, not techniques; with the enduring, not the ephemeral; with precision, not fussiness; with simplicity, not vacuity; with subtlety, not blatancy; with sensitivity, not sentimentality.”
My hopes are that we find simplicity while chasing the essential outcomes using focused materials with clear accomplishments.
William is an educator with a pulse on our students’ future.
About William Allen: William is an educator with a pulse on our students’ future. Preparing students for a changing society is a key issue of Allen’s platform. As an innovative educator, Allen likes to keep pulse on trends and movement within his discipline. Allen is committed to supporting teachers and staff as they prepare future citizens within our community.
