Bring Clarity and Consistency with Virtual Notebooks and Color-Coding
For students in a hybrid model who attend classes both in person and remotely, clarity and consistency are key. Building clear structures that help students understand expectations, what needs to get done, and how to engage as they move back and forth between learning modes ensures true engagement, rather than simply attendance. The importance of clarity, consistency, and structure is underscored further by the need to provide stability to students who have seen their schooling and lives disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tim Walsh, a science teacher at Milford High School, and Kerry Silva, a science teacher at Coakley Middle School, are using the following strategies to provide their students with clarity and consistency.
Virtual Notebooks: These notebooks are used by Walsh’s students during both in-person, synchronous instruction and remote, asynchronous instruction. Students are able to engage with the content and learning tasks consistently in a clear, organized way as they switch between learning settings. Learn more about virtual notebooks and find examples here.
Color-Coding: Walsh color-codes his virtual notebooks to make it easy for students to know exactly how to complete their assignments and where to find the necessary materials. Silva color-codes her assignments on Google Classroom by day so that students can quickly scan and find assignments based on the days they were in person, in remote learning, and/or missed class entirely. To ensure access for all students, be sure to consider barriers students may face. If a learner has trouble seeing color, consider switching to shapes or creating another marker that does not rely upon color identification – which could even be the name of the color in parentheses. Learn more about color-coding and discover examples here.
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