DESIGN CATALYST
RESPONSIVE SCHEDULING
Meeting Family Scheduling Needs
Every family home is a campus and will create their own structures to ensure a safe, healthy, and economically sound home. This means student and family schedules may not mesh well with all aspects of your school's schedule. Parent's work schedules may be inconsistent, students may be caring for siblings, sharing a device with parents or siblings, or in transit from one care-giver to another at inopportune times. The more opportunities for learning that a teacher and school can provide, the better the chances kids will remain engaged and parents can be supportive.
Responsive Scheduling
"In the spring, we learned that our kindergartners' did best when parents were available for support. Often, that meant the best time for some asynchronous instruction was in the evening."
Kindergarten Teacher
On-Demand Learning
Recorded Content
Flexible timing -- Students can watch lessons at a time that works best for them and their family. They won't miss out on content due to family support responsibilities (such as caring for younger siblings), internet access issues, lack of a quiet space to focus, etc. that prohibited their participation in a live lesson.
Can solve internet access issues -- Students can download content for later viewing
Supports diverse learners -- Recorded content allows for repeat viewing of content which can be helpful for learners.
Recorded Content + Teacher Partnering -- Not every teacher has to be an expert at online content delivery. By differentiating roles, some teachers can prepare recorded content with other teachers supporting students through live online small-group and individual coaching. This type of structure can be implemented with multiple schools collaborating together.
Multiple Section Options for Live Online Learning
More Live Options, Smaller Class Sizes
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One Teacher, Four Live Sessions per Day -- By utilizing focused pairs (Humanities + STEM), decreasing class size and shortening classes slightly, teachers can partner and decrease the breadth of their planning. Each teacher can reach the same number of students in four sessions. Scheduling simultaneous special/elective classes and Independent Work Time (caregivers providing supervision) ensures coverage.
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One Teacher, Two Live Sessions per Day -- By dividing a homeroom into two pods and scheduling "specials" simultaneously with core subjects, class size is cut in half. This lays the foundation for a transition to a hybrid model.