Three Things Teachers Must Do Before & During the Next School Year

Education has changed forever. To use a teaching metaphor, you won’t go back to using a chalkboard once you’ve used a whiteboard. The same goes for online education. Teaching won’t go back to the way it was before education transitioned to online learning. Education is moving toward a more blended learning environment.

To prepare for the next school year, there are three things teachers need to do when, or before, the new school year starts:

1. Learn to Flip Your Classroom. A flipped classroom involves students doing most of the work outside of the classroom. The teacher will use class time for discussion and application. This will be especially useful if schools open in a limited meeting capacity. Teachers will need to be able to use edtech tools to deliver content to their students.

2. Demand EdTech PD. When it comes to making choices for professional development, teachers need to demand more in the way of technology. Even if your PD is not a choice, demand that technology be part of your site PD. As we found out this year, having a tool belt full of educational technology will be useful.

3. Be Flexible. Especially if your school is all online in the fall, teachers have to be flexible with their classes. The days of a having hard due dates for assignments are gone. This will be especially true in the coming months as school districts race to address the student equity issue of having technology. Of course, there will be exceptions, but generally, there’s space to be flexible.