School May Be Closed, but the Learning Continues
Free for the Remainder of Academic Year 2019-20
It is an unprecedented time of uncertainty for schools, teachers, and families around the globe. We understand educators are struggling to find solutions for students to continue their school work remotely. Renzulli Learning has always been an option for students to maintain a connection to school when circumstances prevented them from being in the classroom. Now, more than ever, we want our administrators, teachers, and students to know we are here for you through this most challenging time.
If COVID-19 has your school closing its doors and going to “distance learning” – Renzulli Learning will get you through it with ease. Communicate with your students while they experience learning in a dynamic, personalized environment on any assignment or project. We are available to help you plan for the time that your school will be closed and provide solutions to support you while engaging your students so the learning can continue, the fear can be diminished, and children can continue to think, dream, plan, and succeed.
During this uncertain time, Renzulli Learning wants to support our subscribers and all schools in every way we possibly can. Current subscribers, if you wish to increase your subscription, please contact [email protected] or 203-680-8301 to take advantage of implementing Renzulli Learning free for the rest of the academic year.
In response to the growing demand from our schools and districts as we provide distance learning, Renzulli Learning is also pleased to offer special pricing of $5 per student for the 2020-21 academic year so partner schools can continue to support their students in the new school year. We embrace this difficult time and want to make this cost effective.
If you are not currently a client click here for free access
Renzulli Learning As Your Online Classroom:
- Engage students in PBL with The Project Wizard and Type III Independent Investigations – open ended interest-based projects – while focusing on the reading/writing/research skills you need them to learn and practice. Students can initiate the project or teachers can assign them to individuals or groups, whether staying within a curricular topic or allowing for fully “passion-based.” Let them try a scaffolded Super Starter Project – available for all subject areas and grade levels.
- Assign work to students through the Assignments and Lessons functions on the Teacher Site. Specific tutorials can be found in Module 3 of the Enrichment for All Students Course, accessible from your Teacher Dashboard.
- Test out the Global Collaboration feature, available under Groups, to partner up with other Teachers from around the globe!
- Visit the Sharing Best Practices, Hints & Tips, and Lessons sections of our blog for more inspiration on how to use RL!
Free Training / Professional Development
Please take advantage of the Enrichment for All Students Course (EFAS), accessible from your Teacher Dashboard, to enable your teachers to get up and running right away. Module 1 provides background on Renzulli pedagogy while Modules 2 and 3 contain specific training on the software. Teachers are able to skip around to the lectures as needed.
Please visit our Remote Learning Support Hub for Lesson ideas and training options.
A Few Suggestions as You and Your Students Ease into Online Learning
Learning from home will look different than learning at school. Some tips to consider to help ease the transition:
- Understand which students have what kind of access to technology at home. Some students may have easy access, others may be restricted by time of day as to when parents are home to supervise or a sharing schedule; others may simply have very limited or no access.
- Stay flexible and understanding. Students may be facing unseen obstacles and distractions to completing work at home. Offer options as needed.
- Provide students with guidelines for an efficient work space. Post a photo of your own workspace and encourage them to share theirs.
- Stay in touch. Feelings of isolation can settle in quickly. A weekly email to parents and a morning video message to welcome your students and explain what is expected will go a long way to keeping your class connected. Consider holding a weekly or even daily face-to-face video meeting time to answer questions and just let kids say hello to each other. Some kids may never join, some may jump in every day, but leave the option open for them. Check out what our friends over at Zoom have to offer educators for video conferencing.
- Plan ahead, but embrace the unexpected. Your school or district likely came up with an online learning statement. This is important to help everyone understand what is expected during this time. That being said, when it comes to technology and kids, we need to be ready for just about anything. Stay flexible and retain a sense of humor – it will set a wonderful example for your students.
- Let the kids “drive” as much as you can. In the Renzulli world, we are all about students’ voice and choice to increase engagement, which research demonstrates will increase achievement. If you are ready to dive into PBL instruction, offer your students a Type III Investigation opportunity!