Google Classrooms, ESL Library Digital Classrooms, and Zoom classes – Whatever your preferred method of teaching online, it is all good! The learning curve was steep when making the shift to online teaching, but hopefully both teachers and students are now
more comfortable with these different platforms. And, if you’re not completely comfortable yet, you’ll get there! We are all in this together and learning, so please remember to share any great online teaching resources you’ve come across!
Here are some resources recently shared by our team:
Find reading comprehension activities and digital classrooms - www.readworks.org
Find out about how you can assign work directly to Google Classroom -https://www.quill.org/
Find a hub of tools to help you use Google to teach from home- https://teachfromhome.google/intl/en/
May is around the corner and hopefully the warmer weather is too! For a list of themes and topics be sure to check out: www.eslmadeeasy.com
Under normal circumstances it’s easy to get bogged down with our daily grind, but even more so now during these times of social distancing.
Here are some tips taken from https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/living-life-well/202003/staying-happy-while-social-distancing on how to stay positive while staying at home:
1. Establish a Routine. Whether you are working from home for the first time, entertaining children who are home from school, or both, establishing a routine for your days will help you maintain a sense of order amidst the chaos. Indeed, research suggests that people who have more consistent routines feel that their lives are more meaningful (Heintzelman & King, 2019).
Go to bed and wake up on your typical schedule. Eat regular meals at regular intervals. Exercise. Go for a morning walk. If your children are home, establish a routine for what your days will look like, including meals and snack
times, time outside, and time for different activities (e.g., reading,
creative activities, cleaning).
2. Practice Self-Compassion. Be kind to yourself. This is a time of great challenge around the globe, as people are learning how to do their jobs remotely for the first time, worrying about
friends and loved ones, and for many, juggling childcare at the same time.
The next few months may look very different than what any of us anticipated. I had big goals
for my own research productivity this spring, plans for family
vacations, and ideas for improving my courses. Rather than beating yourself up for what you should be doing or how you should be handling this crisis, try practicing self-compassion by accepting that you may not accomplish what you anticipated and forgiving
yourself if you act out of character.
Self-compassion includes three elements: (a) practicing understanding towards oneself rather than criticism, (b) recognizing failure as part of the human experience, and (c) being mindful of painful thoughts and feelings rather
than overidentifying with them (Barnard & Curry, 2011). This website has some wonderful resources, including
guided meditations and journaling prompts for incorporating self-compassion into your daily routine.
3. Express Gratitude. Even in the midst of crisis, we can almost always think of small blessings in our day-to-day lives. Counting your blessings may help to shift your focus and lessen
your worries. Indeed, several studies suggest that expressing gratitude enhances positive emotions, like love and joy (Dickens, 2017). When expressed in the context of a close relationship, gratitude also serves to strengthen our close relationships (Algoe,
2012), which may be especially helpful as we keep our physical distance from others.
You have several options for incorporating gratitude into your daily life. One option is to count your blessings by writing a list of three things you have to be grateful for right now. For example, I am grateful for a job that
allows me to work remotely, that my family is healthy and safe, and that I have enough food to stay home for the time being.
You can also practice gratitude to specific people in your life by writing them a letter of gratitude. Did your neighbor pick up some supplies for you on a trip to the grocery store? Maybe your partner has been especially supportive
during this difficult time. Or maybe you’re feeling grateful for something unrelated to the current crisis. Expressing these feelings in a letter can be a great way to improve your mood.
4. Be Kind and Compassionate to Others. Sometimes expressing gratitude can make people feel guilty for the good things they have in their lives (Layous et al., 2017), but you can channel
those feelings to support the greater good by being kind and compassionate with others. Shifting your focus to other people can increase your own positive emotions (Nelson, Layous, Cole, & Lyubomirsky, 2016).
The world needs our kindness and compassion right now, and we have lots of opportunities to be kind. Pick up some supplies for a neighbor or loved one who is vulnerable. Lend emotional support to a friend who is a health care worker.
Leave a big tip when you pick up take-out from your favorite restaurant. Buy a gift card from a local business to help them get through a steep decline in business. Send that letter of gratitude you wrote to your loved ones. Even
practicing social distancing is an opportunity for kindness because you are reducing the likelihood that a vulnerable person will become ill.
5. Seek Opportunities to Connect. Close relationships are one of the strongest predictors of happiness (Algoe, 2019). As we spend more and more time at home, finding opportunities to connect
with friends, family, and loved ones will be important.
Without happy hours or coffee dates, you may have to get creative in finding opportunities to connect. Play a card game with your partner. Chat with a friend or family member on the phone or FaceTime. Hold a virtual happy hour with
a group of friends. Send messages and photos to loved ones. Talk to your neighbors (from a distance).
6. Take a Break. It can be very tempting to check the news and scroll social media for updates, but overdoing it can heighten anxiety.
Be mindful as you gather information and know when to take a break.
Practicing mindful media consumption might involve setting aside a specific amount of time (e.g., 30 minutes) for looking at the news (from reputable sites), and then turning it off and finding a different activity to occupy your
time. An activity that consumes your attention—a flow activity—such
as reading a book, playing a game, or engaging a hobby will help you cope during a period of uncertainty (Rankin, Walsh, & Sweeny, 2019).”We are all facing different stressors and worries about the current situation at home and around the world. Hopefully, we can try to find some positive moments and take notice of the little things that can help us lift our spirits while social distancing.
Stay safe everyone!
The PBLA Leads
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