On Thursday night, I presented a 30-minute webinar with AJ Juliani for educators focused on the concurrent classroom. If the phrase “concurrent classroom” is unfamiliar, it’s when teachers have a group of students in the physical classroom and a group joining simultaneously online via video conferencing. An increasing number of educators are teaching in concurrent classrooms as schools attempt to accommodate families who want their kids back in classrooms and others who prefer to keep their kids in a virtual learning mode.
As I support teachers navigating this teaching assignment, I’m honest about the challenges that the concurrent classroom presents. I am also solution-oriented, so this webinar is about making it work. After all, education is one “make it work” moment after another! If you missed the live show, you can access the recorded webinar.
For teachers who want more support developing their blended learning and online learning skills to feel more confident teaching online, in-class, on a hybrid schedule, or in a concurrent classroom, I have two self-paced courses available! They are full of video instruction, templates, resources, and action items designed to help you take what you are learning and create things you can use with your students immediately!
Leaders looking to support teachers can inquire about bulk licenses here.
4 Responses
Have you actually taught a concurrent classroom in a high school? Yourself?
Hi Marie,
I am currently working as a coach supporting teachers in blended learning environments, online, and in concurrent classrooms. The challenges I hear about come from my interactions working directly with teachers in concurrent classrooms. That is also why I try to stay solution-oriented to help them navigate this tough teaching assignment since most did not opt to teach in class and online simultaneously.
Right now, I am teaching online and working with teacher candidates.
Catlin
I am currently a Blended Learning Support teacher. I am working with students online only. Do your teacher candidates like the concurrent classroom environment? How do you involve the parents?
Hi Saran,
No, I have not worked with any teachers who enjoyed the concurrent classroom. It was a strategy schools used in COVID to ensure students at home could access the instruction happening in classrooms, but it was extremely challenging for teachers to juggle the online and in-person students, especially since many were still using the whole group, teacher-led lesson design. I worked with several schools around leveraging strategies to make this assignment more manageable and for younger students who had offline learning activities, parents or family members did need to take a more active role supporting that offline work. Overall, it is not a strategy I would recommend. I wrote a about it to support teachers who were forced to do it during COVID.
Take care.
Catlin