Movies, theatre, novels, picture books, and games each offer different experiences. Often, creators will frame their work in a number of these forms, playing with the opportunities that each allow. To begin, they must ask themselves: What is this form? How might I make the most of it?

It might sound obvious, but it’s a lesson I’ve had to re-learn this summer: You can’t teach on Zoom the way you’d teach in a classroom.

It’s tempting, then, to toss out all the things I “can’t do,” and frame our situation as limiting and less than what it could be. However, when I consider how creators use form, I’m reminded that they use limits to innovate. When you have to shape a story inside a 32-page picture book, you ask yourself how you might use the title page, the end papers, each illustration, and each page turn, in interesting ways. The boundaries of what’s possible create the opportunities.

So before we talk about practical strategies I’ve discovered this summer, the first lesson learned that I want to share with you are the three questions I used to find solutions in the first place.

1. What do I wish we could do?

2. Why? What’s important about that approach in my classroom?

3. How might I create a similar (or better) outcome within the limitations and opportunities of online learning?

I’ll be honest. There have definitely been times during this season where I’ve been too frustrated by the limitations to see any opportunities. I’ve needed to walk away and take a breather. That’s how any creative process works, though. We’re not working with imaginary limitations. The parameters are real, and often frustrating. Imagine Victor Hugo trying to cram Les Miserables into the form of a picture book. Or, say, the limitations of a two-act staged production. To arrive at the new masterpiece, we often have to let go of vital pieces that served the previous one.

And letting go is often painful.

So, give yourself that breather when you need it. And then, when you’re in an open state of mind, take out colorful post-its and pens and do some “How might I …” thinking. Make a giant list, and let yourself consider ideas that seem improbable. “What if I created learning corners on Zoom, so that each break-out room had a different feel?” “How might we meet and interview inspiring heroes live using Zoom?”

This year, we’ve already seen an incredible amount of innovation. And there’s more to come. I can’t wait to see what you create. 

Speaking of tech tools, there are so many of them that it’s easy to get caught up in bells and whistles, when often the tools we already have can offer a similar (even better) experience.

For instance, I played around with a live polling tool because I wanted to create a visually engaging and exciting experience. However, clicking off Zoom and into the other tool created all kinds of tech problems, and confusion. What I really wanted to do was to give writers another way to see what others were thinking, and the poll tool built into Zoom was completely adequate for that purpose.

Another way I’ve used the native Zoom features is to make use of chat in a variety of ways. We’ve played improv games where I ask a question, such as, let’s choose a character. Writers chat their answers (engaging everyone in a way I wouldn’t be able to do in quite the same way in a classroom) and then I roll a dice to choose the option that we’ll go with. Six? The sixth answer that came in will be our collective character. We carry on this way, having the opportunity to create our story and also celebrate the other creative ideas we weren’t able to use, but that were fantastic, nonetheless.

In any case, I’ve learned that choosing tools carefully, and then making full use of them however we can, makes the most of the inevitable learning curve that each new tech tool (no matter how fun it may be) creates.  

Two tools that have been hugely helpful for me this summer have helped make our virtual experience tangible and logistically clear.

First, for each class, I created an easily updated landing page using a tool called Notion. This landing page allowed me to post all of our learning tools and links in one easily accessible place. The page served as my white board, where we could review the day’s schedule, view important information, and talk through extra tools the students could use if they got stuck. Instead of sending students to various links to search for information, I could always direct them back to one link where I’d laid out our tools clearly ahead of time.

Second, I created a card or a popsicle stick for each student at my desk. This way, I could physically move items so I knew which students I’d called on or heard from, and also see who I hadn’t heard from for a while. I find that being on video, managing the chat, teaching, monitoring all of my students, problem-solving tech, and managing the various other moving pieces can split my focus. Giving myself physical tools helped ground me and give shape to my experience so that I could keep giving shape to the collective experience for our class.

Especially with my younger students, the cards were particularly helpful so that I could jot notes about decisions they’d made, for instance, their character names for our impromptu reader’s theatre piece. Having the physical reminder written down for myself kept us on track, and helped the students each feel seen and heard.