With San Joaquin County schools required to start the school year in distance learning mode to keep the community safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Joaquin County Office of Education (SJCOE) Educational Services Division is offering support with new resources, networks, and workshops for educators who are adapting their pedagogical toolbox to virtual teaching.
Some programs are on the way, others are still to come. Monday, Aug. 17, will be the start of new Distance Learning Office Hours for both educators and families.
These programs and resources have been created by Continuous Improvement and Support and other SJCOE Educational Services departments and are dedicated to helping teachers foster a productive, conducive classroom environment online and guiding them through a school year of firsts. Look for upcoming professional learning and more at sjcoe.org/calendar.aspx.
SJCOE Distance Learning Team and Distance Learning Modules: Formed in April 2020, the SJCOE Distance Learning Team is a cross-department collaborative team designed to address districts’ needs for distance learning professional development. Their goal is to provide resources and informational modules to help teachers navigate the virtual classroom and support their own needs as well as those of students and families. The five modules provide guidance in designing a virtual classroom, pedagogy shifts, lesson planning frameworks, ways to address unfinished learning, and how to provide language support during designated ELD time. The modules were offered virtually. The recorded sessions can be found on the SJCOE Distance Learning Support website.
Distance Learning Office Hours: Specialists from the Language and Literacy, STEM Programs, or Mathematics departments will be available to chat and support the process of teaching and learning remotely on weekday afternoons for Distance Learning Office Hours for teachers and parents through Sept. 25. Teacher office hours 3 - 4 p.m. Family office hours 4 - 5 p.m. Tune in at bit.ly/sjcoedistance.
Learning Outside the Classroom Educational Resources (LOCkER): One of the first resources developed after school campuses closed last March, the LOCkER is an online resource that shares interesting and engaging content for students, teachers, and families to enhance the learning experience at home. From learning poetry from your backyard to watching the moon change between stages, teachers are encouraged to supplement their lessons with fun LOCkER resources. Find at sjcoe.org/locker/.
More resources can be found on the Continuous Improvement and Support Webpage.