BISMARCK, N.D., Oct. 2, 2020 – State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler praised a group of standout North Dakota educators for crafting a guide of distance learning teaching tips to help their colleagues during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The guide includes suggestions for improving student participation in distance learning classes, lists of favored educational software and applications, moving from distance learning to face-to-face classroom instruction, and supporting special education students. It includes ideas for engaging families about the educational changes and their benefits.
Called the “North Dakota K-12 Distinguished Educator Distance Learning Exemplars,” the document is posted on the Department of Public Instruction’s website. It was assembled by a network of North Dakota Teachers of the Year, STOY nominees, and other classroom leaders, said Joe Kolosky, director of school approval and opportunity at the Department of Public Instruction. Kolosky supervised the project.
Baesler invited the educators to discuss how they overcame the challenges they met with distance learning last March, when Gov. Doug Burgum ordered schools closed to in-person instruction and directed schools to draft plans for offering education through distance learning. Among the guide’s contributors were seven former North Dakota Teachers of the Year.
“These talented educators provided suggestions and guidance on how best to offer classes via distance learning, and we are grateful that they were so willing and enthusiastic about sharing their expertise,” Baesler said. “We expect this guide will be updated and improved as the 2020-21 school year continues.”