How to Engage + Motivate Your Students    Even When You're Remote!

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Language: en

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- [Jeremy] Thanks everyone
for getting started.

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Hold on one moment, and we'll
begin in about 10 minutes.

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- [Woman] Begin.

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- Okay everyone, this is Jeremy Schifeling

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with Khan Academy.

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Thank you so much for your patience

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getting started this
morning or this afternoon,

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depending on where you're calling in from.

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It is my extreme privilege to
introduce you to Conor Corey.

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He's one of the most awesome teachers

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that I've met in a long, long time,

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and just someone that I wish

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was teaching my own kids

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because of the incredible way

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that he goes about
engaging his own students.

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So Conor, thank you so much
for being with us today,

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and thank you for sharing your expertise

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with the larger Khan Academy community.

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- [Conor] Thank you, it's
been great to be here.

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It's been a pleasure to be invited in.

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- Absolutely, let me see

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if I can get your webcam set up here.

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Just go ahead and turn that on if you can.

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All right, we're in business.

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- All right.
- So again,

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thank you everyone, for
making time out of the day.

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I know, this is week two for many of us

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as far as kids running around

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while we're trying to serve our students.

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Conor's in the same boat.

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You have four kids, is that right, Conor?

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- I do, and they are all at home.

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My wife is distracting them
in the other room right now,

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and so if you hear
screaming in the background,

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that's coming from me.

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- Well there you go.

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That's the secret to being a great teacher

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is having a very supportive spouse,

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so thank you to her, and
thank you to your kids

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for letting us steal you
away for about half an hour.

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But I promise to make it super worthwhile

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for everyone on the line,

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and so I wanna start with a little bit

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of your background as an educator.

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Tell us a little bit about
how long you've been teaching,

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what you've been teaching,
the students that you serve,

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and then we'll go from there.

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- This is my 17th year of teaching.

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I spent the first 13 years of my career

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teaching in the Philadelphia
School District public schools.

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We were on a contract issue.

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For a few years, I went back to school

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to go into administration,

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and that's kind of really
where I found my love

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for curriculum and math,
more than administration.

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I, around my 14th year,

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I took a job as a math interventionist,

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which was kind of a new position

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in Centennial School District,

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but it was one that I thought was needed.

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It was more of, every school
has reading specialists

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most of the time,

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where students are pulled out

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to rebuild a foundation for literacy,

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but that foundation for
math is sometimes skipped

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as they go grade to grade,

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so I was, for three years, I spent,

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pulling students for
small group instruction

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to rebuild their mathematical foundation,

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and then this year, I went
back into the classroom

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to teach middle school math,

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which is a passion, obviously.

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So I am back as a sixth grade
math teacher this years.

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- That's awesome, and tell us a little bit

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about how you've been using Khan Academy.

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- I've used Khan Academy
for about 10 years now.

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I think it came out of a
need more than anything.

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While in Philadelphia, as most large,

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metropolitan school districts,

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we're a little bit underfunded,

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and some of the materials that we needed

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were not available.

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The class set of books was of 20,

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but I had 34 students,

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and they were kind of 10 years old.

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So you had numerous wonderful pictures

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drawn in by fifth
graders over the 10 years

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that resembled me sometimes.

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But, so we had to find a way.

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Also, most of my students
weren't on level.

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They were two years below level,

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maybe some are a little bit advanced,

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but getting that material

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became red tape paperwork of,

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well, maybe you have to fill this out

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because we're gonna see if
they're special education,

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and it's, no, they're not special ed.,

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they're just a little behind in fractions.

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I just need the material.

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Kahn Academy kind of
gave me that for free,

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and I was able to implement

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almost a centers-based approach

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like many literacy teachers already do

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at the elementary level.

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We kind of rotate our
class each day in that way,

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where I may teach one group of 10 students

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on a third grade level if
we're all working on geometry,

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and then they'll rotate,

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they'll work on Kahn Academy,

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and then a project in the third station

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that has to do with geometry,

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but then the next group,
it may be four grade,

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and fifth grade after that,

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and kind of try to hit
their academic level overall

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for each of them.

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We may not get to the third grade student

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on a third level to a sixth
grade level that year,

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but we will rebuild the foundation

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so the vocabulary makes more sense

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and they can strive further

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rather than just kind of skipping along

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and hope they pick it up.

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- Very cool, so build those foundations

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kind of like Tim Vandenberg

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has been talking about in
his Mastery Learning Webinar.

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- Yes, and Tim, I share the same belief

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as Tim most of the time.

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We did many things of
going back to kindergarten

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and starting all the way over,

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and it's doing fantastic.

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- Very cool, and so, in the
sense of the academic side,

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I think one of the
things that any follower

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of your Twitter feed,

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which I shared in the chat a second ago,

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will notice is you really bring this joy

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and this love of learning

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to everything you do in the classroom

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in normal times, in the best of times.

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What are some of your most successful

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engagement techniques for
really getting your kids

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excited about Kahn Academy,

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and more importantly,
just learning itself?

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- I came to the belief a long time ago

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that all kids, it doesn't
matter your background

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or where you're from,

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they enjoy kind of
embarrassing their teacher,

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seeing their teacher look like an idiot,

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doing things that they would not normally

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be able to do in a school building,

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and I figured attaching memories
like that to my classroom

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was always the best way.

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I think it came about like,

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it came out 10 years ago,

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there before all the Fortnite dances

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and everything like that.

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There was a dance called the Wu-Tang

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that all my students
would just not stop doing,

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and in the schoolyard, if you
looked down at the schoolyard,

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there's 200 kids in a circle dancing,

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and one kid, he just walked by

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and he sharpened his pencil
and he started dancing,

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and I was just kiddin'
around and made fun of him,

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I'm like, "That's it, that's all you got?

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"You better practice before
you go out to the schoolyard."

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He started side, talkin'
trash, he was like,

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"You can't do it."

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I'm like, "You were born in 2004.

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"You don't know anything about Wu-Tang."

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I'm like, "I got it."

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Then they all wanted to see it,

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and it was, "Okay, if you all get to 20%,

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"I'll go out in the schoolyard and do it,"

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and they loved it.

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They worked so hard those
next two weeks or so,

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and then it kind of spiraled from there.

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A kid had a water balloon
in their desk one day and I,

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the many reasons you wouldn't think

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a kid would have a water
balloon in his desk,

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you almost had to stop and go,

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what possessed you to
think this is a good idea?

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Then we started talkin' about,

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"I'll let you throw water balloons at me

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"if you guys get to 30%."

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Those kind of memories, we
just started doin' crazy stuff,

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and I've worked with unbelievable staff

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over the years that join in,

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and we just try to get things

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that they can't purchase,
like certificates,

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but more of memories that they wanna do.

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- That's cool, and so
what kinds of results

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have you gotten with this approach,

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like making yourself say,

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"I'll do whatever it takes
to get you to mastery?"

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- I think you hit almost
every angle of your students.

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You have the introverted students

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who may not wanna say they wanna study it,

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and you have some of the,
your most extroverted students

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that are the ones screaming
and always doing stuff.

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You're getting all of them
to work for a similar goal,

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which is to embarrass you,

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or even the other staff members.

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We did one, you wouldn't believe.

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When I was at Willow Dale for three years,

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I had an unbelievable staff,

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and one time we did a wheel,

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it was called The Wheel of Doom,

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and we put all the teachers names on it,

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and they basically, whoever won LearnStorm

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for that month, whoever
had the highest growth,

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that class came up, we made an assembly.

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I had 16 teachers come up front

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and sit there in chairs,

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and they would spin this wheel,

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and it would land on
ketchup, mustard, mayonaise,

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and they would just get to
squirt it in the teacher's face,

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and they had a blast

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while 400 kids are in the audience

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screaming and excited about
math work they're doing.

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So I think it was, things like that

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just engage students more,

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and whether they, the
learning comes secondary.

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It will always come

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as long as they're
excited about something.

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- I love that.

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So obviously, those are the best of times,

00:20:37.130 --> 00:20:39.680
being their physically
for The Wheel of Doom.

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We are far from the
best of times right now

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as we chat, unfortunately.

00:20:43.650 --> 00:20:45.130
What are you doing with
your students today

00:20:45.130 --> 00:20:47.770
to drive engagement in this
remote learning environment?

00:20:47.770 --> 00:20:51.130
What would you recommend from
that toolbox of best practices

00:20:51.130 --> 00:20:53.860
for everyone else listening right now?

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- I mean, I'm going, I'm attempting,

00:20:55.740 --> 00:20:57.040
always trying new things.

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I'm attempting to do similar things

00:20:59.570 --> 00:21:02.350
with just getting the students excited.

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I think a lot of teachers
are starting to run into

00:21:05.640 --> 00:21:07.640
federal guidelines of online learning,

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I think that's becoming a struggle,

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but I've used Flipgrid throughout the year

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to communicate, and now we're
using kind of Zoom meetings

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to see, just to get in
touch with your students

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and do things, not work that's required,

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but voluntary for something to do.

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Your students miss you, they do.

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I miss them, and right now,

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we're doing a TikTok challenge

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because I know that's everything

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my students are into right now,

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so I put out a few
assignments on Kahn Academy,

00:21:37.590 --> 00:21:38.680
I said it's voluntary.

00:21:38.680 --> 00:21:40.669
If you would like to join in, tell me,

00:21:40.669 --> 00:21:41.502
and I put them in a class,

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and I put five assignments
up for the week.

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If they finish those assignments,

00:21:45.450 --> 00:21:48.450
my daughter and I will do
the Flip the Switch Challenge

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for TikTok, and then it
to them through Flipgrip,

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or send it to 'em through Zoom

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or something like that.

00:21:53.793 --> 00:21:55.440
But just to keep them engaged.

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I send riddle, math riddles
to them through there,

00:21:59.080 --> 00:22:01.220
just to kind of get 'em through the, it's,

00:22:01.220 --> 00:22:03.916
everything's okay, everything
didn't totally stop.

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Because I think a lot of
kids are scared right now.

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They're looking at adults for answers,

00:22:08.290 --> 00:22:09.403
and we don't have.

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So we're just tryin' to, I think,

00:22:11.960 --> 00:22:13.460
all get through this together.

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- That's cool, so even though

00:22:15.820 --> 00:22:18.200
it does feel like the
world is topsy-turvy,

00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:19.640
you're still the same Mr. Corey,

00:22:19.640 --> 00:22:21.080
you're still providing that same level

00:22:21.080 --> 00:22:22.720
of excitement and motivation,

00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:24.790
even if you can't be with them in person.

00:22:24.790 --> 00:22:25.820
- We're hopin' to.

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We're gonna actually try to get

00:22:27.030 --> 00:22:28.720
some of the parents involved next week

00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:31.330
and see if they will
participate in the same things

00:22:31.330 --> 00:22:32.980
since they're at home with them,

00:22:32.980 --> 00:22:34.820
and maybe have kids,

00:22:34.820 --> 00:22:37.250
I think we were gonna
do a five refrigerate,

00:22:37.250 --> 00:22:38.660
five thing blender,

00:22:38.660 --> 00:22:40.910
so five things you can put in a blender

00:22:40.910 --> 00:22:43.080
and that parent has to drink it.

00:22:43.080 --> 00:22:44.500
Try to get the kids involved

00:22:44.500 --> 00:22:46.930
and the parents involved
for something fun to do.

00:22:46.930 --> 00:22:49.667
But, it's not new learning going on,

00:22:49.667 --> 00:22:51.310
but we can all use the review,

00:22:51.310 --> 00:22:54.600
and we just need maybe a
couple of laughs throughout it.

00:22:54.600 --> 00:22:56.330
- Yeah, and that's actually
an interesting question.

00:22:56.330 --> 00:22:58.662
So I think a lot of educators right now

00:22:58.662 --> 00:23:01.010
are tryin' to figure
out, do I take this time

00:23:01.010 --> 00:23:03.750
as if it's normal school
time, quote unquote,

00:23:03.750 --> 00:23:06.310
and try to push forward with my content,

00:23:06.310 --> 00:23:07.860
or do I go into that review mode

00:23:07.860 --> 00:23:11.540
and just sort of keep them
stabilizing those foundations,

00:23:11.540 --> 00:23:13.860
filling those gaps rather
than pushing forward.

00:23:13.860 --> 00:23:16.610
Any thoughts on that sort of conundrum?

00:23:16.610 --> 00:23:19.710
- I always think right
now is a review time.

00:23:19.710 --> 00:23:21.740
I'm looking at it as, yes,

00:23:21.740 --> 00:23:23.420
I'm teaching sixth grade students,

00:23:23.420 --> 00:23:25.980
but they can all review
fourth grade content,

00:23:25.980 --> 00:23:27.240
things they enjoy doing

00:23:27.240 --> 00:23:29.890
or something maybe they
liked from years in the past.

00:23:30.910 --> 00:23:32.980
Many times, like in literacy,

00:23:32.980 --> 00:23:35.290
if a child's constantly reading,

00:23:35.290 --> 00:23:36.990
you don't care if the
book they're reading,

00:23:36.990 --> 00:23:39.220
that they're interested
in, is below level.

00:23:39.220 --> 00:23:41.430
But for math, there's
always this different,

00:23:41.430 --> 00:23:44.820
we have to push them and
push them on grade level

00:23:44.820 --> 00:23:46.750
and never skip a beat.

00:23:46.750 --> 00:23:48.580
I think this is more of a,

00:23:48.580 --> 00:23:50.200
let's try to have some fun.

00:23:50.200 --> 00:23:52.810
We don't wanna, most parents do not know

00:23:52.810 --> 00:23:54.630
what slope intercept form is,

00:23:54.630 --> 00:23:57.380
or how to graph systems of equations,

00:23:57.380 --> 00:23:59.230
so if you're applying that

00:23:59.230 --> 00:24:00.960
but you're not able to teach it,

00:24:00.960 --> 00:24:02.440
and you're assigning those things,

00:24:02.440 --> 00:24:04.167
it becomes a struggle for parents,

00:24:04.167 --> 00:24:06.180
and I think that's kind
of the opposite effect

00:24:06.180 --> 00:24:08.960
as they're already stressed out enough.

00:24:08.960 --> 00:24:10.480
- Cool, well I love some of the things

00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:11.460
you've already shared and answered

00:24:11.460 --> 00:24:14.000
some of the most common
questions we've received.

00:24:14.000 --> 00:24:15.550
So teachers were asking about,

00:24:15.550 --> 00:24:16.720
how do you get students working

00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:18.147
at the appropriate level for their need,

00:24:18.147 --> 00:24:19.940
and you were talking about even going back

00:24:19.940 --> 00:24:21.150
a couple of grades

00:24:21.150 --> 00:24:22.270
if that's where the gaps are.

00:24:22.270 --> 00:24:24.732
You can do that with Kahn Academy.

00:24:24.732 --> 00:24:25.565
Okay, 'cause you were asking about,

00:24:25.565 --> 00:24:27.900
how do you form a virtual
sense of community,

00:24:27.900 --> 00:24:30.660
and it sounds like you're that
by getting all the students

00:24:30.660 --> 00:24:32.230
working towards a common goal,

00:24:32.230 --> 00:24:34.280
using a platform like Flipgrid

00:24:34.280 --> 00:24:36.920
to engage not just the students
but their parents as well

00:24:36.920 --> 00:24:39.180
in a really visual and exciting way.

00:24:39.180 --> 00:24:40.440
What about this question, though.

00:24:40.440 --> 00:24:41.740
One of the teachers asked,

00:24:41.740 --> 00:24:44.640
how can I get kids who don't
even engage face to face,

00:24:44.640 --> 00:24:46.520
even in those best of times,

00:24:46.520 --> 00:24:49.220
to actually engage online,
when things are way harder?

00:24:50.370 --> 00:24:51.980
- I mean, knowing your students

00:24:51.980 --> 00:24:55.520
is always one of the largest
things you have to learn

00:24:55.520 --> 00:24:56.960
in the beginning of the year.

00:24:56.960 --> 00:25:00.480
I am always surprised at how

00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:02.120
some of my introverted students,

00:25:02.120 --> 00:25:04.200
or some of my students that don't engage

00:25:04.200 --> 00:25:06.610
and raise their hand and answer questions,

00:25:06.610 --> 00:25:09.730
how well online tools have worked

00:25:09.730 --> 00:25:11.580
to let me know they're understanding

00:25:11.580 --> 00:25:12.820
without them telling me,

00:25:12.820 --> 00:25:16.450
to gaining perspective of
if they're getting a concept

00:25:16.450 --> 00:25:17.383
that I'm teaching.

00:25:18.390 --> 00:25:19.680
Kahn Academy has always done that

00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:21.550
with the assignments
and watching them grow

00:25:21.550 --> 00:25:23.170
where they don't have to be,

00:25:23.170 --> 00:25:24.560
you know, maybe they're a little bit shy

00:25:24.560 --> 00:25:26.660
and they don't wanna be the
one that asks that question,

00:25:26.660 --> 00:25:29.430
that they don't know what this word means.

00:25:29.430 --> 00:25:32.380
But when you see that they're
not achieving on something

00:25:32.380 --> 00:25:34.210
that you know they understand,

00:25:34.210 --> 00:25:37.210
it can be as simple as just
going over next to them

00:25:37.210 --> 00:25:39.744
and asking them, "Well,
what's wrong here,"

00:25:39.744 --> 00:25:40.749
and they're like, "I don't know

00:25:40.749 --> 00:25:41.980
"what the word denominator means,"

00:25:41.980 --> 00:25:43.960
and that's a simple fix,

00:25:43.960 --> 00:25:47.310
but overall, to engage them,

00:25:47.310 --> 00:25:50.310
it's, you see things like Flipgrid,

00:25:50.310 --> 00:25:52.450
kids love making videos,

00:25:52.450 --> 00:25:56.550
and I have one student who is very shy,

00:25:56.550 --> 00:25:58.680
does not talk a lot.

00:25:58.680 --> 00:26:00.270
I mean, he has friends, he
talks to the other kids,

00:26:00.270 --> 00:26:03.590
but won't engage me very much in class.

00:26:03.590 --> 00:26:06.250
Once we started using Flipgrid,

00:26:06.250 --> 00:26:08.100
his whole persona changed

00:26:08.100 --> 00:26:09.610
when I saw his first video.

00:26:09.610 --> 00:26:13.050
He was Mr. Stash and he
was all very outgoing

00:26:13.050 --> 00:26:14.830
and this and that, and
all the other kids saw it

00:26:14.830 --> 00:26:16.660
and they started wanting
to be in his group

00:26:16.660 --> 00:26:18.160
to make the next video.

00:26:18.160 --> 00:26:20.090
Now he runs Mr. Stash Productions.

00:26:20.090 --> 00:26:21.970
But he's still that same kid in class

00:26:21.970 --> 00:26:24.220
that won't raise his hand,

00:26:24.220 --> 00:26:26.430
that won't put himself out there,

00:26:26.430 --> 00:26:28.910
but as soon as he is able
to make these videos.

00:26:28.910 --> 00:26:32.070
So I found it has an almost
opposite effect at times.

00:26:32.070 --> 00:26:33.960
- Interesting, so maybe that's
almost the silver lining

00:26:33.960 --> 00:26:35.900
of the times we find ourselves in,

00:26:35.900 --> 00:26:38.110
is because it's not all real time,

00:26:38.110 --> 00:26:40.330
and it's not all live in the classroom,

00:26:40.330 --> 00:26:41.990
those students who need
a little bit more time

00:26:41.990 --> 00:26:44.350
on their own to process and sort of

00:26:44.350 --> 00:26:45.980
share what they wanna communicate

00:26:45.980 --> 00:26:48.780
now have that time in this
asynchronous learning,

00:26:48.780 --> 00:26:50.840
whether it's creating a Flipgrid video,

00:26:50.840 --> 00:26:53.940
responding to a Khan
assignment on your own time.

00:26:53.940 --> 00:26:56.647
Students have that space it sounds like.

00:26:56.647 --> 00:26:57.480
- Yeah, and I think that's always been

00:26:57.480 --> 00:27:00.270
a significant advantage with Kahn Academy

00:27:00.270 --> 00:27:03.670
that they have the time to
do the assignments again,

00:27:03.670 --> 00:27:05.010
to try it one more time,

00:27:05.010 --> 00:27:06.720
to stop and take a hint,

00:27:06.720 --> 00:27:08.683
or to stop and watch a video.

00:27:10.080 --> 00:27:12.200
The whole class isn't waiting for you

00:27:12.200 --> 00:27:13.740
if you're not getting a concept,

00:27:13.740 --> 00:27:16.660
or you're not moving on
with nothing else to do.

00:27:16.660 --> 00:27:19.343
There's always something
that's right at your level

00:27:19.343 --> 00:27:21.410
that you can kind of take time

00:27:21.410 --> 00:27:22.803
to reflect and think about.

00:27:23.640 --> 00:27:25.500
- Very cool, and so a
couple final questions

00:27:25.500 --> 00:27:26.730
and then we'll open it
up for live questions

00:27:26.730 --> 00:27:27.713
from the audience.

00:27:28.980 --> 00:27:32.800
How can I help students
persist when times are tough?

00:27:32.800 --> 00:27:34.810
You know, we've talked a
lot about growth mindset

00:27:34.810 --> 00:27:37.350
and about grit in the last couple years.

00:27:37.350 --> 00:27:39.580
Especially in this moment of crisis,

00:27:39.580 --> 00:27:42.417
how do we help students get through this?

00:27:42.417 --> 00:27:43.680
- I mean, I think it's important

00:27:43.680 --> 00:27:45.170
to realize that we are all

00:27:45.170 --> 00:27:47.150
going through something right now.

00:27:47.150 --> 00:27:49.300
This isn't just going to affect

00:27:49.300 --> 00:27:51.833
small parts of our country or our world.

00:27:52.950 --> 00:27:56.310
I think you're just really
reaching out to your students,

00:27:56.310 --> 00:27:58.370
whether it's through a Zoom meeting

00:27:58.370 --> 00:28:02.040
or just letting them know
that you're still there

00:28:02.040 --> 00:28:04.370
is so hugely important,

00:28:04.370 --> 00:28:07.250
because some, everyone
thinks everybody's at home,

00:28:07.250 --> 00:28:09.440
but many parents are
still reporting to work,

00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:13.380
and some of our medical staff
and everything are at work

00:28:13.380 --> 00:28:14.980
large amounts of the day,

00:28:14.980 --> 00:28:16.790
and children are still at home,

00:28:16.790 --> 00:28:18.980
by themselves, looking for something.

00:28:18.980 --> 00:28:21.560
I think it's important to help
lead your families and your,

00:28:21.560 --> 00:28:24.904
as a teacher, in those ways.

00:28:24.904 --> 00:28:27.020
It's gonna be tough, but I think

00:28:27.020 --> 00:28:29.640
just keeping at open line of communication

00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:30.890
is the number one thing

00:28:30.890 --> 00:28:34.000
that we can do as educators right now,

00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:35.770
and allow students to ask questions,

00:28:35.770 --> 00:28:37.970
and allow them to try to persist.

00:28:37.970 --> 00:28:40.600
But obviously, with growth mindset,

00:28:40.600 --> 00:28:42.710
we've taught that throughout the year

00:28:42.710 --> 00:28:44.280
and continuing to do that,

00:28:44.280 --> 00:28:47.480
but also using a lot of review concepts

00:28:47.480 --> 00:28:49.100
that are just keeping them going

00:28:49.100 --> 00:28:53.070
rather than struggling on their own.

00:28:53.070 --> 00:28:54.420
- That's cool, that's so powerful.

00:28:54.420 --> 00:28:58.000
I have to give a shout-out
Mrs. Andreessen in South Dakota

00:28:58.000 --> 00:28:59.450
who sent me a video she created

00:28:59.450 --> 00:29:01.620
for her fifth grade class this morning,

00:29:01.620 --> 00:29:02.967
and she just said the simple words,

00:29:02.967 --> 00:29:04.510
"I'm thinkin' about you."

00:29:04.510 --> 00:29:07.500
I know from my own daughter's
experience, if you hear that

00:29:07.500 --> 00:29:09.880
from the most meaningful
educator in your life,

00:29:09.880 --> 00:29:11.570
that's powerful, even
when times are tough.

00:29:11.570 --> 00:29:13.630
So just keepin' that line
of communication open

00:29:13.630 --> 00:29:14.490
is so huge.

00:29:15.870 --> 00:29:18.420
Then one last question that
came up quite a bit was,

00:29:18.420 --> 00:29:20.530
okay, again, we're talkin' about students

00:29:20.530 --> 00:29:22.820
who are all sort of
facing major challenges.

00:29:22.820 --> 00:29:25.260
Some are facing even
bigger ones on top of that.

00:29:25.260 --> 00:29:27.670
If you wanna support your
special education students

00:29:27.670 --> 00:29:29.280
in the middle of this crisis,

00:29:29.280 --> 00:29:31.760
any words of wisdom for
how to serve that audience

00:29:31.760 --> 00:29:32.760
really, really well?

00:29:34.500 --> 00:29:36.610
- I think this is an issue

00:29:36.610 --> 00:29:39.160
that many educators are
facing at the moment,

00:29:39.160 --> 00:29:42.150
and it obviously depends on a child's IEP

00:29:42.150 --> 00:29:45.020
and some of the federal laws

00:29:45.020 --> 00:29:46.410
that are coming into play

00:29:46.410 --> 00:29:49.810
with districts trying to
go to virtual learning

00:29:49.810 --> 00:29:50.700
for the next month,

00:29:50.700 --> 00:29:52.943
and if they're abiding
by all of these laws.

00:29:54.100 --> 00:29:56.260
For myself and my own experience,

00:29:56.260 --> 00:29:58.680
I have students in my class with IEPs,

00:29:58.680 --> 00:30:01.020
I always have my entire career.

00:30:01.020 --> 00:30:04.430
I never really change what I'm doing

00:30:04.430 --> 00:30:05.980
for one specific kid.

00:30:05.980 --> 00:30:08.027
I change the way I interact
with certain students

00:30:08.027 --> 00:30:09.997
and the materials I give certain students

00:30:09.997 --> 00:30:13.670
and the way they can kind of participate

00:30:13.670 --> 00:30:16.270
and how I can highlight them here.

00:30:16.270 --> 00:30:19.080
But many of my students that have an IEP,

00:30:19.080 --> 00:30:23.210
they are perfectly
producing, in math class,

00:30:23.210 --> 00:30:25.460
they are participating, they're,

00:30:25.460 --> 00:30:27.440
I kind of just always,

00:30:27.440 --> 00:30:29.243
like I would do anything else,

00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:32.100
I value the student, I know who they are,

00:30:32.100 --> 00:30:34.750
and I know what kind of pushes them,

00:30:34.750 --> 00:30:36.450
and I try to get into it that way,

00:30:36.450 --> 00:30:38.190
but right now, with students

00:30:38.190 --> 00:30:39.610
that do have an IEP,

00:30:39.610 --> 00:30:42.180
I think there's, districts want teachers

00:30:42.180 --> 00:30:43.920
to be extremely careful,

00:30:43.920 --> 00:30:48.430
not requiring any work for
almost any of their students

00:30:48.430 --> 00:30:52.490
as a grade until we kind of
get some of this figured out.

00:30:52.490 --> 00:30:54.820
I mean obviously, we wanna make sure

00:30:54.820 --> 00:30:56.130
we're hitting all our students,

00:30:56.130 --> 00:30:57.680
but I think our teachers are doing that.

00:30:57.680 --> 00:30:59.590
I don't know that our teachers
are looking and saying,

00:30:59.590 --> 00:31:01.850
Well, I can only teach to this group,

00:31:01.850 --> 00:31:04.290
and I can't teach to my other students

00:31:04.290 --> 00:31:06.810
that may have a learning disability.

00:31:06.810 --> 00:31:08.710
I think we're just all in it together,

00:31:08.710 --> 00:31:10.990
trying to figure out how
we can engage everybody

00:31:10.990 --> 00:31:13.530
and keep an online classroom going.

00:31:13.530 --> 00:31:14.860
- Great advice.

00:31:14.860 --> 00:31:17.370
So let me open it up to
questions from the audience here.

00:31:17.370 --> 00:31:18.860
We've got a bunch coming in.

00:31:18.860 --> 00:31:20.970
I wanna start with a
great one from Lindsay.

00:31:20.970 --> 00:31:24.207
So Lindsay says, "Conor,
this has been awesome,

00:31:24.207 --> 00:31:26.057
"but what kind of goals or targets

00:31:26.057 --> 00:31:27.617
"do you set for your students?

00:31:27.617 --> 00:31:29.727
"Do you focus them on mastering a skill,

00:31:29.727 --> 00:31:31.177
"getting to grade level?

00:31:31.177 --> 00:31:33.547
"How do you keep them from
just grinding toward a goal

00:31:33.547 --> 00:31:35.907
"and actually feeling
a sense of progress?"

00:31:37.500 --> 00:31:40.650
- I have used personalized goal-setting

00:31:40.650 --> 00:31:43.700
for now seven years with my students.

00:31:43.700 --> 00:31:45.820
I believe it's the most effective way,

00:31:45.820 --> 00:31:48.850
and we celebrate that goal-setting
throughout the process.

00:31:48.850 --> 00:31:53.210
So I have students that are
three years of different levels.

00:31:53.210 --> 00:31:55.020
So what they would all,

00:31:55.020 --> 00:31:56.750
they have these little Lego guys that,

00:31:56.750 --> 00:31:58.720
you know, for mastery on Kahn Academy,

00:31:58.720 --> 00:31:59.717
well, we print those out,

00:31:59.717 --> 00:32:01.800
and the kids write their name on them,

00:32:01.800 --> 00:32:03.757
and their goal may say,

00:32:03.757 --> 00:32:06.200
"I wanna get to 45% in third grade."

00:32:06.200 --> 00:32:08.160
I sit with that kid and I put it,

00:32:08.160 --> 00:32:09.760
I hang it up on the wall,

00:32:09.760 --> 00:32:10.787
and the next student maybe,

00:32:10.787 --> 00:32:14.280
"I want you to get to 60% on fifth grade."

00:32:14.280 --> 00:32:16.270
It's usually about 15% higher

00:32:16.270 --> 00:32:17.720
than wherever they are,

00:32:17.720 --> 00:32:19.960
but for the one to move on is fifth grade,

00:32:19.960 --> 00:32:21.550
it's gonna take the same amount of effort

00:32:21.550 --> 00:32:24.140
for the third, the student
who's on a third grade level

00:32:24.140 --> 00:32:25.670
to move his score.

00:32:25.670 --> 00:32:27.630
So we really focus these goals

00:32:27.630 --> 00:32:30.860
on the child's current academic level,

00:32:30.860 --> 00:32:33.713
and how much effort it
would take them to move up.

00:32:35.990 --> 00:32:37.350
The majority of time, those goals

00:32:37.350 --> 00:32:38.570
are not on grade level.

00:32:38.570 --> 00:32:39.970
They are a little bit below,

00:32:39.970 --> 00:32:41.660
some are a little bit above,

00:32:41.660 --> 00:32:43.550
but any time a child hits a goal,

00:32:43.550 --> 00:32:45.130
we usually have something,

00:32:45.130 --> 00:32:46.180
and if you don't have anything,

00:32:46.180 --> 00:32:48.610
kids love like, okay, you can take

00:32:48.610 --> 00:32:50.660
whatever's in my desk that
you find that you want.

00:32:50.660 --> 00:32:53.520
But you'd be surprised the
crap that's in your desk,

00:32:53.520 --> 00:32:56.320
and the things that a kid will take.

00:32:56.320 --> 00:32:58.700
It'll be a watch that was
on the floor two years ago,

00:32:58.700 --> 00:33:01.410
it will be stickers for kindergarten

00:33:01.410 --> 00:33:03.020
that you're like, "Yeah, I
shouldn't throw these out,"

00:33:03.020 --> 00:33:04.460
and you just threw them in your desk.

00:33:04.460 --> 00:33:05.293
They'll go through your desk

00:33:05.293 --> 00:33:07.440
and they think it's
the coolest thing ever.

00:33:07.440 --> 00:33:10.300
We did these, we have
these little bracelets.

00:33:10.300 --> 00:33:12.110
I've been doin' these for years, they're,

00:33:12.110 --> 00:33:15.210
you can buy hundreds of them for $20,

00:33:15.210 --> 00:33:18.270
and they just, they start
to collect different ones

00:33:18.270 --> 00:33:19.300
every time they set a goal,

00:33:19.300 --> 00:33:23.100
but it's small goals
over and over and over

00:33:23.100 --> 00:33:25.090
to eventually get towards mastery.

00:33:25.090 --> 00:33:27.090
But I think setting grade level mastery

00:33:27.090 --> 00:33:32.003
for all of your students
is just, it's unrealistic,

00:33:33.080 --> 00:33:36.010
and there's no need to set
unrealistic goals for your kids,

00:33:36.010 --> 00:33:37.690
'cause they're not gonna
be able to succeed,

00:33:37.690 --> 00:33:39.250
so what's really the point?

00:33:39.250 --> 00:33:41.860
If you know them, give
them the proper level,

00:33:41.860 --> 00:33:43.980
let them hit small steps along the way,

00:33:43.980 --> 00:33:46.270
and they start develop
that growth mindset,

00:33:46.270 --> 00:33:47.390
and the kids don't really care

00:33:47.390 --> 00:33:49.170
what level they're learning on.

00:33:49.170 --> 00:33:50.750
- Yeah, I love how much of your advice

00:33:50.750 --> 00:33:52.870
is just rooted in knowing your students.

00:33:52.870 --> 00:33:54.130
If you know they're gonna be motivated

00:33:54.130 --> 00:33:56.710
by something that's tangible, attainable,

00:33:56.710 --> 00:33:57.543
then give them that.

00:33:57.543 --> 00:33:59.770
Don't try to sort of
set the bar way too high

00:33:59.770 --> 00:34:01.090
and intimidate them.

00:34:01.090 --> 00:34:03.010
Make them feel good about their progress

00:34:03.010 --> 00:34:05.340
and they'll wanna do it again.

00:34:05.340 --> 00:34:07.270
So many questions are
coming in about Flipgrid.

00:34:07.270 --> 00:34:08.577
They're saying, "What is this Flipgrid,

00:34:08.577 --> 00:34:09.410
"what is it all about?"

00:34:09.410 --> 00:34:12.380
Can you explain a little
bit more there, Conor?

00:34:12.380 --> 00:34:14.320
- I started, Flipgrid's an unbelievable,

00:34:14.320 --> 00:34:15.330
it's a free resource,

00:34:15.330 --> 00:34:18.030
I started to use it heavily this year.

00:34:18.030 --> 00:34:20.730
I began last year but it
was the end of the year,

00:34:20.730 --> 00:34:23.630
a new platform, I'm like,
okay, maybe next year.

00:34:23.630 --> 00:34:24.550
I started it.

00:34:24.550 --> 00:34:28.680
Basically, you create
a video for yourself.

00:34:28.680 --> 00:34:29.840
Yeah, there's the front.

00:34:29.840 --> 00:34:33.100
You create a video for
yourself and for your students,

00:34:33.100 --> 00:34:35.940
and they are, it's almost
like its own social media.

00:34:35.940 --> 00:34:39.330
That video will go out to your students.

00:34:39.330 --> 00:34:41.930
Your students are now able
to respond to that video,

00:34:41.930 --> 00:34:45.107
and you could just do a topic such as,

00:34:45.107 --> 00:34:46.427
"Hey, I just wanted to say hi to you guys,

00:34:46.427 --> 00:34:48.297
"I want everyone to say hello back,

00:34:48.297 --> 00:34:50.320
"see what you're missing about school,"

00:34:50.320 --> 00:34:53.540
and there is things to
help all along the way

00:34:53.540 --> 00:34:54.750
to get you started.

00:34:54.750 --> 00:34:58.780
But we've used it heavily for
our explaining math this year,

00:34:58.780 --> 00:35:01.840
where we have students create videos

00:35:01.840 --> 00:35:04.940
on a mathematical topic,
of order of operations.

00:35:04.940 --> 00:35:06.670
Okay, what do we do first?

00:35:06.670 --> 00:35:09.770
They'll make different
scenes and different movies.

00:35:09.770 --> 00:35:11.700
Around Christmas we did,

00:35:11.700 --> 00:35:14.280
what does it mean to
have something 20% off?

00:35:14.280 --> 00:35:16.430
Kids were making their backgrounds

00:35:16.430 --> 00:35:19.830
of being in a store or paying
for something that's 20% off,

00:35:19.830 --> 00:35:21.980
but they were able to explain to me

00:35:21.980 --> 00:35:24.700
what those concepts were about

00:35:24.700 --> 00:35:27.320
and what, how they
apply in the real world.

00:35:27.320 --> 00:35:30.430
That gave me more than any
test could ever give me.

00:35:30.430 --> 00:35:33.930
It showed me, wow, they're
actually understanding

00:35:33.930 --> 00:35:35.460
each part of this process.

00:35:35.460 --> 00:35:38.360
I think, and you're able
to respond to their videos,

00:35:38.360 --> 00:35:39.960
the other kids in the class leave

00:35:39.960 --> 00:35:41.040
what's called a Vibe,

00:35:41.040 --> 00:35:42.800
and they're able to respond.

00:35:42.800 --> 00:35:45.893
So it forms a sense of community,
and then you kind of have,

00:35:45.893 --> 00:35:48.550
we have a mixed tape that
has all our top videos

00:35:48.550 --> 00:35:50.650
from all three classes, the best ones.

00:35:50.650 --> 00:35:52.610
The kids, I mean, we vote on the videos,

00:35:52.610 --> 00:35:54.140
who came up with the most creative,

00:35:54.140 --> 00:35:56.230
but it's an unbelievable program,

00:35:56.230 --> 00:35:57.503
and it's 100% free.

00:35:58.770 --> 00:36:00.290
I would suggest they check it out.

00:36:00.290 --> 00:36:03.180
Like everything, just kind of start small.

00:36:03.180 --> 00:36:05.330
See if you can get things started

00:36:05.330 --> 00:36:07.130
with Kahn Academy, start small.

00:36:07.130 --> 00:36:10.760
Think of all these platforms
for educators and parents,

00:36:10.760 --> 00:36:13.120
it's kind of like when
you get a new phone.

00:36:13.120 --> 00:36:14.410
You get it and you're like,

00:36:14.410 --> 00:36:17.500
I just wanna send a funny
picture to my friend,

00:36:17.500 --> 00:36:19.820
I don't need to sign up my Google Cloud,

00:36:19.820 --> 00:36:22.310
I just, and you're
trying to figure it out.

00:36:22.310 --> 00:36:25.950
But then day after day,
little bit after a little bit,

00:36:25.950 --> 00:36:28.400
it starts to make sense and become easier,

00:36:28.400 --> 00:36:29.830
and then you start to see the value

00:36:29.830 --> 00:36:33.590
of all the things you
actually have on your phone.

00:36:33.590 --> 00:36:35.530
I think if we start technology that way

00:36:35.530 --> 00:36:37.250
in this online learning platform

00:36:37.250 --> 00:36:40.350
that's going to continue
for the next few weeks,

00:36:40.350 --> 00:36:42.113
I think that's our best option.

00:36:43.070 --> 00:36:46.050
- Very cool, and then
Denise has a question,

00:36:46.050 --> 00:36:49.040
which is basically, you
mentioned the federal regulations

00:36:49.040 --> 00:36:51.040
and federal advice that
was just coming down.

00:36:51.040 --> 00:36:52.720
Can you talk a little bit more about that

00:36:52.720 --> 00:36:54.230
for educators who have not heard about

00:36:54.230 --> 00:36:56.380
what's being shared at
that national level?

00:36:58.040 --> 00:37:01.340
- At national level, you
have faith laws that are,

00:37:01.340 --> 00:37:04.430
basically, you have to
ensure that every child

00:37:04.430 --> 00:37:07.113
has the same access to education.

00:37:09.830 --> 00:37:12.710
If you're trying to do online learning,

00:37:12.710 --> 00:37:14.270
there are students that maybe don't have

00:37:14.270 --> 00:37:15.150
the internet at home,

00:37:15.150 --> 00:37:16.790
or maybe they don't have a device.

00:37:16.790 --> 00:37:18.700
The only device they
have is a parent's phone

00:37:18.700 --> 00:37:19.990
that's going to work.

00:37:19.990 --> 00:37:24.310
So I think by districts pushing out

00:37:24.310 --> 00:37:27.180
a platform of we're gonna continue school

00:37:27.180 --> 00:37:29.873
without addressing those needs first,

00:37:30.925 --> 00:37:34.060
and all the needs that
are in that child's IEP

00:37:34.060 --> 00:37:37.260
of differentiated
learning, having an aide,

00:37:37.260 --> 00:37:38.800
having someone else to explain,

00:37:38.800 --> 00:37:41.930
I think we have a lot of issues

00:37:41.930 --> 00:37:44.650
where districts are nervous.

00:37:44.650 --> 00:37:47.100
Are they providing for every child?

00:37:47.100 --> 00:37:48.810
That always is the number one thing.

00:37:48.810 --> 00:37:51.530
You can't exclude a
certain amount of children

00:37:51.530 --> 00:37:53.713
because it's not convenient right now.

00:37:54.850 --> 00:37:58.406
So there's a lot of, I guess,

00:37:58.406 --> 00:38:01.930
federal laws are put in
place for a good reason,

00:38:01.930 --> 00:38:04.300
and now, in this unprecedented time,

00:38:04.300 --> 00:38:07.360
people are like, I don't know
if I can get around this,

00:38:07.360 --> 00:38:11.180
because am I then not
educating every child?

00:38:11.180 --> 00:38:13.410
Am I providing what's been stated by law

00:38:13.410 --> 00:38:15.570
that I have to do to educate this person?

00:38:15.570 --> 00:38:17.190
But I think the lack of devices

00:38:17.190 --> 00:38:19.030
and the lack of internet access

00:38:19.030 --> 00:38:21.450
and different things is a big issue

00:38:21.450 --> 00:38:23.297
that many people are seeing.

00:38:24.360 --> 00:38:26.748
- Great, I'm gonna throw
down the gauntlet for you

00:38:26.748 --> 00:38:27.581
a little bit, Conor,

00:38:27.581 --> 00:38:29.750
I'm gonna stretch your
engagement abilities.

00:38:29.750 --> 00:38:31.047
Some high school teachers
have been saying,

00:38:31.047 --> 00:38:33.787
"This is awesome, but
awesome for middle schoolers,

00:38:33.787 --> 00:38:35.417
"awesome for elementary students.

00:38:35.417 --> 00:38:37.467
"I've got 11th and 12th graders,

00:38:37.467 --> 00:38:39.317
"how am I'm gonna keep them engaged

00:38:39.317 --> 00:38:41.793
"when they're already so
cynical to begin with,

00:38:41.793 --> 00:38:42.757
"and on top of that,

00:38:42.757 --> 00:38:45.470
"they have so much else on
their shoulders these days?"

00:38:45.470 --> 00:38:47.720
- Middle school students
are just as cynical.

00:38:50.970 --> 00:38:53.990
I think high school kids are just like

00:38:53.990 --> 00:38:55.220
the older middle school kids,

00:38:55.220 --> 00:38:57.730
they think they're too
cool for everything.

00:38:57.730 --> 00:39:00.720
They think, they're just kind
of going through the motions,

00:39:00.720 --> 00:39:03.330
but they're worried about
what they look like,

00:39:03.330 --> 00:39:04.450
what this person thinks,

00:39:04.450 --> 00:39:06.750
what's going on on social media.

00:39:06.750 --> 00:39:09.270
They would find it just
as funny, and it does,

00:39:09.270 --> 00:39:12.810
if you did stupid things
in your class with them,

00:39:12.810 --> 00:39:15.500
if you did a TikTok dance
with your whole class,

00:39:15.500 --> 00:39:19.700
if you did certain things
that they're interested in

00:39:19.700 --> 00:39:22.790
that you find ridiculous,
but to them it's like,

00:39:22.790 --> 00:39:24.724
all right, well, I have two things,

00:39:24.724 --> 00:39:26.370
I have two classes I have homework for,

00:39:26.370 --> 00:39:28.520
which one am I'm gonna do it for?

00:39:28.520 --> 00:39:29.920
'Cause I'm not gonna
do it for both of 'em.

00:39:29.920 --> 00:39:31.250
So you wanna be the teacher

00:39:31.250 --> 00:39:32.890
that they'll do your homework for you,

00:39:32.890 --> 00:39:35.650
they'll do, go the extra step for you.

00:39:35.650 --> 00:39:38.140
I think again, it's knowing your students.

00:39:38.140 --> 00:39:39.887
You may have one class that
you can do one thing with,

00:39:39.887 --> 00:39:42.373
and you may have another
class that you can't.

00:39:43.410 --> 00:39:45.140
But it's always, just always be willing

00:39:45.140 --> 00:39:47.853
to try new things and
not embarrass yourself.

00:39:48.720 --> 00:39:51.090
Nothing's gonna change if you
continually stay the same.

00:39:51.090 --> 00:39:52.340
So if you're uncomfortable

00:39:52.340 --> 00:39:53.860
in what you're doing all the time,

00:39:53.860 --> 00:39:55.460
I think that's a positive thing.

00:39:56.340 --> 00:39:57.760
- Yeah, and I'll just
throw out a couple ideas

00:39:57.760 --> 00:39:59.830
that I've heard recently
for the high school set.

00:39:59.830 --> 00:40:00.820
I know in a lot of ways,

00:40:00.820 --> 00:40:03.320
they face the sort of
most daunting challenges,

00:40:03.320 --> 00:40:05.100
because so much of their expected life

00:40:05.100 --> 00:40:07.510
over the next few months is on hold now,

00:40:07.510 --> 00:40:10.850
whether it's taking the
SAT, taking the APs,

00:40:10.850 --> 00:40:12.950
graduation, college decisions,

00:40:12.950 --> 00:40:14.590
all of this stuff is
supposed to be happening,

00:40:14.590 --> 00:40:16.040
and now it's frozen.

00:40:16.040 --> 00:40:18.110
What could you do to fill that void?

00:40:18.110 --> 00:40:20.250
Could you host their virtual prom?

00:40:20.250 --> 00:40:23.240
Could you take a page
out of ESPN's playbook?

00:40:23.240 --> 00:40:25.210
ESPN is doing these senior nights

00:40:25.210 --> 00:40:26.800
every night on SportsCenter,

00:40:26.800 --> 00:40:28.150
shouting out the high school seniors

00:40:28.150 --> 00:40:30.400
who would have been
getting vetted otherwise.

00:40:31.360 --> 00:40:32.367
Could you sort of give it a chance

00:40:32.367 --> 00:40:34.320
and really let your seniors shine,

00:40:34.320 --> 00:40:35.800
even during this really difficult moment?

00:40:35.800 --> 00:40:37.370
So if there's some way you can bring

00:40:37.370 --> 00:40:39.780
that sense of normalcy,
that sense of tradition

00:40:39.780 --> 00:40:40.940
into this virtual world,

00:40:40.940 --> 00:40:43.760
I think you'll be a
superstar in their eyes,

00:40:43.760 --> 00:40:45.310
no matter how cynical they are.

00:40:47.300 --> 00:40:48.500
Okay, so let's see here.

00:40:49.380 --> 00:40:52.040
I think we have time for
maybe one or two questions,

00:40:52.040 --> 00:40:54.010
and so I think the biggest question

00:40:54.010 --> 00:40:56.800
that I've gotten from a lot
of teachers at this point

00:40:56.800 --> 00:40:59.700
is how do you ultimately serve students

00:40:59.700 --> 00:41:01.600
at different levels,

00:41:01.600 --> 00:41:03.690
given that everything
we've been talking about

00:41:03.690 --> 00:41:05.710
in terms of Zoom or whatever,

00:41:05.710 --> 00:41:07.440
feels like it's like, okay, one teacher

00:41:07.440 --> 00:41:10.060
and all the students in a
big lecture environment.

00:41:10.060 --> 00:41:11.820
How do you continue to
sort of differentiate

00:41:11.820 --> 00:41:14.100
and make sure each student feels heard

00:41:14.100 --> 00:41:16.163
and respected in this time?

00:41:17.877 --> 00:41:21.280
- I think for the leveling, for myself,

00:41:21.280 --> 00:41:23.060
I know most of my students' level.

00:41:23.060 --> 00:41:25.930
I know where I'm kind of teaching them

00:41:25.930 --> 00:41:27.870
and whatever topic it is,

00:41:27.870 --> 00:41:32.610
maybe I assign to my
one group of 10 students

00:41:32.610 --> 00:41:34.750
the remediative foundational skills,

00:41:34.750 --> 00:41:37.663
and my higher group, maybe
the intense word problems.

00:41:38.700 --> 00:41:41.840
But those skills all count
towards the same thing,

00:41:41.840 --> 00:41:45.060
as our overall goal of
this stupid TikTok video

00:41:45.060 --> 00:41:47.540
I'm gonna create, probably today.

00:41:47.540 --> 00:41:51.040
But having that, knowing your students,

00:41:51.040 --> 00:41:54.530
and having them all, each
doing different things,

00:41:54.530 --> 00:41:57.180
you're also able, like
I said, with Flipgrid,

00:41:57.180 --> 00:41:58.870
give them a chance to ask questions.

00:41:58.870 --> 00:42:01.080
If you're in a virtual classroom with Zoom

00:42:01.080 --> 00:42:04.210
and you're saying, "Okay,
submit your questions here,"

00:42:04.210 --> 00:42:05.810
and then you can send that video out

00:42:05.810 --> 00:42:07.900
just to the students that maybe need

00:42:07.900 --> 00:42:09.823
a little bit of assistance with that.

00:42:10.750 --> 00:42:12.790
But I think it's important
to try to recognize

00:42:12.790 --> 00:42:14.700
all your students, too,
that are working at home,

00:42:14.700 --> 00:42:16.623
that are putting in the extra effort.

00:42:17.470 --> 00:42:19.760
But really just constant communication

00:42:19.760 --> 00:42:21.980
is gonna be your number one thing

00:42:21.980 --> 00:42:23.410
to see how kids are doing,

00:42:23.410 --> 00:42:26.820
to see why, maybe, these 10, 15 kids

00:42:26.820 --> 00:42:29.380
haven't logged on yet,
or haven't done anything.

00:42:29.380 --> 00:42:30.280
Is there an issue?

00:42:30.280 --> 00:42:31.423
'Cause maybe there is.

00:42:32.420 --> 00:42:34.220
As teachers, we're
always looking for that,

00:42:34.220 --> 00:42:36.183
to see how we can help in that anyway.

00:42:37.770 --> 00:42:39.860
- Cool, well I think if
anyone wants inspiration

00:42:39.860 --> 00:42:43.190
as we sign off here, I
would strongly encourage you

00:42:43.190 --> 00:42:45.300
to check out Conor's Twitter feed.

00:42:45.300 --> 00:42:48.950
He's at twitter.com/ccorey223,

00:42:48.950 --> 00:42:50.460
and as you can see here,

00:42:50.460 --> 00:42:53.760
he's got lots of examples
of engaging his students,

00:42:53.760 --> 00:42:55.000
engaging his own kids at home

00:42:55.000 --> 00:42:56.683
with cool crafts and activities,

00:42:57.930 --> 00:43:00.080
and just gives you a
sense of what's possible

00:43:00.080 --> 00:43:02.350
with getting students really
excited about learning,

00:43:02.350 --> 00:43:03.520
even in this difficult environment

00:43:03.520 --> 00:43:04.960
we find ourselves in.

00:43:04.960 --> 00:43:06.200
So definitely follow Conor

00:43:06.200 --> 00:43:08.610
and check out his ideas,

00:43:08.610 --> 00:43:09.670
and keep your questions coming.

00:43:09.670 --> 00:43:11.580
I know we didn't get a
chance to get to everyone.

00:43:11.580 --> 00:43:13.390
We'll definitely be doing
more sessions like this.

00:43:13.390 --> 00:43:15.810
So if you have other ideas
or questions for Conor

00:43:15.810 --> 00:43:17.290
or for Kahn Academy,

00:43:17.290 --> 00:43:19.890
please submit those in the
survey that will follow.

00:43:19.890 --> 00:43:21.400
That being said, any last words of wisdom

00:43:21.400 --> 00:43:23.290
for the audience, Conor?

00:43:23.290 --> 00:43:25.550
- No, I wanna say thank you for tuning in,

00:43:25.550 --> 00:43:27.260
and thank you over at Kahn Academy.

00:43:27.260 --> 00:43:31.860
In the next few weeks, just
enjoy the time with your family.

00:43:31.860 --> 00:43:33.640
You're not gonna be stuck with them

00:43:33.640 --> 00:43:36.170
this large of a period for many years.

00:43:36.170 --> 00:43:39.110
I would say just try not to
get on each other's nerves.

00:43:39.110 --> 00:43:42.130
My wife asked me if I had to
chew like that the other day,

00:43:42.130 --> 00:43:44.883
so I think we've been in
closed quarters for a whole.

00:43:45.940 --> 00:43:47.420
But just try to enjoy the time.

00:43:47.420 --> 00:43:48.770
I don't know we're gonna get it back,

00:43:48.770 --> 00:43:50.880
and the more questions you
ask about what's gonna happen

00:43:50.880 --> 00:43:52.810
next year with education,

00:43:52.810 --> 00:43:55.080
the more, the less
answers you're gonna get.

00:43:55.080 --> 00:43:57.270
So kind of focus on your family,

00:43:57.270 --> 00:43:59.280
focus on your loved ones now

00:43:59.280 --> 00:44:00.763
and what we can do together.

00:44:01.730 --> 00:44:03.970
- Cool, well, I can't think of a better

00:44:03.970 --> 00:44:05.270
message to end on than that one,

00:44:05.270 --> 00:44:07.720
so thank you all for making
time out of your days,

00:44:07.720 --> 00:44:10.530
thank you to Conor for sharing
your incredible expertise,

00:44:10.530 --> 00:44:12.240
and here's wishing you
all a wonderful week.

00:44:12.240 --> 00:44:13.617
Thank you so much.

00:44:13.617 --> 00:44:14.617
- Thank you.