The Role of a Virtual Mentor

 Supporting students in a virtual environment goes by many names. Coaching mentoring or shepherding are all programs that have been instituted to provide the virtual student with that one key person within the virtual program that can offer them support and guidance. I often liken the mentor, as it is called in my program, to a guidance counselor as it is a person that can see a student's whole schedule and has regular contact with the student and the parents to communicate important information about the virtual program and to answer any questions that the student has.

The mentor also communicates with the teachers when a student has an issue such as an extended illness that might impact their ability to work in their classes. Without a mentor, a student can get lost or overlooked in a program. Teachers may know a student is struggling in their class but may not realize that they're not working in any classes or may miss key information about that student's personal life.

On the other hand, when a parent feels like they need to communicate with more than a handful of people during a stressful time such as a death in the family, they can quickly feel discouraged and overwhelmed. This is where the mentor comes in. The mentor can be in contact with that family and a supporting and positive way. They can celebrate with the student on anything that's going on in their life from birthdays to great test scores to a gymnastics meet outside of school. They may even attend the student's extracurriculars or occasionally meet the student face to face in order to build a relationship.

You may have guessed that building a relationship is key for the mentoring process to work. Ineffective mentor programs are those in which the communication sounds scripted and generic. Emails that don't include the student's preferred name or emails that are unnecessarily long because they include information that does not apply to that student can negatively impact the relationship because the student feels like the mentor isn't really getting to know them. In this case, the student is less likely to reach out to the mentor when they have questions. to make communication more personal mentors can use a variety of technology tools to personalize communication with a student. They should also learn the student and the family's preferred method of communication and use that whenever allowable. The use of personal but appropriate pictures and calls and text messages can enhance a mentor's relationship with a student. Sending a picture of a family outing from the mentor to the students can emphasize that that mentor is a real person and wants to support that student and get to know them. Having a way for a group of mentees to share with one another is also an idea of her building rapport in relationships. Having a padlet where students could share a picture of their pet for instance is a way for students to see that there is someone on the other side of the computer screen.

Mentors can handle a caseload of students from a dozen to more than 30 depending on the mentor's capabilities and their other duties as assigned. It is key that a mentor not feel overwhelmed or overburdened by the job because student relationships will suffer. It is also advisable for a mentor to keep the same cohort of students as long as those students are in the program and that assignment is appropriate. Starting from scratch every fall is an inefficient means of supporting a student within a program. If a parent knows that a single person is the point of contact in a program for each of their children when a family emergency arises that parent will feel supported by the program rather than burdened by the requirements.



Mentoring students can be a full-time job. Most programs will want to go a step further and document how often the mentoring occurs. This can cause the mentoring position to be tedious for the staff member performing it. Careful use of technology can minimize the inconvenience of tracking and allow more time for the teacher to concentrate on building relationships with students and supporting them as needed. Shared documents and spreadsheets are one place to start but can easily become unwieldy when student numbers grow beyond 100. Using communication within an LMS or an SIS system can streamline the process of tracking mentor communication. Moreover, a more global system such as that described above allows the administration to get a more accurate and up-to-the-minute picture of how a student's communication with all staff members is going before reaching out to a family with a concern.

Best Practices in Virtual Student Engagement

 As the number of K-12 students taking online classes increases, the need for research to identify best practices specific to the online classroom becomes greater. Michigan and Florida, along with other states, require most students to take an online course in order to graduate. Moreover, students are electing to enroll in virtual schools for all of their classes, whether those schools be in their district or in a charter school, public or private. The chances are that a teacher entering the field today will, at some point, have the opportunity or obligation to teach in an online setting. The value of a great teacher is established and makes the need for best practices more urgent. 

For teachers already teaching online, it quickly becomes apparent that while a few classroom strategies transfer to the virtual classroom, many do not. The available literature on the topic of teaching online centers around either higher education settings or blended learning models. Some new research, though, has worked to identify the best methods virtual teachers can use to connect with students. 

Increased student engagement in an online course increases the likelihood of student success and retention. The roles identified for increasing engagement in an online course are designing and organizing, facilitating discourse, instructing, nurturing, motivating, and monitoring. All of these practices increase the teacher’s presence in the online classroom, thereby increasing student engagement. 

The first aspect, designing, and organizing varies by teacher, as many teachers use the curriculum they were given, and a few design their virtual lessons themselves. However, ensuring that the content is organized in a logical and consistent fashion aids the student in navigation and reduces frustration.

When selecting curriculum providers, teachers identified the need to modify the curriculum as a key need. The use of deadlines also helped to keep the courses organized. Finally, the use of audio or video assignments lessened the occurrence of plagiarism and cheating.

Next, facilitating discourse involved teachers who regularly check in on students and parents. This allows for problems to be addressed in a timely manner. Another key area of discourse was staff discourse, which was achieved using online faculty rooms. 

Third, teachers reported more opportunities for one-on-one instruction in the virtual classroom and less repetition than they remembered in the traditional classroom. The use of one-on-one instruction was more efficient than either face-to-face classes or synchronous virtual meetings.

The nurturing aspect of engagement was achieved with what research subjects called a “shepherding” program, similar to Michigan’s required mentor contact. This interaction was most successful when promoted by the teacher and the mentor and involved not only academic help but relationship-building conversations as well.  

Monitoring of student progress was achieved through data collected by the school’s LMS. Teachers also monitored within the one-on-one meetings, using verbal assessments to check for understanding.

 

Motivation remains the key to student engagement in the online classroom. Teachers used a combination of cheerleading and firm reminders to keep students engaged. Small rewards were also used. Third, public recognition was motivating for some students. Knowing the students well enough to know their preferred motivation was key. 

Borup, J., Graham, C. R., & Drysdale, J. S. (2014). The nature of teacher engagement at an online high school. British Journal of Educational Technology, 45(5), 793-806.

Petek, N., & Pope, N. G. (2016). The multidimensional impact of teachers on students

Stosich, E. L., & Bristol, T. J. (2018). Advancing a new focus on teaching quality: A critical synthesis. Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education https://edpolicy. stanford. edu/sites/default/files/Advancing, 20..

Unplug to Recharge

 Perhaps one of the biggest challenges of any work-from-home job is how to not be working. It becomes too easy to have one foot in the office at all times. I learned the lesson of unplugging in the most unlikely of circumstances, teaching online during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In the fall of 2020, I saw my virtual student enrollment soar from a pre-pandemic level of 90 students to 300+ enrollments. I was also trying to support my coworkers and just generally navigate living, and parenting, during unprecedented times. 

Prior to the pandemic, I prided myself on my quick response times and my inbox-zero mentality. I worked on and off most of the day and usually late into the night. While busy seasons sometimes got my schedule off kilter, the catch as catch can method worked most of the time. 

However, by the end of September 2020, it became clear that inbox zero would be a distant memory. I also rarely got all submitted assignments graded. I remember days when I would see 3-4 assignments turned in in the time that it took me to grade one. This rocked my online world for a few weeks. 

However, I noticed a few phenomena. First, nothing crashed if I logged out and went home at 5pm, leaving some assignments for the morning. Second, when I did not respond to an email in five minutes or less, students, and parents, often did their own troubleshooting and figured out the issue without my help. Both were such obvious epiphanies. 

Learn from my experience; don’t wait for a world-altering event to force focus. 

I have maintained my more relaxed mentality even as life has hit a new normal. While I keep my email at hand during my office hours and strive to reply in under five minutes, I mute work emails during off times. My geography helps me to take this to an even deeper level when my family takes off on a hike beyond the reach of cell phone service. There is something rejuvenating about spending time near trees, water, and beyond the reach of technology. My time in the office, I would dare say, is more productive and passionate because of the time I spend away. My mind is clearer and my work is more focused because my time has a focus.

Check out my guest post over at the DLC Blog: Engaging Parents...

 Check out my guest post over at the DLC Blog:

Engaging Parents in a Virtual Setting

Betsy is an instructional coach & teacher at Gull Lake Virtual Partnership, Richland, MI

Having a child in a virtual class at home comes with expectations for parents that are often new, unexpected, and unclear. Past experiences or faulty assumptions may set students and families up for frustration. Other students, however, thrive in the new virtual environment, feeling empowered by the flexibility and choice. Recent research has attempted to identify and measure the most effective types of parental support for virtual students at home. Parents may breathe a sigh of relief that they do not need to be an expert in Algebra or World History to have a significant impact in supporting their virtual learners.

Read more.

Promote Community and Equity through Applications of Learning

 Partnering with community resources can be a great way to expand learning opportunities for students. Schools throughout Michigan partner with businesses and community leaders to offer opportunities such as job shadowing, learning applications, and more. 

Businesses often embrace opportunities to work with schools to give back to the community and to ensure a qualified workforce. Inviting business leaders into the school to design career academies is just one way to create a bridge beyond graduation.

Another way to create community connections is through applications of learning. Schools can partner with local businesses to expand PE offerings, for example, by using swim lessons at a local facility if the school does not have a pool on campus. Other opportunities include partnering a PE teacher with a fencing instructor to bring a new course offering to the high school. This community involvement can involve other content areas as well, from music to performing arts to outdoor science. Schools can enter into an agreement with the community partner and develop systems where students attend in groups or even individually, during or after school. Activities attended by a teacher may count as instructional time, but even activities pursued by students and families will enrich classroom instruction in an invaluable way.

This partnership benefits the community as well, by keeping funds local and growing small businesses by allowing them to connect with more families. It also promotes equity for families that may not be able to access activities like sports and music due to cost barriers. 

With such a win/win opportunity for students, schools, and communities, one wonders why more community partnerships for applications of learning do not occur. Policy needs to expand to offer students more incentives for hands-on learning. Programs in New Hampshire allow students to demonstrate mastery through activities outside of the school walls, while many states continue to be tied to the antiquated concept of butts in seats. Research shows that partnerships benefit all stakeholders. Encouraging schools to look outside of their own walls promotes community, equity, and aids in staffing needs.