Academics
Distance Learning
Plan Overview
At the core of our distance learning program is maintaining a commitment to our curriculum, educational philosophy, and school mission; however, it is important for all constituencies to acknowledge that the learning experiences, social interactions, mediation, and student assessment we design when school is in regular session cannot be simply replicated in distance learning. As a school, we value being together as a community, and believe that real interactions between teachers and students are the ideal learning environment. When our DLP is in place, it is The School’s goal to resume in-person instruction as soon as safely possible.
As in our regular instruction, our distance learning remains focused on students’ cognitive, physical and social-emotional development. Students will have both off- and on-screen learning activities that emphasize interaction and creativity and engage students in experiences that connect to current curriculum. These activities will require some technology and minimal specialized materials, and families will receive direction on how best to support student learning with adult involvement.
A successful and meaningful distance learning experience will call on and pull into focus our school’s four core values—Community, Collaboration, Diversity and Innovation—though this may entail a re-conceiving of these values and how we honor them as a community not physically together. Our core beliefs remain unchanged in distance learning: that an integrated, inquiry-driven approach prepares students to succeed; that students learn in different ways and it is our responsibility to support these differences; that developing passion for learning requires a faculty passionate about teaching; and that collaboration, creativity, flexibility and willingness among all constituents are key.
As in our regular instruction, our distance learning remains focused on students’ cognitive, physical and social-emotional development. Students will have both off- and on-screen learning activities that emphasize interaction and creativity and engage students in experiences that connect to current curriculum. These activities will require some technology and minimal specialized materials, and families will receive direction on how best to support student learning with adult involvement.
A successful and meaningful distance learning experience will call on and pull into focus our school’s four core values—Community, Collaboration, Diversity and Innovation—though this may entail a re-conceiving of these values and how we honor them as a community not physically together. Our core beliefs remain unchanged in distance learning: that an integrated, inquiry-driven approach prepares students to succeed; that students learn in different ways and it is our responsibility to support these differences; that developing passion for learning requires a faculty passionate about teaching; and that collaboration, creativity, flexibility and willingness among all constituents are key.
TSC Faculty and Staff Professional Development, 2020-21
Under the Blacklight: The Intersectional Vulnerabilities that COVID Lays Bare, Kimberle Crenshaw, African American Policy Forum
Open Education Conference: Caring Pedagogies and Designing for Diverse Communities of Inclusion, Association for Learning Technology
Remote Learning for Early Learners, California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS)
COVID-19, Early Childhood Development, and Refugee Settings: How the International Rescue Committee is Adapting, Columbia University School of International & Public Affairs
Leading a Frontline Nonprofit Through the Coronavirus Crisis, Columbia University School of International & Public Affairs, SIPA Management and SIPA Urban and Social Policy Concentration + Columbia Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Design, the Columbia Startup Lab
Teaching for Community, Without a Classroom, Community Works Institute
Supporting Our Children in the Struggle Against COVID-19, Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith and Dr. Adiaha Spinks-Franklin, EmbraceRace
Collaboration in a Time of Isolation: How to Manage a Collaborative Problem-Solving Session While Working Remote, Org Activation, frogdesign
Designing for Online Learning, Global Online Academy
Creating More Culturally Responsive Distance Learning Experiences, Zaretta Hammond, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain
Supporting Reading Development at Home in Culturally Responsive Ways, Zaretta Hammond, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain
Building Powerful Partnerships with Families: Sustaining the Growth and Development of Children at Home during the Pandemic, Karen Mapp, Harvard Graduate School of Education (GSE)
Remote Learning for Early Childhood and Lower School Division Directors, Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS)
Raising Resilient Kids in Challenging Times, JCC Manhattan and Wholebeing Institute
Psychological First Aid, Johns Hopkins University
PREPaRE School Crisis Prevention and Intervention Workshop: Responding to an Acute Traumatic Stressor in Schools, National Association of School Psychologists
Asynchronous Learning and the Online Environment: Lessons from 2e Educators, New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS)
Distance Learning for Students with Special Needs, NYSAIS
Remote Learning with the Early Grades: Teacher-Supported Family Engagement at Home, NYSAIS and Association of Independent Schools New England (AISNE)
Supporting Teachers During COVID-19, International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF) and Education International
Rising to the Challenge: Teaching Literacy Virtually and with Magic, Teachers College Columbia University: Reading and Writing Project
Open Education Conference: Caring Pedagogies and Designing for Diverse Communities of Inclusion, Association for Learning Technology
Remote Learning for Early Learners, California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS)
COVID-19, Early Childhood Development, and Refugee Settings: How the International Rescue Committee is Adapting, Columbia University School of International & Public Affairs
Leading a Frontline Nonprofit Through the Coronavirus Crisis, Columbia University School of International & Public Affairs, SIPA Management and SIPA Urban and Social Policy Concentration + Columbia Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Design, the Columbia Startup Lab
Teaching for Community, Without a Classroom, Community Works Institute
Supporting Our Children in the Struggle Against COVID-19, Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith and Dr. Adiaha Spinks-Franklin, EmbraceRace
Collaboration in a Time of Isolation: How to Manage a Collaborative Problem-Solving Session While Working Remote, Org Activation, frogdesign
Designing for Online Learning, Global Online Academy
Creating More Culturally Responsive Distance Learning Experiences, Zaretta Hammond, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain
Supporting Reading Development at Home in Culturally Responsive Ways, Zaretta Hammond, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain
Building Powerful Partnerships with Families: Sustaining the Growth and Development of Children at Home during the Pandemic, Karen Mapp, Harvard Graduate School of Education (GSE)
Remote Learning for Early Childhood and Lower School Division Directors, Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS)
Raising Resilient Kids in Challenging Times, JCC Manhattan and Wholebeing Institute
Psychological First Aid, Johns Hopkins University
PREPaRE School Crisis Prevention and Intervention Workshop: Responding to an Acute Traumatic Stressor in Schools, National Association of School Psychologists
Distance Learning for Students with Special Needs, NYSAIS
Remote Learning with the Early Grades: Teacher-Supported Family Engagement at Home, NYSAIS and Association of Independent Schools New England (AISNE)
Remaking Schools in the Time of Coronavirus, Rethinking Schools
Teaching in a Remote Environment, Society of Health and Physical Educations (SHAPE) America
SPARKecademy Professional Development Certification, SPARKhome
Teaching in a Remote Environment, Society of Health and Physical Educations (SHAPE) America
SPARKecademy Professional Development Certification, SPARKhome
Supporting Teachers During COVID-19, International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF) and Education International
Rising to the Challenge: Teaching Literacy Virtually and with Magic, Teachers College Columbia University: Reading and Writing Project
The School at Columbia University
Community
Collaboration
Diversity
Innovation
Collaboration
Diversity
Innovation