Distance Learning

Welcome to the Mineral Point Elementary School Distance Learning page. This space will be updated periodically, so you are encouraged to revisit it over time.

This purpose of this page is to communicate our distance learning approach, especially for virtual learning and for independent learning time.

A Visual Week at a Glance

Coming soon!

Virtual Learning

Based on our observations and on feedback from families, virtual learning has significantly improved since we first went to remote learning in the spring of 2020. Teachers are innovative in how they connect with their students, primarily with the use of Zoom as a learning platform.

Virtual learning, either on Monday/Tuesday or Thursday/Friday, happens synchronously for the most part. This means that instruction is in real time. Below are a few examples of what students experience with virtual learning.

• The teacher sets up a Zoom appointment for a group of students who need additional support for 1/2 hour on reading strategies and comprehension.
• The teacher sets up a Zoom appointment to host a morning meeting, to teach a math lesson, or to
• The teacher sets aside one hour each day for students and families to asks questions they might have, i.e. office hours.
• Tasks are posted in Seesaw or Google Classroom, and students are expected to complete them by a given date and time. The teacher is available and offers feedback quickly once students post their learning.

Independent Learning

For independent learning days (currently Wednesdays), teachers will facilitate primarily asynchronous learning, although teachers may also host synchronous learning experiences for select students.

Asynchronous learning means that it does not occur in real time. Rather, teacher and student engage in instruction at a personally preferred time. Below are a few examples of what students experience with independent learning.

• The teacher posts a science experiment in Flipgrid as a pre-recorded video, and students try out a similar experiment and then post their video response. Teachers can later comment on students’ videos that day.
• The teacher sets up reading conferences with kids, having them post what they are reading in a Google Doc. That day, the teacher will comment on each student’s thinking in the document to support their reading and meaning-making.
• The teacher creates an online choice board that includes students posting their responses to their learning in Seesaw/Google Classroom, and then providing feedback that day in the comments.
• Before Wednesday, the teacher helps students develop a personal learning plan via Google Doc for a project of their interest. On Wednesday, they check out each student’s progress on their plan and provide affirmation plus feedback using the comments feature.