Distance Learning Tips

Are you trying to teach in a distance-learning environment?

The questions can be overwhelming.

• How do I get resources to my students?
• How do I modify existing resources?
• What about grades?

Mind Missions has a few answers to help with using Mind Missions curriculum.

Where do I get Mind Missions resources?

Digital Mind Missions lessons are available with a digital subscription. Check out this web page for access to free digital resources during the crisis.

https://mindmissions.com/learning-resources-for-home/

The login for access is: MM-COVID-19

The password is: Lessons2019

How do I modify Mind Missions lessons for home use?

A few key changes are needed to make Mind Missions friendly for student work at home.

Get Ready: You won’t be able to prepare materials bags for students. Instead, let students use any 5 materials they can find around their homes. You will be surprised by their creative use of things. Or give them the option of drawing a solution.

Team Up: These activities will be solitary adventures in learning and creativity. But you can encourage siblings or parents to join in the fun. It won’t impact the student’s grade.

Brainstorm: Give students additional time to brainstorm. The ideas don’t multiply as quickly when you are alone, but it helps students to learn to dig deep for creativity.

Read the story: Mind Missions Digital stories are available in four different reading levels that you can assign to your students. Check it out!

Mission: No change here! Students can create amazing solutions anywhere as long as they have a pencil, paper, and an idea.

Time: Be flexible on time. Just ask students to record how long their solution took to create.

Scoring: Teach students how to score. It is a powerful learning experience to learn to use a rubric. Or waive scoring entirely! Have students post a pic of their solution and send to you!

Reflection: The most important part of every Mind Mission is Reflection. This is the portion of Mind Missions that allows students to process their learning. You will need to modify questions 1, 5, and 6 for home learning. Review each lesson to check for necessary changes.

• Question 1: Typically, this question asks students to evaluate the work of other teams. Instead, ask “What was the most difficult part of solving this mission? Explain.”
• Question 5: Which team worked well together? How did they show good teamwork? Instead, ask “When did you miss having a team member during this activity? What would you want them to do?
• Question 6: How can your teamwork improve? How can you be a better team member? Instead, ask “If you were going to solve this Mission again, what would you do differently?

What about grades?

If you want to grade Mind Missions, we recommend choosing one or two of the reflection questions as an assignment. Have students share a picture and a reflection paragraph about their Mind Mission solution.

And remember! What your students are missing right now is the connections they have in your classroom. The smiles, encouraging words, and small conversations they share with you are irreplaceable. Finding a way to send a personalized interaction to your student is essential during these stressful times! Send an email or message to let them know that you miss them.

Thank you for all that you are doing to keep learning alive at a distance!