Committed to the "Why"
At the start of the school year I reminded myself to focus on the "WHY"s this year. Now that we are at the end of first quarter it's time to take stock. Building community is a central focus, especially now. Calling each student by name when they enter our virtual or physical classroom is important. We frequently discuss norms for breakout rooms (this is actually a much bigger issue than in the physical class) and I give students specific activities while in breakouts, along with deciding which student leads each part of our activity. (Not giving students the option to choose who should lead is helpful for students--they can just get started on tasks, rather than wait for someone to take initiative. Taking initiative is something I would emphasize if we were all in-seat, it's something that will most likely come with time in the virtual environment.) This has really helped students to work together and they're getting more comfortable and staying on-task. I rotat