Students, parents, and educators are feeling the extraordinary ripple effect of the coronavirus as schools shut down and quarantine methods are ordered amidst the public health emergency. In this series, we want to share best practices from our community and how our educators and innovators are managing school shutdowns, distance learning and more. This piece has been reposted with permission from Cleary Vaughan-Lee's resource newsletter for Global Oneness Project.
In the wake of the deepening global pandemic which is beginning to fill us with uncertainty, we are asking ourselves how can we best support our community during this unprecedented time. As a parent with two teenagers, I'm witnessing a wave of emotions, from shock to anxiety of the unknown. As more schools close and transition to online learning, more weight and responsibility falls on teachers as well as parents. As we adjust to these changes, supporting our community of educators and students is more important than ever. Through solidarity, connection, compassion, and understanding, we will find the strength to address the challenges that arise over the coming weeks and months.
I recently returned to reflect on this quote from educator and author Parker Palmer. He wrote, “Storytelling has always been at the heart of being human because it serves some of our most basic needs: passing along our traditions, confessing failings, healing wounds, engendering hopes, strengthening our sense of community.” Like the power of community, stories of love, hope, and resilience can support us during this challenging time.
We've put together a list of ways in which you can access and share our free resources—both on our website and through our partner platforms— with your students and colleagues. We hope these resources will be of service to your work.
Create a Collection
On our website, you can create a collection of our stories to publish and share with your students and colleagues. Watch this short video to learn more.
Google Classroom
Share our stories with your students through Google Classroom. Look for the Google Classroom button next to the titles of all of our stories and lesson plans.
YouTube
Did you know that all of our films are available on our YouTube channel with Spanish subtitles?
15 Lesson Plans Exploring Our Common Humanity
These lessons—companions to our short documentary films, photo essays, and essays—explore human morality in a changing world.
Partner Platforms
The following is a list of some of our partner platforms, which provide unique ways to interact with our stories and lesson plans.
TED-Ed: Students can watch some of our short documentary films, answer multiple-choice questions, and enter a conversation with their peers on TED-Ed. Lessons can also be customized. In this lesson, "A Syrian Refugee's Story," based on our film Welcome to Canada by Adam Loften, one student responds with this comment: "I care more about Syrian refugees now because I imagine being in their place."
Edmodo: Many of our lesson plans and stories are published on the Edmodo platform. One educator used this lesson, "Practicing Empathy," based on our short film Wright's Law by Zack Conkle and said: "I recently completed a character education lesson with my students and this will be a great follow up." Search for Global Oneness Project in Edmodo Spotlight. Access their new Distance Learning Toolkit.
PBS Learning Media Access: A collection of our resources on PBS Learning Media.
Greater Good in Education: From the Greater Good Science Center out of UC Berkeley, this new platform provides research-based strategies and practices for the social, emotional, and ethical development of students and the adults that work with them. Access our Earthrise mini-lessons based on the themes of fostering awe, global citizenship, and reverence for our planet.
Share My Lesson: Many of our lessons and stories are included on AFT's Share My Lesson, a free platform with an expansive library of resources across multiple subject areas. Sign up to participate in their annual virtual conference from March 24-26, 2020. Join me and Ariel Burger (apprentice to Elie Wiesel) on March 25, 2020 at 5pm/EDT for a webinar "Learning and Teaching from the Heart in Troubled Times." If you are interested, but can't attend, please do register to receive a link to the recording. I hope you can join us. Available for one-hour of PD credit.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. We would love to hear how we can better support you during this time.
We thank our community members like Cleary Vaughan-Lee for offering support and resources in this time of need. For more articles, innovations & resources, head to our Educator Toolkit especially designed to support educators & parents during this COVID-19 outbreak.
