Answering your hybrid-learning questions!
By Grace Mueller '23 and Torin Hough '24
After a long awaited announcement of Catlin Gabel School’s transition to hybrid learning, many students have been left with questions due to the sheer magnitude of new information that is being shared with families. We sat down with Aline Garcia-Rubio, head of the Upper School (US), to answer a few important questions.
What happens if a student returns to hybrid learning but does not feel safe?
Catlin Gabel School (CGS) will be working to stay within the CDC’s guidelines for reopening schools, which CDC studies have shown to be an effective way to reduce most of the risk associated with in-person schooling during the pandemic.
“[We] can’t entirely eliminate [risk], just like you can’t entirely eliminate the risk of getting in your car and driving somewhere,” Garcia-Rubio said. “We can mitigate risk.”
Such mitigation will transpire from using proper protocols including air filtration, handwashing, sanitation practices, correctly worn proper masks, social distancing, reduced gatherings, and testing, all of which are being employed by CGS.
If a student initially begins in hybrid learning but feels overwhelmed, there will be an opportunity to change learning methods on April 16. Similarly, if a student begins in virtual learning, they will be able to switch to hybrid learning on the same date.
What are the biggest challenges you are expecting for the Upper School in the immediate future, and how are you planning to navigate these challenges?
Garcia-Rubio believes that the biggest challenge during the transition to hybrid will be the new behavior standards. She touched upon the importance of physical touch in pre-COVID-19 social environments and how the majority of people have spent the last year completely distanced. In past settings, a quick hug or a high-five was a normal part of life. Even though we are returning to campus, these actions must not be a part of our transition. For hybrid learning to work effectively and safely, all CGS members must keep their distance at all times and refrain from high-fiving friends, no matter how difficult it may be to resist.
“And the way that we are going to do that [behavior adaptation] is we're going to do training, and then we’re going to do reminders until it becomes like second nature to behave in the way that we’re expected to behave for safety,” Garcia-Rubio said.
CGS has been working to shift student behavioral standards by creating On Campus Opportunities (OCOs). The OCOs were established to help students begin the necessary behavioral transitions and adapt to the lack of touch in social environments.
“Like everything in the pandemic, [the process of transitioning] is constrained and imperfect, but I think in terms of like where we were weeks ago and where we are now, I think it’s a good improvement,” Garcia-Rubio commented.
Moreover, the OCOs have provided students with an opportunity to become familiar with hybrid learning standards. Hybrid learning standards include, but are not limited to, staying distanced, correctly wearing a proper mask, not touching your face, entering buildings in certain places, and frequently using hand sanitizer.
“Those [hybrid learning standards] are going to feel different from our usual routines on campus and I think they will become habitual the more we do them,” Garcia-Rubio continued. “It’s been helpful to do them ahead of time.”
A second anticipated adversity that teachers will face is that they will be asked to teach students in both asynchronous and synchronous learning environments - at the same time. Garcia-Rubio believes that there will be four main problems with teaching two groups simultaneously: hardware, software, pedagogy, and operations.
“We’re having facility meetings to address this [and] essentially doing professional learning for teachers,” Garcia-Rubio remarked when asked how CGS is preparing for these foreseen challenges.
During these meetings, teachers are given the tools for hybrid learning and are expected to practice during the meetings. Furthermore, teachers are given information that will allow them to continue their learning independently. She added that there will be a few synchronous learning days prior to the transition where teachers will be on campus practicing the new guidelines.
“By the time students arrive, we have enough practice under our belts to execute teaching and learning well,” Garcia-Rubio hopes.
What actions will be taken if students fail to remember hybrid learning standards?
Garcia-Rubio explained that there is a spectrum ranging from a student forgetting to stay distanced or touching their face, and goes all the way to completely removing their mask and refusing to put it back on. Though she strongly anticipates that a member of the CGS community would not completely remove their mask, she wants to have a plan for that behavior - just in case.
“If a student is non-compliant, they’re going to have to go and stay remote. We just can’t take that risk, but before we get to that point, there’s conversations with students, there’s involvement with the parents, and then, if the behavior continues, they can’t be at school,” Garcia-Rubio concluded.
What will learning look like for students who opt to remain fully remote?
There is no catch-all answer for this question. Teachers will attend numerous training sessions to equip them to teach in a hybrid model and will have the ability to construct lessons that they believe will help students learn best after the completion of this training. Teachers’ main expectation will be that all students sign in for attendance whether remote or synchronous, but classes can vary from there.
Garcia-Rubio disclosed a few different examples of what lessons could look like. Remote students could complete attendance, and then be asynchronous for the rest of class, or they could be on Zoom part of the time, or for the entirety of the class. Basically, teachers will be able to use their judgment and toolbelt for hybrid learning to deem what is best for their students’ learning.
She went on to discuss the differences that will occur in discussion-based learning that is central to many CGS classes. Remote students will still be able to participate in discussions, however, it will be more difficult than if they were in person.
“Is it going to be as easy [for remote students to participate]? I don’t think so,” said Garcia-Rubio. “I think it’s easier to participate when we’re live. But will we have mechanisms for students to participate? Absolutely! Is the intention for students to be able to participate as easily? Yes.”
Garcia-Rubio further stated that we have all experienced situations where it would be easier to be in-person, but says that CGS is looking for ways to adapt to our new situation.
Teachers have been asked to accommodate their participation expectations for students and take each student’s unique situation into consideration.
What has been the most challenging part of the transition to hybrid for you to organize?
“Relationships between people,” Garcia-Rubio replied, detailing how it was important that students are able to see each other and build relationships, but doing so requires asking “teachers to put themselves in a riskier situation than… when working from home.”
Teachers on campus will see about 320 students weekly. That is exceptionally more dangerous than teaching remoting through Zoom, and “that’s a hard thing to ask” because teachers are at a higher risk level than most students. Even with all precautions in place, Garcia-Rubio explained that there is “an emotional reality” to asking teachers to return.
The largely difficult part of the transition to hybrid has been the large number of logistical problems. “Like a three dimensional puzzle in reverse,” Garcia-Rubio said. “How many people fit in every single classroom, and how many people are enrolled in every single class, and the square footage, and how furniture fits… and where are we going to have lunch?”
These are some of the many questions she and other school leaders have had to consider.
“We’re starting from scratch… There’s just so many little permutations to every set of circumstances,” Garcia-Rubio finished.
If you have any further questions, we strongly encourage you to read through the resources listed below, or reach out to someone. Stay safe!