Back to School Zoom

Zoom
A photo of four little children with colorful backpacks with a dark blue gradient over the photo and a text Back to School Zoom in white and grey.

Back to School Zoom provides Fulbright Leaders for Global Schools program fellows in the U.S. and Finland an opportunity to tackle shared challenges related to returning to school this fall. The event is organized by the Fulbright Finland Foundation, IREX and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. State Department.

This event is by invitation only.

Event Concept

In the registration form the participants were asked: “What is the single most important challenge related to going Back to School that you are hoping to get some ideas or peer support from your fellow Fulbrighters?”

Based on the challenges shared with us, the following topics were selected to be tackled in breakout rooms. The participants will brainstorm solutions and good practices that can be used to address these challenges. Each group will then have a chance to present the challenge and highlights from their discussions.

Challenge 1: Combining distance and in-person learning
How to best organize the hybrid mode of learning? How to support the learning of students who continue in distance learning mode when the majority of students return to in-person learning at schools? How to support staff with a new way of teaching and with the uncertainty related to moving between models throughout the year? How do we keep things as stable as possible for scholars?

Challenge 2: Building school community in a virtual learning environment
How to build school community in a virtual learning environment? What are some good practices for overcoming distance to create community and connection? How to continue with collaborative learning and emphasis on relationships in learning while social distancing?

Challenge 3: Managing teacher anxiety while also challenging them to excel during a pandemic
How to provide emotional support for staff in the real potential of serious illness or worse? How to support staff morale and safety? How to tackle variance in teacher ability and customize training to meet the needs of all the teachers?

Challenge 4: How to manage at-risk students and lead for more equity in opportunities and outcomes? And how to reach those at-risk students, who have not attended school in person or online? How to provide emotional support for students in the real potential of serious illness or worse?

Virtual Backpack

The Fulbrighters will discuss and brainstorm solutions and good practices that can be used to address the selected challenges, and the highlights will be presented to the whole group. Solutions, resources and links will be stored in a Virtual Backpack for everyone to use during the new school year.

Find the resources and good practices in Virtual Backpack!

Program

(All times in MT)

8:50 Zoom Call Open

9:00 Welcome & Introductions

  • Emily Lester Dudley, Deputy Project Director, IREX
  • Elizabeth Devlin-Foltz, Senior Program Officer, Teacher Exchange Branch, ECA
  • Jonathan Ferguson, Senior Project Director for the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Programs, IREX
  • Terhi Mölsä, CEO, Fulbright Finland Foundation

Moderator: Mirka McIntire, Manager, Teacher Exchange and Education Programs, Fulbright Finland Foundation

9:15 Breakout Room Assignments

9:30 Highlights of Good Practices and Solutions Presented by Groups

9:55 Closing Words

  • Elizabeth Devlin-Foltz, Senior Program Officer, Teacher Exchange Branch, ECA

 

Fulbright Finland Foundation logo
Logo of IREX
U.S. State Department Seal