Sustaining Productivity During COVID-19: How to Stay Connected During Times of Isolation

By Nakisha Whittington

This article originally appeared in the AACTE Holmes Bulletin e-newsletter.

Graduate students all across the nation are adjusting to new academic schedules and research timelines as a result of the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19). Students have contemplated many questions about how to be productive, and how to recharge and refocus their energy as they continue to pursue their academic goals. Below are some tips to help our Holmes students cope during this crisis.

Weekly Check-Ins: Checking in on family and friends is always a good idea. However, instead of asking general questions like “How are you today?”, ask specific and detailed questions that will offer support or solutions. For example, “Are there any tasks this week that I can help you with?” Counselor education students at University of Central Florida have been hosting weekly check-ins with other first-year Holmes students in an effort to build strong communities of practice during the pandemic.

International Panel Zooms in at #AACTE20 to Discuss the Education Workforce

By Nakisha Whittington

At the AACTE 72^nd Annual Meeting held in Atlanta, GA, educators from all over the world had the opportunity to share their research and practitioner journey through conversations around diversity, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and innovations in teaching and learning. In a session, “Transforming the Educational Workforce,” moderator Carole Basile of Arizona State University (ASU) presented the international panelists via Zoom: Liesbet Steer of the Education Commission, education program and evaluation specialist Kingsley Arkorful from Ghana, Paul Atherton of Fab Inc., and Dale Johnson and Ukiah Malambo of ASU.

The international team provided a snapshot of how adaptive technology can better support students in countries like Vietnam. Arkorful led the discussion around the Education Workforce Initiative (EWI). This project aims to turn the Education Commissions’ Learning Generation recommendation on expanding strengthening, and diversifying the education workforce into action that will harness the latest evidence and innovations to inform new ways of approaching education workforce design to improve learning outcomes for this century.