GIVING DIRECTIONS FOR INDEPENDENT WORK

Students cannot engage effectively in independent work unless they understand what they are expected to do and why.  While this is true in face-to-face classes as well, giving directions for remote independent work is even more critical and can present additional challenges – as, for one, students will not be able to immediately ask clarifying questions.  Therefore, special care has to be given to crafting and communicating directions in ways that are clear and accessible for all students.

• Ensuring that students know what they are supposed to do for their independent work
• Ensuring that students do not give up on a task because they do not understand or remember the directions

• Students may need to review the directions at different points in time as they start engaging in specific tasks
  • Provide written directions, posted in easy-to-find locations
  • If you give oral directions, make sure you record them and post the recording in easy-to-find locations
• Students may not always fully understand the directions when given:
  • Provide multiple opportunities to ask clarifying questions – and answer those questions timely
• Students may feel confused and overwhelmed by long written or oral directions for complex long-term tasks:
  • Provide an accompany summary/ checklist
  • Warn students in advance about long directions, and explain rationale
  • Set intermediate deadlines for specific components of the work
• Keep in mind that not everyone approaches learning the same way, and different students may prefer to receive directions in different ways

• When possible, providing rubrics and “models” of past student work can eliminate the need for most questions
• Checklists with clear deadlines are especially useful when multiple tasks are assigned; adding a summary checklist by deadline can also be helpful in this case
• Using a consistent format within the same course can be very helpful
• Early on in a course, there may be more need for detailed written directions – after that, directions could be shorter

1. Make sure there is a record of the directions that students can revisit as needed
2. When possible, provide directions both orally and in writing to meet different preferences
3. Students may feel confused and overwhelmed by long written or oral directions for complex long-term tasks – so figure out ways to simplify and organize those directions
4. Providing models can be helpful – as long as they do not give too much away!
5. Whenever there are multiple deadlines, include an additional checklist by deadline
6. Use a consistent format overtime
7. Directions that may seem crystal clear to you, may not be so for everyone else – so make sure students know how to ask for clarification and get a timely response
8. Make sure students know how to ask for clarifications and provide them with a timely response

Learning Management Systems (such as Schoology, Google Classrooms, Canvas, Blackboard) can play a key role as the place where directions are stored and readily accessible to students.  The directions stored could be in the form of either be written text or recorded oral presentations; hyperlinks could be used in any written direction to give access to specific materials and/ or more detailed directions for specific tasks.

Even if your institution has not invested in a Learning Management System, you could use stand-alone apps (such as Padlet and Flipgrid) as a means to post directions for specific tasks, along with links to specific materials to be used and/or more detailed directions for specific tasks.

Platforms like Zoom or Google Meet allow teachers to give live oral directions to their students – thus allowing students to ask for clarifications in the moment.  As these presentations can be easily recorded, they could also be posted and made available to students for future reference as needed.

Any video-recording tool – including those built into any synchronous session platform – could be used to pre-record teacher’s oral directions, so they can be posted and made available to students as needed.

Email can provide the simplest method for students to ask clarifying questions about directions from the teacher and receive timely responses.  Most Learning Management Systems provide systems for students and teacher to email each other without having to reveal personal email addresses.

• May help set expectations for students without overwhelming them or taking too much class/synch time
• May allow the teacher to more easily explain the rationale/goals and identify priorities
• Students can be alerted to look at the more detailed written directions as a reference when they engage in the task
• Oral directions may be more engaging and less off-putting for some students

• Oral directions may be more engaging and less off-putting for some students
• May allow the teacher to more easily explain the rationale/goals and identify priorities
• Provides a record students can revisit as needed
• Slides can be quickly reviewed to get to the point of interest

• Provides an easy to access record students can revisit as needed
• Best way to follow directions that require access to specific materials (which could be directly linked to the directions)
• May enable the teacher to provide different “levels” of directions (ex: general directions in a main document, with link providing more details and links to materials for each specific task)
• May be easier to process for some students
• Students may forgot to click and review the more detailed directions

• Best way to give students an image of a complex product they are expected to create, and a sense of expectations in terms of scope and quality
• Best if more than one model is provided, so students know there is not just one way to do the assigned task
• Needs to be accompanied by some written or oral directions about the task