Distance Learning at Langley

Spring 2020

This page summarizes how we brought the "secret sauce" of Langley to students' homes virtually from April 1, 2020, through the end of the 2019-2020 school year. That meant excellent academics, enhanced by our unique social-emotional learning program, in a community that shares similar goals and values. To achieve this goal, we were adaptive to changing conditions and needs, responsive to feedback on what was working and what wasn't, and focused on the quality of instruction.

Our Distance Learning Philosophy

Distance Learning in Action: Spring 2020 Video Gallery

Designing Distance Learning Article

Read about our distance learning philosophy and how Langley students continued to engage in rigorous, joyful learning from home during the spring of 2020 in this article that appeared in the summer 2020 issue of The Langley School Experience magazine.

Elements of Our Academic Learning

Lessons were designed and guided based upon our inquiry-based model that includes five essential instructional practices -- community building, investigation, modeling, practice, and feedback. This method is familiar to our students and privileges curiosity, critical thinking, and problem solving above rote memorization and passive learning.

Age-appropriateness along Langley's Arc of Development

An intentional blend of live, recorded and self-paced instruction

Grade-level homepages provided a structured set of lessons and academic tasks for students by week. We included moments of connectivity (e.g., morning meeting, read alouds, advisory meetings), live lessons led by homeroom, subject area, or specialist teachers, recorded videos by teachers with instruction and modeling, and self-paced lessons. We placed a focus on the quality of the lessons that were laid out with the following instruction:

Lesson Topic
Learning Target to communicate the intended outcome of the lesson.
Lesson Length, which was between 20 and 30 minutes to ensure tasks were clear and understandable.
Academic Task and Check for Understanding, including clear directions for how students were to achieve the lesson’s intended outcome, as well as how to know if they got it.
Extension opportunities for students to explore, extend, and challenge their learning.
Resources & Materials indicated what students needed for the lesson.

A mix of mediums to support engagement

Consistency and alignment

Direct feedback and individual support

Example Lesson Grids

Sample Schedules

Elements of Our Social-Emotional Learning

During this time, the tenants of Langley’s REACH program were more important than ever. The following elements were embedded into the weekly grids:

Weekly REACH lessons focused on core elements of social and emotional well-being. Examples of lesson topics include the following: mindfulness, relaxation, self-care, healthy habits, connection, resilience, self-regulation, and empathy, among others.
Parent resources to help incorporate additional social and emotional skills, such as emotional check-ins, mindfulness, and healthy habits, into your daily routine.
Ways to set routines, manage time, organize spaces, and create an environment that supports learning.
Digital citizenship, leadership, and safety.

We offered resources to parents as well, particularly on how to model SEL behaviors so children feel safe and supported.

Elements of Community Engagement

The Langley community is at the heart of who we are, including the friendships and relationships our students and parents have built.

Students and teachers had moments to connect in real-time (and have some fun).
We found ways to keep the Langley spirit alive as a community (e.g., spirit days, virtual field day).
PALS planned ways for parents to virtually connect and support each other.

Additionally, each week we added a series of after-school engagement activities to our Community Engagement webpage, including activities like Story Time with Batman, Middle School Movie Night, Soccer Drills, and more.

Families also shared their distance learning highlights by uploading #LivingLangleyAtHome photos to the MyLangley photo gallery.

Parent Feedback

Parent input was essential as we navigated uncharted waters together as a school community. We gathered feedback via an ongoing parent survey and continued to use this input to make adjustments along the way.

Where Vital Academics
Meet a Deep Respect for Childhood

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