Scheck Hillel Community School Teacher & Osmo Ambassador Nancy Penchev Offers Teachers 3 Tips To Make Remote Learning More Fun and Engaging for Students This Fall Using the Right Technology, Giving Students Fun Challenges, and Involving Parents Are Key

This fall, teachers will have a second chance to try their hand at distance learning due to ongoing stay-at-home orders. While many elementary school teachers experienced frustration engaging young students through online learning, Miami-based teacher and Osmo Ambassador Nancy Penchev, who teaches Instructional Technology for Kindergarten to Grade 5 at Scheck Hillel Community School, enjoyed incredible success teaching math virtually to a class of 2nd graders. She would love to share her tips and resources.



Penchev, whose Instructional Technology classes cross a range of subjects (social studies, math, arts, robotics, coding), credits her virtual teaching success to a combo of things:



1) using the right technology to keep young kids engaged;

2) offering fun challenges for kids;

3) getting parents/families involved in the learning.



Scheck Hillel Community School Teacher Nancy Penchev



Using the Right Tech

Rather than have young students stare passively at a computer screen, Penchev uses Osmo Projector App integrated with Zoom conferencing to show students how she writes out calculations and notes on her desktop in real time, which is like writing on a whiteboard in class. Using Osmo, she can also demo card games and dice games, and fractions for them. Osmo Projector App is a new technology that allows students to see what’s on her real-life desktop. Penchev says many fellow teachers quickly started using it because it facilitates student interaction and engagement. (Projector App Demo Video) 




Osmo Projector App



Offering Fun Challenges

To keep young students motivated and actively involved while remote learning, Penchev likes offering fun challenges to pursue at home. She says, “For example, we had a measurement scavenger hunt where I would spin a wheel of measurements from 5 cm to 100 cm and kids would run around the house finding things that met the length. Another fun activity is playing hide and seek fractions.” And, in a separate virtual Maker class she teaches, activities included reading a book and asking students to make animals based on the book, or to make toys with recyclables.



Get Parents/Families Involved in Learning

Getting family members involved in student learning makes the experience more socially interactive and less passive. Penchev says, “Hide and seek fractions is a scoot game we normally play in class, but since it is taking place at home, parents are hiding the cards and students and families are finding them and figuring out answers. I also think it’s great to have each family share how they use fractions in real life, so the kids can start thinking about how to use them practically.” For the separate virtual Maker class, families join in on the various activities as well.



Because of these factors, Penchev was successful in keeping her students enthusiastic and motivated to learn. Penchev has been teaching over 2 decades and holds Masters degrees in early childhood education (ECE) and Instructional Technology, and an Education Specialist degree in Instructional Technology.



About Scheck Hillel Community School

Scheck Hillel Community School educates and inspires students 18 months-Grade 12 to become exemplary global citizens with enduring Jewish identity and values through an individualized college preparatory curriculum highlighted by Design/STEM, Capstone, college dual enrollment, arts, athletics and community service. Its 14-acres include a 115,000-sq.-ft athletic complex with academic expansion plans. Set within a nurturing, diverse community, Scheck Hillel is one of the world's largest Jewish community day schools and a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. For more information about Scheck Hillel Community School or to arrange a virtual or In-person tour of the school, please contact the Admissions office at 305.942.9787 or write to admissions@eHillel.org.



About Osmo

Osmo is an award-winning STEAM brand whose products are used in over 30,000 classrooms and 2.5 million homes. It is building a universe of hands-on play experiences that nourish the minds of children by unleashing the power of imagination, and supports educators with classroom technology to facilitate hands-on learning, academic achievement, social-emotional learning, and helps students develop problem solving abilities and critical thinking skills. The company brings physical tools into the digital world through augmented reality and its proprietary reflective artificial intelligence. Founded in 2013 by ex-Google engineers Pramod Sharma and Jerome Scholler, the Osmo Play System fuses digital gameplay and physical interaction to create fun and nutritious play experiences designed for all kids. Osmo is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Learn more at schools.playosmo.com.