Adapting in Anvik: How a “fishbowl” helped Blackwell School teachers personalize pandemic instruction

Blackwell School in Anvik started the 2020-21 year with all instruction completely remote. Anvik does not have reliable cell or internet service in homes, so Principal/Teacher Betty Amos (elementary) and teacher Sandra Nininger (secondary) initially sent paper packets home to students each week.

After the first quarter, the teachers recognized distance learning was not working well for their students. Ms. Amos and Ms. Nininger knew their students had needs which required more interaction and support. Plus, these educators were missing connections with their students. Therefore, they brainstormed ways to keep students safe while enabling direct instruction.

The school found a solution. Blackwell School custodian, Brian, installed large plexiglass shields in the doorways between the common area and classrooms. These clear barriers allowed physical separation between teachers and students, who could sit at desks on opposite sides of the plexiglass but still see and hear each other. The school then developed a schedule to rotate each student into school for direct 1:1 instruction daily.

This fishbowl has been a great success, as the teachers can see and work with students at their levels, and students can ask questions and get regular academic and emotional supports.

Thank you, Blackwell School, for your out-of-the-box thinking to provide an excellent education for every child every day!