As the omicron variant forces Menlo to temporarily reintroduce hybrid learning, Upper School STEM teachers have adapted their class curriculums accordingly to better suit a mix of in-person and online students. The unpredictable changes have caused all teachers to minimize important content, often including hands-on activities.

During the peak of the omicron variant, hybrid learning consisted of a few teachers and a fraction of students from each class, between zero and 25%, attending school via Zoom from their homes due to positive COVID-19 tests, illness or contact tracing. One challenge for teachers in this environment is furthering students’ learning, whether online or at school. Students at home can’t participate in experiments that require materials they would only have access to on campus. 

To combat this issue, STEM teachers have shifted their schedules and delayed hands-on activities that involve lots of experimentation. But modifying lesson plans presents obstacles. For one, some classes are meant to be taught in the specific order they are planned for. Teachers of Upper School engineering classes believe that experimentation should come before lecturing, even though online learning does not always allow for that.

“We’re very aware that certain lessons translate better than others to a hybrid environment,” James Formato, Science Department Chair and engineering teacher, said. “But the key thing about mechanical and electrical engineering […] is that we believe, as teachers, that the best learning happens when someone builds something, sees it work, and then really feels like they have to understand why it works.”

These swift curriculum changes challenged teachers by limiting their freedom when it comes to what and how they choose to teach. But on the other hand, they have helped teachers realize that the set curriculum doesn’t need to be sacred; modifying lesson plans to explore other topics of interest is completely acceptable.