Student absences in a discussion-based curriculum that requires classroom engagement with data, peers, and teachers simply cannot be re-created in response to student absences. In some communities, student absence may be a chronic issue. In others, it may be episodic or situational (e.g. my last period of the day is plagued with athlete excused absences due to travel for away games). Whatever the issue, teachers have developed a number of ways to at least give students a route to partially gain-back what they have missed and to satisfy some of the legal requirements to provide students with make-up work for past or planned excused absences. Here they are:
- Post agendas and homework on a class website, or Google Classroom.
- Post the slides from PowerPoints used in class as you go along.
- Post downloadable handouts (Doodle Sheets etc.) for lessons as you go along. Or, for students taking planned, extended absences, who may not be able to print things while they are away, provide packets of handouts in advance.
- Have absent students work through doodle sheets and other handouts on their own, as much as they are able. Then they can contact you for additional help, or clarification as needed. Once they return, they can come in for any additional support or tutoring they need.
- Once the class completes a lab, post a data set so that students who missed it can still do the analysis or write-up.
- Check in with the class frequently to map out the path: remind them of what phenomenon we're trying to explain, what question(s) we're trying to answer, what we have already figured out, where we are now, and where we are going next. Ask groups to do the same when they have members who have been absent, so that no one is left behind.