Rigor, a thread.

I used to teach a concurrent enrollment physics course that was one semester of intro, algebra based physics. I wrote about it a while back; https://learningandphysics.wordpress.com/2013/01/08/teaching-a-university-course-at-the-high-school-level/

There was a super reasonable amount of content, basically mechanics without rotation. That, I came to find out, was the key. The parameters of the course from the U of MN were fairly loose; take our assessments, do our lab write-ups, but run the course how you want to.

Over time I implemented a version of SBG and based the course on #modphys. I found that I had plenty of time to add in activities and labs that supported student learning.

The really important aspect, however, was that the content was challenging for students, but I had time to help them meet that high expectation. The problems were difficult, but there was time in class to help students who didn't yet have the skills or toolbox to approach them.

I found that I could get kids to be competent problem solvers who built a high level of conceptual understanding. I did not by setting high expectations and demanding they meet them, but instead by building kids up over the course of a year to gain confidence and skills.

Rigor is NOT setting high expectations and watching kids flounder. It is NOT throwing a ton of content at them and hoping they'll figure some of it out. It is NOT holding the same level of expectation at the start of a course as you would at the end.

Rigor is difficulty, not quantity. Our job as educators is not to set up high expectations, it's to help kids meet high expectations.

This year I still believe that whether in-person, hybrid, or distance learning, we can help kids meet high expectations. The key of that, however, is making sure there is a reasonable amount of content so we have the time to scaffold kids to where we want that to be.

Want to help kids be successful? Focus on quality, not quantity. Have students re-do work until they show true understanding. Specifically plan to build skills throughout a course so they meet your expectations by the end; don't expect them to meet them right away.

Push kids, for sure. We know, however, that humans need some wins to want to keep moving forward. Make sure you can give kids some wins, help them understand. It's on us to do everything we can to build kids up in learning.