Bring Your Whole Self… Last Thursday and Friday, Sarah Apedaile hosted two faculty talking circles on “Learning Environments that Enhance Student Wellbeing”. The intention was to elicit ideas and strategies from NorQuest instructional staff so that we could learn from each other. Both circles were very rich in discussion and specifics and while the first seemed to focus on actions that you might do immediately, the other spent more time on proactively building a course and environment that creates a safe space. One of my favorite quotes came from an instructor on the first day, he said (and this is my paraphrase because I could not remember word for word), “Instructors need to bring their whole, authentic selves to the classroom (online or in person). This may mean sharing your own successes, missteps and failures as you have travelled through your educational journey.” Now I know this instructor, and I know that he isn’t saying that a teacher should dominate the classroom with personal anecdotes and ego-centric lessons. What he was getting at is the importance of being real, being vulnerable, and being approachable. On the weekend, I kept coming back to this thought, and I compared it to when I began teaching. In my first few placements, I came across many seasoned educators who were very willing to share their life lessons in teaching with me. Some of the most frequent messages I heard were:
Their advice was something more like an antiperspirant commercial: “Never let them see you sweat!” I remember feeling quite uncomfortable in “faking it”. I knew I had much to learn about time management, subject area content, lesson design, and relationship building and that I would make more than my share of mistakes. That said I quickly found that frequent apologizing was not the way to go. The teacher still needs to be the teacher. Just how does an educator, often given courses and materials that they have not mastered themselves, come across as “confidently human”? How do they effectively lead their students with passion, assurance and a good dose of humility? It is something that I continue to work on. One thing is for certain, in the past couple of decades the role of the educator has changed. We can longer be “experts”, the explosion of information and access has broken our shaky hold as the sole purveyors of truth! Moreover, while in many different countries the position is highly esteemed and one would never think of challenging their instructor, in North America we have learned to be less directive and more collegial, especially at the college level. We want open discussions in our classroom, where students are comfortable asking the hard questions and where we can be real in our responses and concerns. Nonetheless, as instructors we still have responsibilities that require some distancing. Ultimately, we are gatekeepers, for programs and professions. We also have high expectations, for our students and for ourselves. Moreover, as many of us have learned, there is a big difference between being friendly with our students and being friends with them. Sometimes our students can get a little too comfortable and then feel shocked or offended when we have to deliver news they don’t want to hear. So it can be very challenging for instructors to navigate and negotiate their role with each student group. Complicating all of this is the current and ongoing requirement to do most of our relationship building online. The Covid crisis has presented challenges, created distances, and generated feelings of isolation and anxiety. Our students, and many of us, need the subtle interactions and affirmations that came so easily to our in-person classes. As the instructor I quoted earlier also said, “Sometimes if you see students as students you might be missing the point in terms of supporting them. You have to see students as regular and normal human beings who go through ups and downs like all of us... and therefore, even if they are obligated to study or learn, you have to support them as much as you can to help them deal with their other challenges which are not classroom based.” Just as we bring our whole selves to class, our students should feel comfortable bringing their whole selves too. Covid has pushed this further, many of us now face listening and counseling challenges, we need to be available and “confidently human” as we deal with the new online environment and the continuing strain of pandemic and economic uncertainty. Thankfully, many of the participants in the talking circle had suggestions that might just help us in adapting to this environment, providing the support needed to our students, and finding ways to create a safe learning community. I’ve grouped and listed the thoughts of your colleagues below: Suggestions for daily or one-on-one interactions
Suggestions related to lesson design
Suggestions regarding course design
For many of our students, their studies have given them something to dive into, perhaps even as an escape from the rising Covid numbers, the imminent specter of a lockdown, and the isolation brought on by our “new normal”. Our job is to encourage, engage, support, guide and assess with an eye to the whole student. More information on ways to support students in the online environment can be found here: https://campusmentalhealth.ca/toolkits/faculty/how-to-recognize-when-a-student-may-need-support/in-the-virtual-classroom/ https://tatp.utoronto.ca/teaching-toolkit/teaching-with-technology-teaching-online/supporting-students-online
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Pandemic Pressures! “I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay, small acts of kindness and love.” –J.R.R. Tolkien This weekend I found myself reflecting on some very difficult things:
I found it a bit wearying. It did not help that what we are experiencing on a global scale, we are also experiencing in a more immediate way; on a NorQuest scale.
As instructional staff, we are under a lot of daily pressure. Pressure to engage and support our students at the same levels as pre-pandemic. Pressure to ensure that our students will gain the knowledge, skills and professional judgements that will ensure their success in their careers. Pressure to work from anywhere, with less opportunity to collaborate, less opportunity to commiserate. Pressure to be a “team player”, to keep working on a positive culture and to look forward to the future of teaching and learning. If you are anything like me, you’ve probably been sighing more frequently lately, and you may also fervently long for when things were a little simpler, like say, a year ago? Oh, this pressure has not necessarily been put upon us by the college itself or by our deans, chairs and managers. The NQ leadership messaging from the outset has been encouraging and full of grace. In fact, much of the pressure comes from ourselves. Most instructors at NorQuest College are “wired for service”; we desperately want what is best for our students and we often sacrifice hours and hours trying to meet their needs. We are also acutely aware of our own shortcomings as educators, as “tech facilitators”, and as care providers.
No matter the source, the pressure is there. The isolation and the steady stream of negative news does not help. This past week there were numerous articles and TV features about stressed-out teachers. My frequent interactions with faculty also bore this out. Instructors told me that:
Yikes! When I listened to all of this, I realized that I was struggling with many of the same pressures. So I asked many of these same instructors for coping strategies. How did they continue to keep their heads above water and find satisfaction in their work? Here are just a few suggestions:
These strategies, suggested by our colleagues, can be quite helpful. However, just like dieting, knowing the plan and actually sticking to it are two different things. (Guilty as charged!) It might be worthwhile to find an “accountability partner”, a friend or a colleague who can “check in” to chastise us when our self-care actions do not actually align with our intentions. One last suggestion given – and this is my favorite – reach out and start a conversation with someone new or someone you have not talked to in a while. There is a tendency for all of us to get a bit myopic, seeing the world only through our own field of vision. One of our colleagues shared that, when she feels weighted down with planning, decisions and problem solving, she seeks out conversation. Just talking to a student or a colleague from a different faculty can help us see that there is a bigger world out there. Our work is just our work. Other people have very different stressors and satisfactions, and listening to them can give us new perspectives. Opening up your heart and mind to the world of someone else can be extremely beneficial, to them and to you! After this reflection and inquiry, I know that I have some work to do on establishing a healthy work/life balance. Perhaps you do too. I am looking forward to this week’s Faculty Talking Circle with Sarah Apedaile and Sherry Greenbank. I hope you have time to join us. That’s all for this week, Jeff This past Friday we had our third Faculty Talking Circle. About 20 instructors joined in on the online conversation in Teams. We’ve been using Martin Brokenleg’s “Circle of Courage” as a thematic organizer for these sessions and so, after having sessions on belonging and mastery, we came to the session on independence. We used the following questions to spark both discussion and reflection:
It was interesting to hear the experiences of colleagues from around the college and learn about their efforts to support and sustain their learners in the face of our current situation. One of our instructors said that her students had entered the program with the expectation of a certain amount of hours of face-to-face instruction, these students did not sign up for a distance or online program; they knew that their success was dependent upon the contact and community of regular classes. So she and her department were endeavoring to provide as much synchronous teaching as possible. She wanted to give each student every chance to succeed. Another of our instructors, this one from corrections, shared that a big part of his job is simply trying to restore some confidence in students that have been told they can’t learn and have been ignored or dismissed every time they asked a challenging question. At this point our corrections instructors do not have online access to their students as the rest of our college does, and the extra time has led to a great deal of reflection and recalibration as they anticipate returning to their classrooms. Overall, it was a very rich discussion with a variety of perspectives. We explored:
What became very clear is that our students need scaffolding and support as they develop confidence and competence in their chosen field of study. Many of our NorQuest students have often had to overcome a number of challenges just to get to college. Our student population has its fair share of: new immigrants, economically disadvantaged, international students, single parents, students with learning challenges, and students returning to school after a long hiatus in the world of work.
And how can we do this? Well, there are a number of ways:
Brave New Horizons? This past week I had the chance to work with instructors and instructional leaders in a number of different situations. In our conversations a metaphor kept surfacing, one that intimated that we have all been a little at sea, we’ve buffeted the waves and are looking to make some course corrections. I’ve been doing some thinking about that, like all metaphors… it works until it doesn’t. The COVID 19 pandemic set off a storm that we are all experiencing. More specifically, at the college, it caused us to jump into action, with a call for “all hands on deck” and people put themselves to work: bailing, tending to the sails, and taking turns at the rudder. We saw managers and staff working side by side handing out computers, making phone calls to check on our students, solving tech and logistical issues, and finding innovative ways to deal with the situation (like running a program out of one person’s garage). As the violence of the storm settled a little and the waves quieted a bit, we’ve had a chance to do a bit of a re-assessment. We know that the storm isn’t over and we will be asked to make any number of adjustments and sacrifices going forward. Government cutbacks - both federally (LINC) and provincially - are not going away, enrollment numbers are uncertain, programs and campuses are being re-examined, and the way our courses and instruction might look going forward may be very different from the way it has been. Already the U of A has been discussing the possibility of keeping all classes online when start-up happens in the fall, and at NorQuest I have heard some talk of “hybrid” instruction, with face-to-face classes complemented with regular online teaching. People are trying to figure out their new roles, as instructors and leaders, in changing conditions. There’s been some tension as people try to reclaim their authority, figure out their ongoing responsibilities, and try to enlist (conscript?) others in visions for post-secondary learning. As such, there is some skillful negotiation and navigation that needs to take place in order to settle in to new routines. And we are also seeing dear colleagues leaving the college for both financial and programming reasons. Now I know that there is also some sadness for what was left behind. The comforts of the safe harbors that we have left are beginning to be a fond, nostalgic memory. However, this storm is testing our mettle. It is helping us to discover new abilities, as we adapt to online and distance programming. We have been given the opportunity to work together and determine what will be required of us going forward, as we set out towards new horizons. But before we get too much further, it may be worthwhile to take a moment and acknowledge the work and investment that has already happened. We need to value and validate those around us and acknowledge their efforts and commitment. Most of our students have been patient resilient and accommodating as we shifted our programming. Our colleagues have been supportive and encouraging, sharing materials, innovations, and ideas. Our leaders have been willing to jump to the emergent needs, and take on unpleasant and difficult tasks. So while last week I focused my thoughts on perseverance, resilience and thankfulness, this week, I hope to make a point of saying “THANK YOU!” to the individuals and groups I will be working with. Thank you to security, the cleaning group, the staff, the administrative professionals, the faculty, the instructional leaders, the leadership and management groups and the executive. As we survey the horizon, anticipate what may lie ahead, and start making preparations for our journey in the coming months we will need to draw on each other’s strengths and work together. From your friendly neighborhood faculty developer… Last week, I sent out a meeting request to faculty for a Friday morning MSTEAMS meeting; a Faculty Talking Circle on Creating Community Online. It was a bit of an experiment, based upon some suggestions from Bev Suntjens and a couple of others. In the end 43 faculty joined us for an informal sharing session. It was a big group, but somehow we managed to share and compare quite a number of ways that instructors work to make their online environments a little less sterile and a little more connected. People suggested scavenger hunts (LINC students run and find object in their homes), chat cafes (leaving the link open before and after class so students can catch up), breakout rooms, chat board competitions, offline groups (through what’s app or Facebook Messenger), forums and wikis, and a whole host of other ideas. The Faculty Talking Circle was great, and I am thankful for the help of Joan and Sarah, especially when I had to shut my computer down and restart partly through the session. And that’s the reality of online teaching that just keeps coming back. Sometimes the technology works for us and sometimes it throws curve balls and we have to react quickly. Sometimes the WIFI works and sometimes we come across as garbled or as modern day equivalents of Max Headroom (for those of us who remember the 1980’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt56RMbpq_0). Instructors have shared some of the challenges they faced in the past few weeks: 1) uneven attendance, 2) students who have limited or shared access to computers, 3) students who have financial or familial pressures that trump their schoolwork, 4) students who have little aptitude for technology, and 5) instructors (themselves) who are uncertain and unfamiliar with many of the online learning possibilities. Now, with the semester coming to a close for many of the programs, people are challenged with making sense of the experience and of assessment evidence that calls into question the hallmarks of quality: fairness, reliability, reliability, and rigor. Did my students get a fair deal this term? Can I confidently stand behind my assessment measures? Can I trust that the judgements I make about student progress are sound and reward diligence, understanding and the development of professional judgement? Of course, these are issues we struggle with every term, but the online environments have challenged us to look at assessments in new ways and has further raised concerns about academic integrity, honesty, fairness, and trust. And as I reflected on all of this, this past weekend, I kept coming back to three words: perseverance, resilience and thankfulness. I am constantly amazed at how most of our instructors and students have persevered through the challenges, and in the past week I heard from many who said they were ready to take the “next step”. They were interested in intentionally and pro-actively planning out their online experiences for the coming term, learning about and leveraging the online tools and the teaching strategies that they and their colleagues were discovering. As NorQuesters, we have shown a measure of resilience and determination, and that has served us well. Does that mean that there aren’t those who are struggling with the uncertainties brought about by this new reality? Certainly not! I’ve been hearing that students and staff alike have been accessing many of the supports found in NorQuest for both academic and mental health support. And I wonder how many more are just hunkering down and hiding their anxieties. I hope each of us, as NorQuesters, can keep a “weather-eye” out for colleagues and students who may be showing signs of the strain and stress and to find ways to support these people or help connect them to services that might assist them. But most of all, this weekend I found myself thinking about thankfulness. At this point, Alberta is not experiencing the wave of hospitalizations and ICU admittances that were initially predicted. Our province and our Chief Medical Health Officer (Deena Henshaw) have done an admirable job in limiting the effect of the virus. Having two front-liners in my house (a nurse and an HCA) I am especially thankful for that! And at NorQuest, we have, so far, managed to stay clear of the kinds of outbreaks that are plaguing various institutions and businesses across this province. And, as my week continues, I think I want to continue to focus on that, on thankfulness, and not on the moment-by-moment frustrations and fears brought on by the virus or changing technologies. |
AuthorJeff Kuntz Ph.D. ImagesExcept where indicated, images used in the blog posts are personal photos, images from NorQuest College or images from Pixabay. Pixabay is a vibrant community of creatives, sharing copyright free images, videos and music. https://pixabay.com/ Archives
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