As we enter the final month of the spring semester, with intense focus on COVID-19 vaccinations and hope for a potential return to in-person working environments in the fall, it is imperative to find ways to stay present in this moment and energize classrooms, remote, online, or in-person. How can we help our students navigate this final push, honoring both our fatigue and theirs?
When students click on that link to enter class on Zoom, or walk into your socially-distanced and masked classrooms, they look to the instructor for guidance and motivation. We often send messages at the beginning of the semester, either with our syllabus or in-class activities, for the behavior that we expect from our students and what they can expect from us. We then move into our rhythms for the semester, and it is easy to forget these early commitments. Our presence, our words, and our actions can be responsive to the current climate in our spaces, providing motivation for students at challenging moments.
I was recently inspired by Bianca C. Williams's chapter, "Radical Honesty," in Race, Equity, and the Learning Environment. As she shares anecdotes from her own classroom, she effectively demonstrates that storytelling can be a powerful way to promote relationships among students. “Radical honesty emphasizes the significance of personal narratives and opens a space for creating strategies that enable scholars and students to bring their ‘whole self’ to the classroom, while getting rid of the shame that frequently accompanies their bodies in academic settings.” Williams emphasizes honesty about racialized and gendered assumptions that are brought into the classroom, seeing personal narrative as an important tool for learning and, ultimately for promoting positive social change.
Being radically honest about the pandemic will be refreshing to many of our students. While some with financial and social privilege are taking advantage of remote classes by attending while at the beach or skiing, many students are struggling to maintain emotional well-being in the face of financial, health, and other stresses. By reminding students of appropriate ways to engage in class during this final month of the semester, while also expressing your own experience of the pandemic and empathy for those who are struggling, you may be able infuse renewed energy into your learning spaces.
I offer a few recommendations. Take a few moments in class to tell a challenging story from the pandemic. Tell them about how teaching has been challenging for you, or how you have struggled to balance work and personal life. Ask for students to raise hands if they have had a similar experience. Dedicate some time to storytelling, from large groups to pairs.
If you haven’t created classroom agreements around respectful behavior, it is not too late. Create a list of what you expect from them and what they can expect from you. Put them in pairs to discuss, suggest modifications and then ask for a signal of agreement. Remember to include addressing others with their pronouns, if they have shared them. Discuss effective ways to participate, including the chat and reactions while remote learning. Some new tools are available in Zoom, including live captions. For remote or hybrid classes, consider a digital accessibility check-in, as some students’ needs might have changed. You can drop a survey in the chat or by email, like this one developed by Laura Hamrick and me, to allow students to give you information about their current situation.
Now, inject some new energy into your class! The CTL has made a list which we are calling “Inject a Refresh!” We recognize that these activities take time away from content. However, bringing this fun energy into your space may help students to relax and de-stress, allowing their brains to be more available for learning. It may also bring you joy to be playful with your students. Feel free to send us your ideas for “injecting a refresh” and we will add them! I hope that the last month of the semester proceeds smoothly for you all.