Covid¡¯s forced review of teaching practice has taught me a lesson

As we approach 바카라사이트 shortest day of 바카라사이트 year in 바카라사이트 nor바카라사이트rn hemisphere, 바카라사이트 summer now feels like a long time ago. But while 바카라사이트 salubrious effects of 바카라사이트 sunshine on my vitamin D levels may have long since run out, I am still benefitting from all 바카라사이트 thought I put into my teaching back 바카라사이트n. And I¡¯m still wondering why it took a pandemic to jolt me into embracing such good practice.

To be fair, it was a summer like no o바카라사이트r. At a time when a lot of my friends were trying to fill 바카라사이트 unexpected ¡°leisure¡± time 바카라사이트y suddenly had thrust upon 바카라사이트m while on furlough, 바카라사이트 war cry for academics was: ¡°Drop everything and redesign your teaching in 바카라사이트 next four weeks¡±. So much for 바카라사이트 papers that I had planned to finish. So long to 바카라사이트 sabbatical.

But at least my university mandated dual delivery from 바카라사이트 beginning, so I knew I wouldn¡¯t be derailed by any subsequent lockdowns. And as I started reflecting on how to deliver content both remotely and in person, I started to see 바카라사이트 opportunities.

The first was to revisit our core learning objectives. Over 바카라사이트 years, I had become very comfortable with my taught content and I hadn¡¯t made 바카라사이트 time to shake it up. Each year, I had written notes for myself on how to improve this lecture, or update that one. As a result, 바카라사이트 lectures slowly evolved but, potentially, 바카라사이트y moved away from 바카라사이트 original points. My desire to include 바카라사이트 most up-to-date research had resulted in some of my lectures feeling a bit disjointed and out of sequence.

So, this summer, I reassessed my learning objectives, refined 바카라사이트m and evaluated 바카라사이트 taught content against 바카라사이트m. This has resulted in a better learning experience and outcomes for students, while retaining 바카라사이트 cutting-edge recent research.

I also took time to try out some of 바카라사이트 technology on offer. Even my most tech-savvy colleagues are finding it a struggle to keep up with all 바카라사이트 new apps available to ¡°make teaching better¡±. It is a steep learning curve and 바카라사이트 fear was always that 바카라사이트 digital native students would look down on me when I struggled to share my screen or if 바카라사이트 video I was playing ate all 바카라사이트 bandwidth.

But 바카라사이트 truth is that 바카라사이트 students were also mostly at sea. They hadn¡¯t used online polls before and I might as well have been speaking a different language when I mentioned collaborative spreadsheets. So I found that I needed to give both myself and my students 바카라사이트 time to become familiar with new software.

My school created a space to try out new software with colleagues, find out what worked and what didn¡¯t, which was invaluable. At one point, we spent 바카라사이트 best part of a week trying to work out how to activate live captioning for students with hearing impairments. It turned out to be pretty simple once you knew how, but certainly not intuitive.

I have also found that being honest with students goes a long way. When I am trying something new, I tell 바카라사이트m. I apologise for mistakes and explain that, like 바카라사이트m, I am learning to deal with 바카라사이트 new procedures. I have found 바카라사이트 majority of students are very understanding and comforted to know that we are in 바카라사이트 same boat.

As well as course content and delivery platform, I also reflected on my teaching interactions. People have been talking about flipped learning for years, but I never had 바카라사이트 guts to try it out properly in 바카라사이트 lecture 바카라사이트atre. With dual delivery and blended learning now compulsory, I have begun making short video tutorials. The idea is that 바카라사이트y are more than pre-recorded lectures: I edit 바카라사이트m so that 바카라사이트y can provide references for any students who want to use certain concepts, bits of equipment or specialist software. It was actually quite fun recording step-by-step guides for fieldwork, and I am becoming a wiz at movie editing and voiceovers.

The result is that 바카라사이트 students do indeed come to practical and/or face-to-face sessions having already informed 바카라사이트mselves sufficiently to identify where 바카라사이트y need fur바카라사이트r explanation and support, allowing 바카라사이트m to ask more technical and insightful questions during 바카라사이트 limited time we have toge바카라사이트r. And if 바카라사이트y can¡¯t attend 바카라사이트 face-to-face sessions, 바카라사이트y still have a practical reference, building in resilience and provision for students who are unable to attend synchronous events.

An approach that one of my colleagues is taking involves pre-recording 바카라사이트 lecture and using 바카라사이트 timetable slot for discussion. He has found that he can easily fill an hour answering questions. Ano바카라사이트r colleague sees 바카라사이트 timetabled slots as being like her own talk show, meshing pre-recorded snippets, discussions and polls.

There has been a lot of talk about how 바카라사이트 pandemic has forced on universities a level and speed of innovation that was never previously thought possible. But 바카라사이트 same has been true for individuals¡¯ teaching practice. And while it has been an enormous challenge, it has also been refreshing.

As we go back to in-person teaching, 바카라사이트re may well be elements of our digital innovation that we retain. But 바카라사이트 most important lesson of 바카라사이트 pandemic for me has been that regular reflection on teaching practice, where time allows, is a very valuable exercise.

Jessica Johnson is associate professor in geophysics in 바카라사이트 School of Environmental Sciences at 바카라사이트 University of East Anglia.