TLC: Teaching, Learning & Coping during Covid-19

In March 2020 our world of learning and teaching was flipped. Although we do not necessarily mean flipping into the innovative blended learning model which focuses on student engagement and active learning. For many of us, our teaching and learning strategies, habits, expectations, and comfort levels were turned topsy turvy as our entire academic routines were moved online within just a few weeks. The pivot was widespread across academia as instructors, faculty, and staff hastily met with instructional designers and academic technology services to get organized and transition their classrooms online. 

Students across all disciplines were also severely impacted. Wherever they might be sheltering-in-place, they were forced to stay and continue along with their studies and their lives. The Linguistic Society of America’s Student Ambassador team is represented by a diverse group of students: we are both undergraduate and graduate students from different countries and in various stages of our academic journeys. Many of us are simultaneously juggling responsibilities as students, instructors, researchers, even parents, and of course, as human beings. 

So, we polled our Student Ambassador community to learn about how we as a collective are managing our teaching, researching, and learning responsibilities, while also staying both physically and mentally healthy during this trying time. It is no surprise that our linguist enthusiasts came up with a myriad of innovative ways to keep learning and teaching, while also prioritizing self care. Our student ambassador team shared a wide variety of strategies and tools including podcasts, audio books, distraction-free apps, video, multimedia, specific tech tools, and much more. This 3-part series blog, organized with a little TLC, Teaching, Learning, and Coping, shares some specifics. 

Part 1. Teaching

Many of us are graduate students and in various stages of our careers. We have the opportunity to teach a diverse array of classes, ranging from Introduction to Linguistics or Foreign Language courses, as well as more advanced content classes such as syntax, historical linguistics, language revitalization, etc. Whether we are newer to teaching or seasoned veterans, one thing is for sure, none of us was expecting a prompt pivot to online instruction seamlessly executed within a matter of weeks. So, we did what needed to be done, and drawing on the many resources provided by our academic, professional, and perhaps even personal communities, we buckled down, got creative, and opened the door to our virtual classroom. 

Below we share five ways we developed as instructors, which you might consider for your own teaching practice:

1. Balance synchronous & asynchronous lectures 

Using resources that support both live lectures, while also allowing students to access information at different times is critical. Balancing both synchronous and asynchronous learning can support diverse learning styles and also provide flexibility for students, such as those that may have unexpectedly found themselves in a different timezone. For example,

  • use pre-recorded lectures uploaded to a school sponsored site, which students can access at their convenience. Pre-recorded lectures may involve a voiced over PowerPoint presentation synched with the learning management system (LMS), online activities, and a reading from the textbook;
  • assign students to watch documentaries (in support of the course objectives), combined with written reflections and readings, and follow up with a synchronous group chat.

2. Use multimedia resources to create diverse types of content, with the objective of keeping learners engaged and to reach various types of learners. A silver lining of this sudden switch to virtual classrooms is that it provided us a wonderful opportunity to get creative in our use of text, audio, images, and video to capture reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities in a variety of ways. For example,

  • whiteboard & markers are a quick and easy way to show syntax, grammar breakdown, etc. while teaching live on camera;
  • videos can be leveraged in a multitude of ways to enhance learning. Instructors may share short educational videos (perhaps from YouTube or university sponsored collections, like AggieVideo from UC Davis or Kaltura Media Space from Indiana University), pre record their own lectures (showing content along with their voice), or ask students to make content-based videos, including writing the script, creating the storyboard, producing, and publishing. If the educational institution does not support their own video platform, third-party platforms like PlayPosit offer user-intuitive and, often free, options for students;
  • podcasts are an optimal audio option for learning as the student can listen to the content at their convenience (e.g. while taking a walk or doing chores around the house). Producing informal podcasts is also a great way for students to become familiar with course content, develop digital literacy skills, or practice foreign language skills. Google Podcasts is a great place to start looking for content;
  • learning management systems (LMS) may be the best (and most efficient) place to start. There is no need to reinvent the wheel or require students to download or get familiar with new apps. Rather, first see what supporting resources your institution’s LMS can offer. For example, checkout the Canvas community blog to learn more about incorporating multimedia into your course Canvas page. Remember, if your university has an instructional design support team, typically housed under Academic Technology Services, they are a great resource to maximizing use of your LMS resources and offerings. 

    Whatever tools you are using, getting students to engage in reading, listening, writing, and speaking, while experiencing live video or still images in the same unit or course module, is not only a core component of teaching, but so easily accessible online.  

3. Take advantage of the offerings in Google Suite.

The G-Suite platforms are user intuitive, easily accessible (for desktop and mobile), offer free basic options, and available to almost every student with a university Google account. For example,

  • use Google Meet for meeting & tutoring, Google Forms to administer evaluations & assessments or exit tickets & comprehension checks, Google Docs for collaborative writing exercises, and Google Slides for presentations (using the voice over option, as well).

    *As many students are looking more and more to their mobile device to support their educational activities, storing documents in G-Suites allows for all documents (Docs, Sheets, Slides, etc.) to be accessed via mobile once downloading the app. 

4. Invest in the time to research, preview, and order materials for classes.

While at first it may seem difficult to prioritize, taking the time to research, preview, and potentially order new pedagogical materials is well worth the investment. You may find an excellent docuseries that aligns well with course modules. You may also decide that a tool you were hoping to integrate did not fully support the learning outcomes of the course. Whatever the case, taking time to understand how the instrument may or may not benefit the student’s learning is always worth the investment. For example, 

  • In an Introduction to Linguistics course one ambassador utilized documentaries ranging from African American English to ASL and the Deaf community to language revitalization. The students also wrote reflections and completed readings in support of the documentary.

    The hours I spent researching, previewing, and ordering for my class were well worth the investment. Balanced with good readings, I believe that many of these documentaries do an excellent job of dispelling myths and educating viewers in an accessible fashion.”  - John Powell, University of Arizona

5. Practice patience, flexibility, and empathy with your students.

Magical tech tools and innovative resources aside, the essence of our teaching is our students, and ensuring we practice kindness, empathy and understanding is even more crucial than ever. For example,

  • Listen to students and give them the benefit of the doubt;
  • Be flexible with deadlines;
  • Over communicate and share deadlines, assignment expectations, and anything related to the course multiple times and in various locations (emails, LMS, course website and social media (when applicable); 
  • Talk to your students about things other than school related topics. Ask them how they are doing, what they might be doing other than school work, and when possible, foster class discussion to continue creating a sense of community.

    “On the first day of class during introductions, my Politics of Literacies instructor had us all share one thing we were doing during quarantine to cope with being cooped up, anxiety, etc. This was a lovely way to humanize the avatars behind the Zoom screen. Additionally, my Italian instructor created a page in Canvas to act like a faux Instagram and we shared pictures of our food and commented on others’ in Italian. The little things that instructors can do to foster more connections, and a deeper sense of community and humanity, really goes a long way.” - Lillian Jones, University of California, Davis

    "During Covid, students, like everyone else, are overwhelmed by everything in the world and minority students are likely disproportionately affected. Being unreasonable about late work sends the message that what they are going through is not significant. Students must know that their health, safety, and welfare is the most important, and this includes mental health. Only when all those are met can they succeed in their studies." - John Powell, University of Arizona. 

Teaching is as big a responsibility as it is an honor. Establishing routine and consistent communication is always a key component to supporting students and effective teaching, as is integrating creative and multimedia resources. The 2020 spring term called for teachers to cultivate even more innovative and consistent communication and instructional strategies. Those LSA student ambassadors who were teaching this past term were happy to have had the opportunity to continue developing as instructors, and to share these ideas with our readers here. 

Want more ideas? Check out the LSA’s page for Resources for the Linguistics Community During Times of Social Distancing.

Stay tuned next week for how we got creative and developed as learners! 

We would love to hear about other innovative strategies LSA student members employed while teaching in the virtuals space this spring. Share in the comments below! 

Please note-

*The authors, editors, and contributors of this blog post, as well as the LSA, are not affiliated with any of the companies (i.e. tech tools or platforms) mentioned in this blog post, and have no partnership benefits or financial gain in the promotion or mention of them.