Volume 41 Number 3 Fall 2020
Groundwork Surviving Overwhelm Creating Online Learning Experiences
Advising Students in Times of Transition 1
ABEABC Board of Directors President
Michelle Vandepol
Vice President
Viviana Chiorean
Secretary
Andrea Eaton
Treasurer
Izabela Mazur
Conference Co Chair
Margaret Zmudzka-Bajerski
Groundwork Chair
Jane Parker
Aboriginal Liaison
Lillian Prince
Membership Chair
Allison Kilgannon
Government Liaison
Michelle Rickaby
Delta/Surrey/ Fraser Valley Rep
Valerie Sprott
North Central Rep
Vacant
Metro Vancouver Rep
Stephanie Forgacs
Kootney– Boundary Rep
John Cowan
Vancouver Island Rep
Vacant
Cariboo Okanagan Rep
Kim Moshenko
Groundwork is published 2-3 times each year by the Adult Basic Education Association of British Columbia. Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the policies of the ABEABC except where explicitly stated. We encourage participation from members and others in the field of Adult Basic Education.
Board Member contact information: abeabc.ca/contacts.htm Send manuscripts and accompanying photographs by emailto info@abeabc.ca General enquiries about ABEABC can also be sent to info@abeabc.ca Many thanks to our contributors to this issue. The ABEABC homepage can be found at
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www.abeabc.ca/
Letter from the President Hello and welcome to the Fall 2020 supports, links to online events, and issue of Groundwork. the updates on remote library access. In this issue we are pleased to bring Practical articles continue with a you information on anti-racism sustainable way to approach online resources, as well as tips for work and how to advise students in connecting with colleagues when a pandemic. working remotely. We include a printable on finding Also look for educator narratives your thriving set point in around teaching ABE online and challenging environments, a new becoming more aware of the set of book reviews, and a page of challenges faced by their students workday hacks. as well as the necessity of promoting well-being for both We are looking forward to meeting faculty and students. you at this year’s Fall workshop online or at our conference While authors are real about their temporary survival status, they also scheduled for Spring 2021 in Harrison Hot Springs. bridge the other side for us with tales of how they got through and If you are interested in taking a moved to overcome and thrive. more active role in ABEABC engagement, you are welcome to We would love to add your voice join us. Attending the AGM during to the discussion. Are you an the conference will allow you to get educator, administrator, advisor, an idea of what kinds of or staff member in an ABE area? opportunities will be available in Your point of view and everyday the coming year. strategies can be of real help to your colleagues in a time when we If you have ideas for the conference or online meetings and are looking for all the advantages workshops you’d like to see in the we can get so as to keep passing coming year, drop us a line at them on to our students. info@abeabc.ca . Some of that we pass on deliberately in study strategies, for We’d be happy to work with you to make ABEABC the association instance, and others we do so you’re dreaming of. subtly, in the modelling of carrying on and overcoming From our home offices and online challenges without minimizing classrooms to yours, we hope them. you’re having a fulfilling fall There are also resource listings for semester and that you will let us know if there’s any resource we can green education info, free graphic connect you with. creation opportunities, wellbeing
Michelle
Michelle Vandepol, ABEABC president 3
WE APPRECIATE YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS! Think of us when you attend a webinar or come across a new online resource. Your peers would appreciate reading a review, a summary, or a recommendation.
Have you read a book that was particularly valuable in your practice? A book review or synopsis would be of great help when your colleagues are looking to spend their department’s library allocations. Did you take some great photos on your staycation for your Instagram feed? We are always looking for cover art and would be glad to feature yours. Do you have a student who would like to gain a publishing credit? Let them know they can submit a student-view article.
Want to Write For Groundwork? email info@abeabc.ca
FROM THE CLASSROOM
COVID + ABE Math = a Humbling Experience Gina Bennett I feel nostalgic when I think back to what classroom teaching was like.
of distance education, some lacked the motivation to continue without the face-to-face support of teacher and peers. But there were other Like just about every other obstacles whose extent and impact classroom-based educator in the I couldn’t have predicted. One province, the speed and intensity of student lost her job because of the the COVID-19 quarantine caught quarantine restrictions and her new me off guard. On one afternoon in job didn’t leave her much time for March, I wrapped up my multilevel study. ABE Math class, entered the grades from chapter tests Students working in truck stops completed that day, and chatted abruptly found themselves in with students about Math, the “essential” positions and had to weather, and what’s on sale at deal with increased working hours, Save-On. We may or may not have responsibilities, and stress. Some talked about this terrible virus suddenly had school-aged children mentioned in the news. But that at home full time. A couple of weekend, the quarantine came students were overwhelmed by the down hard and our little classroom seemingly endless bad news and community was over. overall uncertainty of the pandemic and found it impossible to focus on In many ways, I was fortunate. I Math. was able to return to the Centre and retrieve my Math textbooks and Given such barriers, it’s a miracle student records. At home, I had a that a couple of students did laptop with a sophisticated touch manage to persist and make screen and stylus that let me progress right up until the end of demonstrate Math problems on a the semester. One student even whiteboard, almost as if I were completed her ABE using a blackboard or pen and Advanced-level Math course, using paper. And I had experience her cell phone to send photos of her teaching and working remotely, as completed homework and to well as a strongly positive attitude participate in our Zoom sessions. towards online instruction. If I had to pick one word to My students, however, were not describe my first experience of nearly so lucky. I lost about half of teaching ABE Math remotely, it them right away -- they simply would be “humbling.” I was sorry never responded to my multiple I couldn’t have kept more students emails. The rest did their best to engaged and able to achieve their continue studying Math in spite of Math goals for the semester. I was obstacles. Some obstacles I might frustrated by the challenge of have foreseen: several students trying to demonstrate complex lacked access to good technology math concepts on a tiny cell phone at home, some lacked the strong screen. My positive attitude, literacy skills required for any type distance delivery experience, and 4
knowledge of learning management systems wasn’t enough. The number and severity of the barriers my students faced overwhelmed me. It’s something I’ve thought about -a lot -- since the semester wrapped up. What instructional design models would best meet the needs of low-literacy students working remotely? How can we sustain the motivation of multi-barriered learners through a crisis (or can we)? Developing a good “pandemic pedagogy” for ABE students sounds like the ultimate exam question for an advanced course in Instructional Design. One positive outcome to the pandemic experience is how it has brought the issues that ABE students face into sharper relief. Our students often work in frontline jobs, endure shift work and irregular work schedules, face childcare dilemmas and stressful living situations. The pandemic didn’t introduce many brand-new problems but it certainly exacerbated existing barriers. While the entire educational world searches for new ways to achieve core goals during this pandemic, perhaps we’ll also find some new ways of addressing the barriers that ABE learners face on a daily basis, pandemic or no pandemic. Gina Bennett is an ABE instructor, online curriculum developer, and community literacy volunteer in a small town in British Columbia.
ANTI-RACISM RESOURCES
Indigenous Story Studio Indigenous Youth Suicide Prevention Resources We just found out that our motion comics, based on suicide prevention graphic novels we created for the Government of Alberta - Tomorrow's Hope and Strength of the Sash - have been selected to screen at the 45th Annual American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco. This is the third time our suicide prevention work has been recognized. The first being the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention's President's Award and a nomination for best animated short at the same festival for Darkness Calls in Gitxsan (https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sZ2MgmeKdU - funded by the BC Ministry of Health). Previews and pricing for the graphic novels can be found at www.istorystudio.com. Gladue Rights Teacher's Guide A couple years ago we created a graphic novel for Legal Aid BC on Gladue Rights. Since then Legal Aid has created a teacher's guide and published it at https://pubsdb.lss.bc.ca/pdfs/pubs/A-Teachers-Guide-to-ASecond-Chance-A-Gladue-Rights-Story-eng.pdf for free download. The story we created, called A Second Chance, can be found at https://lss.bc.ca/publications/pub/second-chance. As we don't sell the book and weren't involved in the creation of the teacher's guide, please contact Legal Aid BC if you have any questions or requests. Covid-19 videos Indigenous Service Canada funded our Covid video project and we've begun working on the story. We hope to be focus group testing the draft story late October. Stay tuned! Sean Muir Executive Director sean@istorystudio.com Podcasts The Good Ancestor Podcast
Canada? Denise Balkissoon and Hannah Sung from the Globe and Mail take a crack at breaking the code of silence through honest conversations with friends, family, comedians and professors.
Layla F. Saad, author of Me and White Supremacy, engages in conversation with changemakers and culture shapers around questions of race and jus- Canada Land: Thunder Bay tice. This podcast uncovers why Thunder Bay has the highest On Being - "Talking About homicide and hate crime rates in Whiteness" the country and why nine tragic deaths of Indigenous high Eula Bliss, author of the New schoolers occurred. York Times article "White Debt," explores words like "white guilt" and "complacency" and opens up an CBC radio episodes: opportunity to talk about Canada’s slavery secret: The whiteness. whitewashing of 200 years of enslavement Colour Code: A podcast about race in Canada This episode explores the collective silence of Indigenous Why don't we talk about race in and Black slavery in Canada. 5
The Truth about Stories: A Native Narrative Award-winning author Thomas King takes an in-depth look at North Americans' relationship with Indigenous peoples and the stories we tell that shape history. Boushie In 2016, Colten Boushie, a young Indigenous man, was shot and killed by a white man on a farm in Saskatchewan. This series documents the trail that invoked racial tensions across Canada.
Source: https://mcccanada.ca/stories/ resources-anti-racism-education
CONNECT WITH COLLEAGUES
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1.
participate in an online event together like a trivia night or streaming concert. Set-up a what’s app chat to have real time interactions during the event.
2.
send a book in the mail or recommend an audiobook you enjoyed on a free library app.
3.
initiate connection with your smaller working groups or sub-committees prior to larger department meetings to give one another opportunities to share more than one would be able to in a larger group.
4.
join an online group with a com mon interest: photography, fit ness, or virtual book club
5.
schedule a one on one walking meeting and talk on your phone while bouncing ideas around.
6.
make time for relationship building into meeting with fun activities or questions that out side of the usual agenda. Place a priority on humanizing work and adjust the workload to accommodate relationship building where you can.
EDUCATORS SHARE RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES
GREEN EDUCATION INFO https://www.crd.bc.ca/ education/schoolprograms/educationresources
ANTI-RACISM RESOURCES https://mcccanada.ca/stories/ resources-anti-racism-education
LIBERATING STRUCTURES
Make posters, presentations, gifs, and infographics for free at
—FACILITATION SKILLS http://www.liberatingstructures.com/
canva.com The Tree of Contemplative Practices
BC Campus Events https://bccampus.ca/events/
http://www.contemplativemind.org/ practices/tree (discussed on page 10)
Register to borrow from the Decoda Literacy Solutions library at http://www.decoda.ca/ resources/library/
Read All About Lit blog https://www.decoda.ca/ read-all-about-lit/ Send us your favorite online resource by emailing the editor (information on page 3) 7
WELLNESS FOR EDUCATORS
Finding equanimity teaching & learning online Christine Slavik
Equanimity is defined as mental calmness, composure, especially in the face of difficult situations. Who wouldn’t want more of that? In the flurry of change that descended upon us in March 2020, most university faculty found themselves moving quickly to change the way they taught. As campuses closed to support physical distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty found a way to finish off the semester in emergency remote mode from home, teaching virtually. Uncertainty set in as we all pondered how will it be next semester, and the one after that?
What will it feel like to be online for every class? What will it be like to focus on a screen for many more hours each week? What impact will it have physically, emotionally, and to our collective mental health and wellbeing?
thoughts and feelings, I have curated a few resources and recommendations to address the potential overwhelming reactions to the online environment.
First, I want to commend my colleague for acknowledging the The experience shared by one thoughts and feelings being faculty member in particular, experienced. This is, in and of inspired me to consider what we itself, mindful awareness. Paying could do to teach mindfully, attention is an important step engage in participatory health towards discovering what it is we practices and maintain wellness for need. ourselves during these challenging times. This is what was related to Being with our thoughts and me… feelings non-judgmentally and with compassion is the starting point for “When I think of the things that choosing to respond skillfully students most often say about me rather than the reactive, habituated they include that my classes are cascade of stress that typically As we entered summer it became fun, I am authentic, and they learn follows. It is also worth noting clear that online instruction would a lot by doing/experiencing. I have that taking care of oneself in order be continued and now as fall found the switch to online to be to be able to assist others is a arrives and classes begin, it very challenging to work from my significant insight as well. remains the predominant mode of strengths and the ways that I feel teaching and learning. Much most confident. I have also Stress is contagious. Observing effort has been put into teaching & discovered that I become quickly another person in a stressful learning resources to assist faculty exhausted in the online platforms situation can be enough to make to develop courses to meet the and at times somewhat panicky (in our own bodies release the stress needs of students in this new norm. meetings specifically, as I haven't hormone cortisol (Engert, 2014). In finding a way to be at ease with experienced much other than I have heard from a number of teaching online we can model "emergency remote" with faculty that they are worried about classes). It is just such a sense of appropriate ways to manage the the health and wellbeing of degree of intensity focusing on a not being who I am. I know I am students who will be increasingly not alone in this. I am sure some screen brings to our bodies. And connected to technology where speaking of our bodies, Rick students will also experience they previously would have been similar “zoom anxiety” so perhaps Hanson (2020) asks us, “Where engaged in face-to-face classroom I will be able to help myself and do you live?” and encourages us instruction. I have also had faculty them to work through this as we to “be the body”. In a recent post share they are anxious about the he explains the benefits of being move forward.” impact it will have on them body aware: Continued on page 10 personally and professionally. In response to these powerful 8
PRINTABLES
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WELLNESS FOR EDUCATORS
Finding equanimity teaching & learning online
presenters referred to our body’s response to stress and trauma as an act of grace and intelligence on behalf of our nervous system. The session was titled “Embodying Continued from page 8 Your Curriculum” with Anita Chari and Angelica Singh, and it really resonated with me. What if “Coming down into it, inhabiting when our body is telling us it – most fundamentally, being it. something, we stopped and payed attention? It is my belief that we For starters, being the body is will absolutely need to consider simply telling a truth. What we this as we begin our amped up experience being – thoughts and online experience this fall. We feelings, memories and desires, will need to regulate and resource and consciousness itself – is ourselves and our students to be constrained, conditioned, and able to learn, demonstrate constructed by the body via its resiliency and increase nervous system. The fabric of your communication and connection in mind is woven by your body. the online environment. Further, being aware of your body We will need to ground ourselves and its signals gives you useful first and create social connection information about your deeper feelings and needs. Tracking your online. We need to “see” our students, beyond the little boxes body's subtle reactions to others on the screen. To become also tells you a lot about them. empowered rather than exhausted Coming home to your body helps means we will have to be you feel grounded, and it gives you intentional with our approach. reassuring feedback that you're To build a safe and durable alive and basically alright. It's container to teach online, where exhilarating to feel the vitality of the body, even sitting quietly, and we can feel good about being to experience the pleasures of the there, we will need to reside more in the being rather than the doing. senses.” Be authentic, take your time, be vulnerable and be mindful. There seems to be a tendency Consider how the use of when we are working online to contemplative pedagogy can forget about our body. We get very much into our head. For me support you to be the energized when I spend too much time with and authentic person you are in a F2F learning environment. the screen my brain actually begins to feel irritated and tired. Eye strain, headaches and overall Contemplative pedagogy is a philosophy of higher education fatigue are not uncommon with that infuses learning with the overuse of technology. That is experience of awareness, insight, our body wisdom, telling us and compassion for oneself and something is going on. In a recent webinar sponsored by the others via the practice of meditation and contemplative Association for Contemplative disciplines. Contemplative Mind in Higher Education, an pedagogy uses forms of initiative of CMind, one of the 10
introspection and reflection allowing students the opportunity to focus internally and find more of themselves in their courses. Contemplative Pedagogy employs the use of practices that actively engage a learning environment in an experiential and contextualized manner allowing for the emergence of authentic change agency. It offers an educator or student a lens with which to begin to understand, reflect, and critically inquire with mindful awareness, deeply into one’s own nature and relationship to life. Deep introspection and mindfulness are the foundation of contemplative pedagogy. There are many resources available to assist you in developing ideas and activities that encompass contemplative pedagogy. You don’t necessarily have to be a meditator to incorporate this into your teaching & learning practice. The Tree of Contemplative Practices from the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society presents many ways to engage mindfully. (find the link to the tree on our Resources for Educators listings on page 7) Restoring integration of the heart, mind and body is of vital importance. Finding moments to be mindful and still, will result in resiliency and equanimity that can be with the comings and goings of daily stressors and the added pressure of online teaching and learning. Feeling grounded and with an intention to pay attention, what knowledge do you want to prioritize?
Continued on page 14
Conference Registration comes with a Membership to the Association as well as a year’s subscription to Groundwork.
Membership in the ABEABC is open to you if you are involved in:
• • • • • • •
Community literacy programs First Nations adult education programs Literacy in libraries ESL programs for adults Workplace literacy programs Correctional institution programs Upgrading and university preparation Organizational memberships are also available.
https://www.abeabc.ca/membership/
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READING BREAK
Practical prose that lingers. Advice on how to sidestep the toxic effects of news cycles, social media, and the pace of modern life while keeping perspective on what matters and how to make a difference.
Encouraging, inspiring read about doing the best you can where you are, enjoying it, and being intentional about your professional growth.
Turns traditional networking theories on their heads and shows us the research, case studies, and theories behind successful connecting, team-making, and leadership practices.
Part memoir, part depression indicator checklist. No shortage of wry insights and helpful info. Highly recommend.
A look at the labour, science, and struggle with conscience behind the creation of atomic bomb and bombing of Hiroshima. June Walker is a delightful character to follow on this novel as tour.
Unifying, profound, and practical. I can't think of an open minded human wanting to live their best life who wouldn't be impacted positively by it. Highly recommend. 12
Light hearted dry wit storytelling with helpful advice on how to be more inclusive of people with autism.
Brilliant and impactful. I was benefiting from this research and advice before I even finished reading the book. A great book to relaunch in the direction of your intentions. I liked it even more than the Happiness Project. (bonus that filling our lives with great habits also contributes to increased happiness)
WORKDAY HACKS
MAKING SURE YOU GET YOUR BREAKS
MAKING TIME FOR NEW WORK PRIORITIES 1. 2. 3.
4.
Schedule sessions to plan your work Ensure your best time of every day aligns with projects that need your focus Assign key times on your calendar to yourself so they cannot be co-opted for other meetings as you already have plans Build in smaller steps to achieve more ambitious plans.
1.
Plot out your day before starting to answer email, including timing of breaks 2. Step away from your desk to another table or leave your office for lunch 3. Turn on a timer for even your short breaks to remind yourself to not interrupt your break with your to-do list 4. If interrupted by someone else, pause your timer and resume your break after. Taking your breaks will help you work more efficiently and enjoyably.
RAISING STUDENT MORALE 1.
2. 3.
KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH YOUR TEAM
Send weekly email updates with encouraging words, items to focus on, and answers to commonly asked questions. Ensure clear instructions for assignments and well posted directions for how to get ahold of you. Encourage student empowerment through creating online discussion boards where they can advise and encourage each other when you are not in office hours.
1. 2. 3. 4.
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Pay attention to milestones that arise and celebrate them with an email. Speaking well of colleagues’ ongoing projects will help them network and gain support remotely. Remind one another that you are doing a great job in a challenging time. Focus on a few key priorities for your team and meet virtually to share updates, divvy up workload, and create action plans.
WELLNESS FOR EDUCATORS
Finding equanimity teaching & learning online Continued from page 10
conversations to include time to chat informally. There is a balance to be found between relationship building and task completion. “Belonging is the innate human desire to be part of something larger than us. We want to experience real connection with others” (Brown, 2019). True belonging is about sharing authentically and stronger connections are built through curiosity and deep listening. To build rapport remotely we all need to smile, pay attention, be genuine, connect to communicate, be empathetic, supportive, give feedback and feed our online connections.
The content will only be shared if the connection is made first. Nurture empathic relationships with students. “Emotions drive learning” (Posey, 2019). Start classes with simple activities to get to know your students. Create an online environment where they feel safe, valued and respected just as you would in person in a classroom. Only then will you all have the cognitive energy to learn together. What about our relationship to technology itself? How might we Limit the amount of time in direct bring direct awareness to this instruction. Discard activities electronic device that may that are not crucial to the course’s seemingly take away the warmth overall learning goals and that our in-class connections objectives. Think about teaching offered, but is currently allowing through the four R’s of us to connect and learn together? Indigenous Education; respect, It might be useful to explore how relevance, reciprocity and we feel about this “relationship”. responsibility (Kirkness and How do you feel when you are Barnhardt, 2001). The context of looking at and listening to a decolonizing curriculum and screen? In a recent talk on utilizing Indigenous worldviews Dharmaseed (August 21,2020) and ways of knowing in our Jill Shepherd invites her online teaching and learning benefits all retreat participants to consider students and contributes to the how they might orient in a skilful kind of relational online way toward technology and to the environment we aspire to. people together in a “zoom room.” If we are all going to be Utilize opportunities to have immersed in online environments students break out together in it might be useful to see if we can small groups, much as you would start that relationship with in a physical classroom. Design technology well. I have listed a some activities and tasks where link to the guided meditation by working together learning goals Jill below in the references and can be achieved. Promote resources section, as it may spark relational vibrancy by an idea to do something similar at encouraging everyone to take the beginning of your online moments at the beginning of each courses. breakout to connect before getting to task. Open up the No doubt there will be times 14
when our minds and our bodies are telling us we need to stop and take a break from the online environment. Infusing those moments with mindful movement, nature, sipping a cup of tea, or a simple grounding practice will be important as a way to restore mental health and wellbeing. We do not want to be staring at a screen all the time! To help with staying present and mindful as we teach and learn online, I have developed the acronym PAUSE as a reminder to down regulate, settle and resource from time-to-time when needed. P A U
S
E
Pay attention Accept thoughts, feelings and sensat ions as they arise Unplug. Under stand this oppor tunity to discover what you need. Un tangle judgment Slow down, soften, stay with what is arising rather than expending energy fighting Ease your way for ward with inten tion, what do you need?
By using the PAUSE from time-to-time you are engaging in the process of self-inquiry. Exploring thoughts, feelings and sensations and acknowledging them rather than trying to escape, you will discover through awareness how online or screen overload, fatigue, exhaustion or anxiety feels in your body and can then take appropriate steps to balance and stabilize yourself. Continued on page 17
LIBRARY SERVICES
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The Latest on Borrowing Resources from
Hello! The Decoda Literacy Library is reopening! You can once again borrow books from our library. Thanks to all the borrowers who have been waiting to return loans. Please send them along now. Remember to use the return label included with your loan to avoid paying for postage.
Find books in our online catalogue or email library@decoda.ca for suggestions. Request books by placing holds in the library catalogue or emailing the titles to library@decoda.ca. • Hang on to the prepaid return label so you can mail the books back for free.
This Week in the Field. To subscribe, email me at tchau@decoda.ca.
What’s new? We’re excited to share our resources with you! We’ll be featuring some of our newest books over the next few weeks in our Read All About Lit blog. (You can subscribe to a once a week update.)
What’s different for now?
Get help or ask questions at library@decoda.ca.
• Library returns will be quarantined for 3 days after they arrive at the library.
Not meeting students in person now?
Tina
• Library loans will be shipped once a week.
• Borrow books with strategies, activities and background information to inform your work.
Tina Chau
Loans are limited to books for now. What’s the same? Great resources, delivered to your door, for free!
If you have any questions, please email me at library@decoda.ca.
Library
• Borrow readers and workbooks (Find the links on the resources for your student to use. for educators page on p. 7) Ask for help finding online resources. Find links to online resources in our weekly newsletter, 15
Online for the Long Haul – Reflections of a First Timer Leonne Beebe “Boldly go” I tell my students, so following my own words, I am “boldly going” this term and teaching my first ABE English course online Already, it’s Week 6 and six weeks closer to Christmas holidays…
community where we could make mistakes, learn from each other, and be motivated to correct our mistakes without judgement or criticism.
My third big mistake came when I was marking student assignments. After figuring out how to submit feedback and marks, I could not find any record of their grades in my grade centre, My first big mistake happened nor could I find their assignments during this class. I had told anywhere. How could I have lost Looking back, now they are funny students who couldn’t attend to these? With that sinking feeling stories, but at the time, a cause for watch the class video. Well into panic… the class, I suddenly realized I had only a teacher knows after losing student work, I humbly contacted Like my friends who teach online, not clicked on “Start Recording”. my friend in our Teaching To match this mistake, I forgot to Learning Centre. Thankfully, she I bought a new computer like click “Stop Recording” after the found them at the far end of the theirs, with a $150 stylus to help class while I was talking with grade table instead of at the me write on my screen, just like individual students. Hence, my beginning where I was looking... writing on the whiteboard. One first class announcement was an night, I had a snack while my apology regarding the video Reflecting on these six weeks, techy husband was showing me starting late and asking them to together, we have survived and what to do. The next day, my stop listening at 37:13… succeeded. With “studentsuggested improvements ”, I husband asked me where I put the My second big mistake also have redesigned my course shell stylus. He had searched happened during a synchronous de-confusing the course navigation everywhere, but it was not to be class. I decided to split the class process, so students now find found. I denied touching it, but into Breakout groups, which I everything easily. Together, in with only my husband, my cat, successfully did. When I checked sync classes, we have participated and myself in the room, I blamed in, they were having discussions, in our “envisioned” Mindfulness the cat. Later that night, I put my just like I asked them to do. and Metacognitive Circles, and evening snack on the tray, sat Feeling pleased with them and breakout groups. down, and then felt something myself, I sent them the one-minute Teaching online has really helped funny on the bottom of the tray. notice before returning to the main me lose my sense of selfWith great relief and room. Suddenly, reality smacked importance and regain my sense embarrassment, I admitted to my me in the face. Try as I might, and of humour. husband I found the $150 magnetic I tried everything I could, I stylus attached to the metal tray… couldn’t get them out of the Out of confusion comes clarity. breakout groups and back into the Our first synchronous class was ___________________________ main room. What to do? I have Sept 15th. My students and I boldly went into our online course my own little tech “save me” Leonne Beebe is an Associate shell and hoped each other knew message, “When in doubt, log Professor in the Upgrading and enough to make it through the out.”, so I sent another massage University Preparation class, and we did it. Thankfully, asking everyone to log out and log Department of a BC University. my first priority was to build a back in. This worked, and we all safe and supportive online learning laughed… 16
Finding equanimity teaching & learning online Continued from page 14
We can offer steadiness as a contribution to each other in the online teaching and learning environment. Acknowledging that a screen has a degree of intensity we can balance it with relational capacity. We can find equanimity teaching and learning online. References & Resources Brown, Brene. (2019). Braving the wilderness: the quest for true belonging and the courage to stand alone. New York:Random House. CMind – The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society, and the Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education http:// www.contemplativemind.org/ programs/acmhe Engert, V. (2014) Your Stress is My Stress: https://www.mpg.de/research/ stress-empathy
98894441-445879736.1598894441 Posey, A. (2019) Engage the brain: how to design for learning that taps into the power of emotion, ASCD Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development https:// 1. www.ascd.org Shepherd, Jill (2020) Meditation, arriving online together (15 minutes) https://dharmaseed.org/talks/ audio_player/637/62417.html http://www.dharmaseed.org
Christine is an Associate Professor at a BC University. Prior to her appointment at the university, Christine worked as a Psychiatric Nurse, a Child and Youth Care Counselor, and a Child Life Specialist. In each of her roles over her 40+ years in human service, she engages with others in a relational and strength-based manner, open and curious, to lead is to learn and share meaning. Christine has held a variety of leadership roles in both health care and education. She is a past president of the Canadian Association of Child Life Leaders; past Chair of the Child and Youth Care Education Consortium of BC; Director of Child Life at BC Children’s Hospital; past Board member of the Child Life Council (now Association of Child Life Professionals); Department Head of Child, Youth and Family Studies; and former Head of the Teacher Education Program.
Her research focus is in wellness, mindfulness-based practices, Hanson, R. (2020) Be the body. planning, generative conversations, and Appreciative Inquiry as a model of Just One Thing, Simple practices transformational change process. In for resilient happiness addition to holding various https://www.rickhanson.net administrative and leadership roles in both the hospital and the academy, Christine has engaged in numerous Kirkness, V. J.and Branhardt, R. strategic planning opportunities (2001) First Nations and Higher utilizing a strength-based approach to Education: The Four R's - Respect, these processes.
Relevance, Reciprocity, Responsibility https:// pdfs.semanticscholar.org/64dc/70a 9e338b364fd4bcfc3d724f94c0cd3a 2e4.pdf? _ga=2.241753410.1717075472.15
Christine has a personal commitment to meditation and mindfulness-based practices and incorporates this into her teaching.
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TAKEAWAYS showing our humanity is reassuring to students
2.
acknowledging our own emotions and stressors without judgement helps to address them
3.
getting outside and away from the online meeting lets us connect with a natural setpoint.
4.
incorporating self-reflection into our online engagement lets us bring an element of resourceful humanity there.
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using activity to ground our bodies gets us out of our minds and lets them rest.
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centering and prioritizing wellness is not selfish, it’s contagious. Often the best thing we can do is model balance for others and extend them the opportunity as well.
7.
coming out of stress mode to resilience mode helps us go from a narrow field of possibility to an expansive one. How can we make the most of our time and resources from that enjoyable place?
ABE ADVISING
Reflections on ABE Student Advising During a Pandemic Kathy Miller As I finish up an advising appointment and look out the window at the fall colours, I can’t help but think back to last spring and how much things have changed over the course of seven months. Though my job, my employer, and the type of work I do hasn’t changed, where I work from and how I do my job certainly has. It makes me wonder if these changes will last and what at our post-pandemic experience will look like.
students.
Back at the beginning of March, being an advisor meant face to face advising appointments where we would sit down and discuss a student’s educational history and future goals, review high school transcripts, book an assessment if needed and create a program plan of where to start and which courses to take. We would navigate the online application process together, write down specific courses to register into, I advise ABE students in the give out timetables, grant forms, Upgrading and University and directions to register. There Preparation program at a BC were walk-ins too, where students university. Like many others I would often drop by my office to went from strictly working in an office Monday to Friday with set talk about their courses, plan for hours, a set routine and a firm line the future, and sometimes just to visit. between work and home, to working from home where that On March 11, just as I arrived in line is often blurred. Working from Victoria for an Academic Advising home also means adapting the way conference the W.H.O. declared a I do my job including the way I world-wide pandemic and the communicate with students. conference was cancelled. Things at work started to change from this My role as an ABE program point on. Students increasingly advisor is to help students meet cancelled or didn’t show up for their educational goals whether for advising appointments, students high school graduation, expressed anxiety and concern employment, or to meet post about their classes being cancelled, secondary entrance requirements. there was talk of switching to an Sometimes that means figuring out online course format, increased if, and what potential barriers there cleaning protocols, and the idea of are and directing them to working remotely. My advising appropriate support and resources. was focussed on easing student It’s a tremendously rewarding job, anxiety and creating new “what-if” one that I love, and one I never scenario education plans. This was thought could be done from home difficult to do with so many because of the direct contact with unknowns. 18
By the end of March, the directive came to work remotely and the province was in lockdown. All classes and exams were moved to an online format for the final month of winter term. I packed up my office and did my best to create a comfortable workspace at home. The first few weeks were rough for everyone. I and the other advisors in my department had to rely on email to contact students. It was difficult to connect our students with the supports they needed. We had limited access to student records and had to deal with the chaos of students switching mid-term to an online format from face to face learning. Many of our students didn’t have the skills or technology to make the switch to online learning. Several of our instructors had never taught online and had to make rapid adjustments to the way they delivered courses. As an advisor, I had to adapt the way I communicated with students. Face to face meetings were done, phone advising appointments were scheduled instead and I soon discovered how much easier it is to communicate in person! It made me appreciate the degree of non verbal communication that goes on when you’re face to face with someone. I often wondered if I was speaking too quickly or if the information was being absorbed Continued on page 19
without those visual cues. To address this, I started sending email summaries of what we discussed during our advising appointments with links to “how-to” videos and resources. We weren’t able to conduct math and English assessments and relied solely on high school transcripts, past experience, and intuition to determine course placements. It was a difficult time to say the least, with much fear, anxiety and uncertainty. As we moved into the summer term, things settled considerably. Our department now had remote access to work computers and student records and our instructors became more familiar with online teaching. We started offering virtual and phone advising appointments. Our ABE students changed too. Not only were they more tech savvy and comfortable with online learning, many of the new ABE students I was advising stated they would not have been able to take courses if not for the online format. Others were stuck at home and figured they might as well do something constructive with their time. Interestingly, a few were in the hospitality industry and the pandemic forced them to examine their career choice and the long term implications of it, deciding to make a complete career change. One student who had been in the hospitality industry for 20 years and lost her job because of the pandemic, began upgrading to become a registered nurse. Our ABE enrollment numbers for the summer term increased significantly. We had to add sections of English and science courses to meet the increased demand and our rates of attrition dropped. In May, the university made the
decision to continue with online learning for the fall term. Interest in, and enrollment in ABE courses continued to rise over the summer. By September, I had found my groove in the “new normal” of pandemic life. I was comfortable in my new work from home routine and in some ways actually preferred the flexibility of it. I felt more confident in advising students, lessons learned from the summer term were helpful in fall decision making. The availability of online learning resources for our students increased too. Moving forward, it seems that the pandemic and the measures put in place to control it will be with us for quite some time yet. Our winter term courses will continue in an online format and so will working remotely. This raises many questions for me. While I’m happy that our ABE enrollments have been good I can’t help but worry if we’ve lost students, particularly those from the most vulnerable populations. Poverty, addiction recovery, lack of tech skills, or, access to required tech, are all reasons to prevent or discourage vulnerable populations from accessing ABE online programming. What can we do to make sure we are reaching everyone and giving equal access to all during the pandemic? It also makes me wonder what things will look like when we do eventually return to “normal” life. Will our ABE programming have to include more online courses than pre-pandemic offerings, will students and faculty even want to go back to the classroom, or, will there be more hybrid style courses that combine online and in class instruction? Now that I know my job can be done working remotely, will I be able to split my work 19
week between home and the office? These are just a few of the things to consider and ponder in the coming months as we come to terms with life during and after a pandemic. ____________________________ Kathy Miller is an ABE program advisor and instructional assistant at a BC post-secondary institution. ____________________________ TAKEAWAYS 1.
follow up emails can reinforce content discussed with students in online meetings.
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video tutorials can serve to be frequently referenced resources in a stressful time when students may need multiple reminders.
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encourage students as to growth mindset possibilities. while challenges in terms of tech capabilities and employment exist, so too do our ability to learn new things and connect to student resources
4.
complete a regular gratitude inventory. is there anything, such as flexible work arrangements or more time to study, that is currently making your life better?
5.
celebrate having come this far in a challenging time and know you and your students and colleagues have the inner resources to tackle what’s ahead.
Art from canva— ABE is heartwork, new dates
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