If you’re a Twitter user, join the next #CdnELTchat (in partnership with #TESL ONchat) on Friday, October 23. Below is a recap of the September 29 chat written by #CdnELTchat moderator Jennifer Chow.
For many of us, we are in our second term of remote learning. What are the successes and unique challenges #ELT instructors have had? How can we create and maintain a sense of community with our colleagues and students during this time? What kind of support do we need in order to foster a sense of well-being?
Thank-you to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to participate in #CdnELTchat’s discussion on Supporting the Continuation of Learning and Teaching during COVID-19.
We’ve collected the tweets from our chat in Wakelet, but here are some of the highlights from our discussion:
- It’s important for teachers and instructors to think about our mental health and sustainability, especially since the future is still uncertain. Creating online content while teaching is exhausting for many teachers, so we don’t need to perfect. Good enough is good enough.
- Equity is still a big problem as some students don’t have access to the necessary technology and/or digital skills to engage in online learning.
- Focus on building relationships to establish trust between teachers and learners. Start with essential digital skills and add to them slowly over the term.
- Use ready-made online materials that are available on @TutelaCanada. Many teachers have embraced using @H5PTechnology.
- Respect student privacy by not forcing them to turn their cameras on. Use polls and breakout rooms to foster interaction. Provide prompt feedback, virtual office hours, and use Q & A forums to increase engagement.
- Provide weekly drop-in times for colleagues to connect and socialize. Organize online reading or research groups for professional development.
We encourage everyone to continue the conversation using the hashtag #CdnELTchat. Here are the questions that we used to guide our chat.
During the chat, @KraseNetzel shared with us how @DawnTorvik started a WhatsApp teachers’ group and regularly inspires colleagues to share victories and problems. We hope #CdnELTchat can provide the space for #ELT educators across Canada and beyond to do that too. We’ll be doing some informal chats between our scheduled chats as a way to check in and support each other.
#CdnELTchat is a collaborative effort that we hope will lead to more reflective practice for all of us involved in ELT. If you are interested in joining our team, or have any ideas for topics, please send @StanzaSL, @EALStories, @Jennifermchow, or @ELTAugusta a tweet. Our Padlet is also always open for your questions and comments.
Use the hashtag #CdnELTchat anytime to connect and to share information of interest to the #CdnELT community.
