In the past few weeks since COVID-19 shelter in place and stay at home orders have rippled around the world, educators are frantically trying to move lessons online. Having to readjust almost daily to the latest iteration of a “new normal” seems to create an increasingly steeper learning curve to those who have never had the pleasure of teaching remotely.
In my corner of the world, when we first closed the doors on our program it was with the idea that we would be back in two weeks. And so my goals for online classes at first were simply about staying connected and creative; providing an anchor each day during an uncertain time.
As the school closures extended from a month to two months and then to the rest of the school year, I began working to find ways to better match current goals with the original goals of our program year.
My out of school time program provides arts-based curriculum that teaches and reinforces social and emotional skills in support of the positive cognitive and emotional development necessary for resilience, determination, and grit. Many of my students face adversity in their lives on a daily basis. Now they all do. So now is a critical time to be providing them with the tools they will need to increase their stress tolerance and better be able to bounce back when life goes back to what we previously believed to be normal.
As I develop lessons and activities for my students in the coming weeks, I will be giving more thought to how to call on the naturally occurring protective factors of the arts and increasing how we intentionally activate those factors. But I will also be giving consideration to how to better incorporate the 6 elements of a Neurosequential Model in Education classroom.
At some point in the near future, I am looking forward to developing a series of posts sharing how I incorporate these components into my arts classes. The work of Dr. Bruce Perry and the Neurosequential Community seeks to understand how the brain is organized and can be changed in order to create a system of tools that is developmentally appropriate, educationally optimal, and therapeutically useful. (paraphrasing Dr. Perry here). As an artist, I never in a million years thought I would geek out hard over neurobiology, but I cannot get enough of this stuff.
But for now, I am trying to focus on applying these components to my online classroom, something that feels a bit daunting in these early days. Here are a few ideas that I am using now. Don’t be surprised if I edit repeatedly in the coming weeks.
Element 1: Relational
While there are benefits to creating virtual content that students can access at their convenience, live lessons that provide real time interactions are going to be generally more effective than pre-recorded lectures. The relational aspect of the classroom is critical to proper brain development and allows students to create a greater number of associations with the new information being present which in turn, develops stronger memory for the material.
I also found it extremely beneficial to provide dedicated socializing time in our lessons. We meet in small groups 15 minutes prior to the lesson just to take the time we need to catch up. Students are better able to settle into the lesson once they have had their chance to share with me and their classmates.
Element 2. Relevant
Classrooms should offer an approach that is relevant both developmentally and culturally. This can be tricky when working with a wide range of ages and abilities, but here is a great opportunity to allow students to hone in on one simple skill within a project that allows room for a lot of self-expression.
When we think of the abilities of our students, we imagine a curve on a graph and aim to teach to the top of the curve - somewhere in the middle of the curve. Currently, that curve is growing wider and shorter. Decreased time in the physical classroom is affecting development on academic, social, and emotional fronts; all of which affect a student’s ability to learn. I am finding that teaching even to the middle of the curve is challenging to my students at this time. Impulse control and patience are waning while frustration is building.
I would never advocate for diminishing rigor in your classroom, but I do think our definition of rigor needs to adjust for current circumstances. My lessons are much simpler than they used to be and more to the left of the curve than the middle. My goal is to keep my students engaged and feeling successful; feeling that they have control and mastery over something in their lives. For now, this is the more critical need to be met.
Element 3. Repetitive
Nobody learns something the first time that it is presented. That’s why it takes anywhere from 21 to 254 days for a habit to stick and why we have the phrase “practice makes perfect.” Moving classes online does not change the need to present the same material or information several times so that students have a chance to master the new skill or develop comprehension of new information.
For now I am creating themes for each week. One week we explored deep breathing through a number of watercolor projects. Another week, we explored mindfulness with daily guided drawing activities. The varying themes allow the students to be presented with the same skill and knowledge each day, but in a novel way each time that keeps them interested.
Repetition can also be found in creating and maintaining class routines. My time with my students is much shorter online, but I never skip our opening and closing routines. In a time where nothing feels predictable, there is great safety (and relief from anxiety) in falling into a familiar routine.
Element 4. Rewarding
Rewards can come both intrinsically and extrinsically.
One of the best ways to experience an intrinsic reward is to feel a sense of mastery over a skill or confidence in knowledge and understanding. Providing relevant content in a repetitive manner (see above) is an easy way to provide students opportunities to feel rewarded for their hard work.
But I think there is a great need to create space and opportunity for extrinsic rewards now, maybe more than ever, when our learning is happening in a socially siloed manner. Students are accustomed to immediate feedback that often spur them on to continue working. Offering incentives (not bribes, that’s a very different thing!) for completed benchmarks or finding creative ways to celebrate accomplishments are critical.
I am fortunate that I can post artwork and performances on our social media sites as a way to celebrate student work. The simple act of sharing their work with others feels like a great reward to them!
Element 5. Rhythmic
Creating rhythm in a music or dance class is pretty natural, but may not come as naturally elsewhere. A simple solution that works as well virtually as in the physical classroom is to play background music. Something with a tempo of 60-80 beats per minute mimics our heart beat, adding to the soothing effect.
But there can also be rhythm created in routine. Similar to the idea of developing opening and closing routine for online classes, maintaining a predictable schedule within the live lesson or even pre-recorded session creates a rhythm or pattern that helps to alleviate anxiety and offers an element of emotional safety.
Element 6. Respectful
I made the mistake of not setting ground rules or behavioral expectations during the first few days. After only a week, I found myself competing with snack time, students texting both within our Zoom meeting and on their other devices, random dance outbursts as a favorite song would come up on Tik Tock, and any other thing that caught their attention.
It is always harder to course correct, but once we took time to agree on expectations that prioritized demonstrating respect to ourselves and each other, things run much smoother.