Building Classroom Culture in the Zoom Classroom

It is a strange and challenging semester for us and our students. Many of us are teaching online synchronously through platforms like Zoom. While adjusting our content and delivery approaches are challenges in and of themselves, there are other important considerations for building a positive and effective learning environment. For me, classroom culture and establishing rapport with and between my students are important considerations. A welcoming classroom culture can make all the difference in our students’ learning and in our sense of accomplishment and satisfaction with the classes we teach.

Building rapport with our students and developing a classroom culture are skills that we learn throughout our years in the classroom. But how do you build rapport and culture in a Zoom classroom?

I know many people are coming up with fun, creative ways to brighten up their students’ day and make classes feel more human.  In this post, I will share a quick and easy activity I introduced this semester with my Zoom classes to help overcome this challenge: the Zoom Background Challenge.

Continue reading Building Classroom Culture in the Zoom Classroom Era →

Teaching Online in the Age of COVID-19

With the news that many universities are closing in person classes, the transition to online teaching is underfoot. Many of us are scrambling to take our face-to-face model and put it online, amid the general uncertainty and other pressures we are facing (e.g., concerns for our loved ones, children suddenly out of school or daycare, runs of food and household supplies, the general stress of this event, etc).

Below, are some online teaching resources that have been shared by amazing, dedicated faculty these last few days. It is so heartwarming to see professors from across the globe coming together to help one another out. I’ve also sprinkled in some of my past blog posts that you may find helpful for both online teaching and for thriving as a ‘virtual educator’ in the weeks and months ahead.

Continue reading Transitioning to Online Teaching During COVID-19: Resources and Tools →