Presence, Connection, Listening and Reflection: Considerations for Community Building in Online Teaching

Presence, Connection, Listening and Reflection: Considerations for Community Building in Online Teaching

by Brooke Eisenbach and Paula Greathouse

As schools and districts around the country find themselves leaning towards a hybrid or online approach to education in the coming Fall semester due to COVID-19, it is important to understand that no matter the technology or platform we use to engage, teach, and assess learners, it remains vital that we find ways of connecting and establishing relationships and community with students. A lack of relationships impedes our ability as educators to motivate, engage, and connect our students with the academic goals of our online classroom and curriculum.  As such, if we hope to motivate and empower learners in the online space, we must first secure ways of getting to know one another, fostering positive relationships and identifying the unique identities and experiences of our students.

In recent conversations with educators across the country, we’ve noticed a common thread of concern. Teachers value their connections and relationships with students, but worry about how they might effectively establish such connections as they transition to remote teaching and learning. Establishing and maintaining connections with adolescent learners in an online space can be challenging, to say the least. Factoring in our nation’s current health crisis and the rising population of individuals impacted by the pandemic only adds to the challenge. But, it is important to realize that creating connections and community in the online setting is not impossible.

Drawing on our own experiences and research in virtual teaching and learning, we devote several chapters of our book, Developing Adolescent Literacy in the Online Classroom, to strategies that teachers can employ to accomplish this in the online space. Below we share  a few key points and strategies to consider as educators strive to make connections in this new virtual terrain in the coming school year:

Establish Teacher Presence

Allow students to see YOU. Laugh. Chat. Be authentic. Help students see that you are more than a name on a screen. Take the first few minutes of each class to engage in small talk. Greet students in the online space as you might at the classroom door. You can also provide background about yourself. Share with students  some of your favorite things – books, movies, music, etc. – and interests. Allow your personality to shine through!

Keep in mind that establishing presence should not end after the first few weeks of class. We want our students to view us as active participants in their learning process. A sense of immediacy is important to online learners. Otherwise, we run the risk of limiting our ability to encourage regular active engagement in the online space. Consider hosting weekly office hours, “study hall” or “after-school chats” to demonstrate availability and accessibility to students and families. You might also ensure ongoing presence through the use of weekly course newsletters or informal video blogs. This newsletter/blog can include general updates or highlights from your class, as well as updates regarding course progress. This simple, consistent checkpoint can do wonders for helping students and families maintain awareness of their progress and further promote your active presence with learners. 

Getting to Know Each Other

We must also find ways of allowing students to share their identities, interests, and funds of knowledge with one another. Interest inventories offer a terrific starting point for identifying individual similarities and unique differences, engaging in low-risk conversation, and providing insights into potential topics for curriculum and student choice. You might ask students to share a photo of themselves, or something of personal significance, to craft a class collage to share on your course page or blog. Provide opportunities for students to share good news with one another. As the semester progresses, continue to seek out ways of encouraging student interaction and promoting the sharing of student voice. You might encourage student cohorts, or small groups, that offer space for consistent communication. You can utilize breakout rooms for synchronous small group conversations, or create asynchronous video threads that encourage students to view and post their thoughts for one another. The most important thing is that virtual teachers maintain ongoing efforts to get to know their students on a personal level and that students are provided the space to connect and learn more about each other as a means of creating a community of care in the online space. 

Listen and Reflect

A lack of immediate body language and facial expression can impact what we “hear” as we engage students in conversation and instruction. It is easy to misinterpret communication efforts. A virtual space can further impede our ability to listen if we are not intentional in our attempts to do so, and reflective in how we interpret what we observe. Ask questions that promote student voice. Pay attention to the silences. Identify means of communication that work for your students. And, avoid jumping to conclusions. 

Active listening and ongoing reflection are  integral parts of teaching and learning. Take note of what you observe, what you interpret, and how your lens directly impacts your perceptions. Maintain a journal of communication as you engage in remote teaching. Document methods and times that work well for connecting with learners and families. Keep track of important details and what you learn about your students along the way. Then, reflect on your noted observations. What assumptions are you making with regard to student interests, engagement, and learning? How does your identity speak to your approach, considerations, and conclusions? How might you reflect on your own bias and assumptions? Recognize student engagement and absence, and let learners know you see them. 

Personalize and Remain Flexible

As you learn more about your students, seek out ways to adjust your process, content, and/or product accordingly. Just as you would in a traditional classroom, be considerate of the needs of your learners. This is a learning process for everyone – students, teachers, and families, alike. Keep in mind a students’ needs may change day-to-day. And, as we will be functioning in the remote setting during a pandemic, it is likely students will encounter challenges unique to this crisis. Remain flexible and compassionate. 

Finally, remember that students don’t owe us a relationship. For many of our learners, they did not choose online learning over face-to-face instruction for the coming school year. Rather, they likely enrolled as the result of district directives, or out of personal or familial need. Some students will be engaging in remote learning while residing in unsafe spaces, experiencing grief, illness, loss of resources, and so much more. This is in no way standard virtual education. Rather, we are still engaging in emergency remote teaching and learning. We must remain humble.