Canadian Musician - November/December 2020 | Page 50

LAURA LEE MATTHIE ( SECOND FROM LEFT )
Matthie advises focusing on possibilities “ instead of planning the nuts and bolts ” – as if you ’ re writing a rough chart rather than a transcription in order to leave yourself room to adapt .
Ludwig suggests “ planning for a change model ,” adding that planning for any situation is “ the art and bread and butter of teaching .” She also emphasizes that learning is not a straight line , but a set of “ now points ”; therefore , she recommends being ready to pivot and having conversations with students to help them adapt as well .
There ’ s a core benefit for students in a highly adaptive , flexible learning environment . All of the panelists point out that the obstacles facing students vary according to their familiarity with online tools , their access to those tools , and to reliable internet connectivity .
While some students will engage fully remotely , others won ’ t . Some have a lot of technology available to do so . Some don ’ t . Some will be better at using that technology than others . By applying the spirit of improvisation , teachers can help level the field , using digital tools but also exploring activities that don ’ t involve screen time at all ,
or low-tech assignments that don ’ t require anything other than items you can find in any home and some imagination . All suggest finding ways for students to self-direct when possible as well .
Engagement & Growth In a later panel , Godsoe and the participating educators went into more depth about their individual experiences teaching remotely as well as what they believe the lasting impacts of the pandemic may be in terms of how they engage with students in the future .
Dianne Winmill , who teaches high school music in Bancroft , ON , has a positive outlook : “ I really like to look at things with a silver lining … It ’ s really allowed me to take a breath and kind of self-reflect on what I have been doing and what I can be doing to support my students . What I ’ ve discovered is that I ’ ve had a chance here to really connect one-on-one , in a lot of cases better with some of the students [ and ] the relationship-building with most of my students has improved … When students have a choice of how they ’ re going to spend their time , they ’ ve definitely been more engaged .”
Being inspirational from a distance can be hard , says Alberta-based middle school teacher Kim Hastings , so she makes a point of encouraging her students “ to play and not necessarily practice ,” which helps to lessen anxiety .
Mercer stresses fluidity : “ When I explain online learning to people , their first thought is that it ’ s a static thing … But it ’ s not static ; It ’ s going to be different every day … and we need to embrace the fluidity of every student ’ s needs . My advice is to look for that fluidity in making the medium fit to what your strengths are and look for the fluidity in your students . Every class is going to be different . Every student ’ s needs are going to be different .” He also suggests those differences should be a reason for excitement , not doubt
ANDREW MERCER
50 CANADIAN MUSICIAN