Article # 1
Title :
Reading literature : Critical pedagogies and Talis Elevate in online learning communities
Authors :
Aimee Merrydew Institute for Innovation and Teaching Excellence , Keele University
Keywords :
Critical pedagogies , Talis Elevate , teaching and reading literature , inclusive online learning communities
DOI :
Reading literature : Critical pedagogies and Talis Elevate in online learning communities
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic radically transformed higher education , which required many educators and students to adapt their learning and teaching practices in a short space of time . The emergency transition to online teaching during the pandemic created many learning opportunities by encouraging educators to rethink pedagogical practices , but also posed challenges and widened inequalities in education and society . In this article , I use critical pedagogies to reflect on my experiences of facilitating collaborative reading activities in a fully online environment during the pandemic , using a first-year core module in English Literature as my case study . I discuss the opportunities and challenges that emerged from the emergency transition to online teaching and learning , paying attention to issues of accessibility and inclusion . I advocate for the collaborative annotation tool Talis Elevate as a method of promoting critical pedagogies that empower students to engage in ‘ deep reading ’ and critical discussions surrounding inequalities in literature and wider society . I conclude by arguing that Talis Elevate , when combined with critical pedagogies , creates democratic and critically engaged learning communities by enabling students to find their voices and co-create knowledge about the subject matter .
Introduction
In March 2020 , many higher education teachers were unexpectedly tasked with moving their teaching online with minimal experience of this style of delivery . While this ‘ emergency phase ’ was a challenging time , it also provided opportunities to rethink our pedagogical practices in ways that are critically attentive to the new and diverse teaching and learning contexts in which we suddenly found ourselves and the students we teach ( Cooper et al . 2020 , 1 ). Attention to these contexts encourages us , as educators , to create student-centred educational environments that respect the diversity of learning communities and support all students to participate in learning experiences . Many of us are used to setting in-situ learning activities that attend to the diverse learning needs of students , creating opportunities for students to participate in active
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