Teaching Today

Finding Silver Linings In Remote Learning

By Jessica More

Adjunct Visual Arts Teacher Taj Cannon ’14 was grateful to the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) for helping him use remote learning tools at the beginning of fall semester.

As lifetime learners themselves, many of EA’s teachers chose to view times of remote learning as both a challenge and an opportunity.

“I have been teaching a long time. I’ve always thought to myself that if I’m not changing things in my own practices, if I’m not trying to keep the same skills but approach it differently, I’m going to get bored,” said Visual Art Department Chair David Sigel, Hon. “I’m not sure that anybody was ready for how this all came about, but it has been a wonderful experience and a very amazing reflective tool as a teacher.”

After the “emergency” period of remote learning ended in the spring 2020, many faculty took part in an online certification course organized by Episcopal’s Center for Teaching and Learning over the summer. “The online certification introduced me to a lot of different ways to reach kids virtually through different programs and collaborations,” said 2nd Grade Teacher Cathie Hicks. In a cohort of PreK to 2nd grade teachers, Ms. Hicks and her colleagues reviewed things that went well in their classrooms in the spring, and brainstormed solutions for the challenges they had faced. In particular, they spent some time planning activities to help create a sense of community in a virtual classroom.

Middle School students take advantage of the sunny weather to work on group projects on the Clark Campus Green.

The changes were not as onerous for EA teachers as they could have been, in part because of the work of the Center for Teaching and Learning. “The CTL is a godsend,” said Middle School English Teacher Mark Luff, Hon. “The course that they offered us last summer was extraordinary. I’m using ideas from that on a constant basis. We were one of the few schools that handled it with the least amount of upheaval because we had already had CTL helping us with how to switch some of our teaching from the classroom to online platforms.”

This is Mr. Luff’s 43rd year at Episcopal. Over the years, he has made it his primary goal to remain up-to-date in his teaching practice. He saw this past year as a year of opportunity, a way to push himself to learn more. “If I teach something in the way where the kids turn off, that bothers me,” he said. “They live in a digital world, and I grew up in a different world, so I’ve trained and pushed myself to stay as current as possible.”

He has not shied away from demonstrating to his students that he is still learning. If he gets stuck with the new platforms, a student might point him in the right direction. “I’ll say, ‘Wait, teach me.’ And I use those words on purpose because it’s a wonderful blend of who’s the teacher and who’s the learner.” That approach makes the students feel more comfortable, too, with asking for help and acknowledging that it is okay not to always know the right answer.

Adjunct Visual Arts Teacher Taj Cannon ’14 was among a handful of new teachers who joined the faculty in September, first meeting his Upper School art students via Zoom. “I had not had much experience on Zoom,” explained Mr. Cannon, so in the weeks leading up to the start of school, he worked with the CTL. “They instilled a lot of confidence in me to use the tools, like breakout rooms, and suggested ways to connect and break the ice with students so we could have a dialogue, not just stagnant lectures. It has been so nice to have those resources and get information and support as a new teacher.”

Music Department Chair Jim Erwin brings classes outside to sing while socially-distanced.

The Performing Arts faculty, in particular, had to make major changes this year. Without being able to come together to perform until very late in the year, the faculty had to learn how to use software that enabled the students to record at their homes and combine the recordings into a virtual play, musical, choir, or ensemble. While an individual student’s work is often lost in that of the ensemble, these new methods have enabled instructors to see more of the individual musician in each project.

“We had to reinvent our curriculum almost weekly,” said Music Department Chair Jim Erwin, “but that challenge was invigorating to us. It almost felt like you had a different career and were training to do something different, which is not going to make us weaker but actually make us stronger. And I think many things that we did this year will continue on even after all this is over.”

In visual arts, the pandemic has allowed for more reflection. Mr. Sigel said, “Rather than feeling the pressure of, ‘What do I have to get done, where do I have to be at this certain time?’, students were asking themselves ‘Who am I and what am I trying to say?’ And that’s been a really amazing thing.”

Mr. Luff found Episcopal’s Stripes to be helpful guides through the pandemic. “Whether it’s the Courage to try something new in the classroom or the Kindness that you extend to a student who may be struggling with the technology, this has been an opportunity to practice those 10 attributes as we mitigate these unfortunate circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.”