How quarantine hobbies will reshape teaching in the Fall

As the RSJ prepares to enter an online fall semester in September, many members of our community have had to reshape their daily routines and habits amid a pandemic. As faculty take on different hobbies and responsibilities, their teaching styles are also being transformed.

School Chair Janice Neil recalled a pivotal moment during her online tap class when she was put on the spot.

“I will always remember getting called out when I was unprepared. It is good to be a learner because it informs your teaching,” said Neil.

The past few months have pushed instructors to expand their own learning which has fostered a new sense of comradery with their students.

RSJ professor Joyce Smith was suddenly forced to become a full-time homeschool teacher to her now five-year old daughter. Smith said her teaching will be impacted “without a doubt” following her experience the past few months.

“A five-year old can’t stay quiet in a room for three hours and I’ve had to learn to get creative and find new ways to teach and be engaging. [The quarantine] has made me realize students also have other things on their agenda. Something as simple as buying groceries takes much longer now,” Smith said.

According to Smith the quarantine has also caused her to reconsider the importance of helping each other during challenging times.

“We all thought this would last a month and the resilience we all drew upon is really important. We all started thinking of ways we can help, whether it was making masks, picking up groceries for someone or calling people to check up on them. The past few months have also made me think of what is truly important. That is going to impact our teaching as well. Out of all the things we want to teach, what is the most important thing?” said Smith.

While balancing caring for her daughter solo and maintaining her own career, Smith also began making face masks for friends and family.

“It was something that I knew early on we were going to need and I was keen on getting some for my friends and family,” she said.

Smith has made over 100 masks for those close to her during the pandemic, however, she considers the activity something she can also do for herself.

“It is something tangible I can do to make a difference. I also like sewing and it is something I can do for myself once my daughter is in bed. It is good to try something different and it has been fun playing with colours and fabrics,” Smith said.

While some faculty struggled to find time for themselves, others were struggling to shift their hobbies to an online format.

RSJ professors April Lindgren and Bill Reynolds both took music classes at the Royal Conservatory prior to the pandemic and had to transition to online learning themselves.

“When classes were cancelled our instructor moved our courses online. This involved each of us playing and recording a song individually and sending the clip to our instructor who then mixed everything together. Afterwards we would all discuss the final product in class,” said Lindgren.

Lindgren recalls learning about different technology and the imperfect process of collaborating remotely in a classroom setting.

“I found [the process] interesting because it was a new way of playing with technology to get the sound right. We had to experiment with playing in a coordinated manner. We tried playing our part with a metronome first, then a singer, then just the instructor and you got music that was more regimented,” she said.

Lindgren highlights how crucial good communication between students and instructors will be during the online semester.

“We need to experiment with online learning and engage students in the conversation of what works and what doesn’t. We are all going to be experimenting with tools that are new to us [as instructors] and to the students. We need to adapt certain assignments and find ways to create engaging content,” Lindgren said.

According to Lindgren students also have a role to play in the success of their online learning experience.

“Students should take instructors seriously when they say learning is something everyone needs to participate in. Students should see their teacher as an ally and really engage with instructors,” said Lindgren.

 The transition for Lindgren and Reynolds followed the same technical framework, however, the experience was different for the two.

While Reynolds also finished the music classes online, his frustration with the technical aspect led him to create other hobbies and keep music relevant in his life in other ways.

“Unfortunately, I did not have adequate home recording equipment and I decided not to prolong the frustration and agony. And, in fact, I have not been playing my drum kit much at all this summer. I resolved to run every day in May unless there was a good reason not to. The vinyl shops have reopened and I’m dutiful about mask-wearing, so music continues in some form,” said Reynolds.

 Reynolds says his time as an online student taught him the importance of making sure his teaching is as straightforward and simple as possible.

“If anything, that brief period where I was taking an online class taught me more about what not to do. So, in terms of teaching style in the fall, I’m going to try to use the time-honoured KISS rule (Keep It Simple, Stupid),” he said.

Reynolds and some of his graduate students have been fostering a sense of community throughout the summer by meeting virtually every Wednesday evening for “Summer Mag Club Cocktail Hour”.

“My students have a pretty good thing going making fun of me in my Google Meet environment -which is fine, I probably deserve it,” said Reynolds.

Online classes will begin at Ryerson University on Tuesday September 08, 2020.