Putting the (e) ‘Q’ in e-teaching!

Presented as part of the English Australia/Pearson Festival of Bright Ideas by Franca Turrin.
I’ve always tried to foster strong human connections and a sense of belonging in my physical classroom. I think they can be a great impetus and motivator to student learning. So when COVID-19 suddenly catapulted us into online teaching earlier this year, I knew that one of my greatest challenges was going to be finding a way of achieving this close connection with my students.
Teaching from our personal spaces presents particular conundra in the e-learning space! In my case, I have a wonderful dog who is a bit of a barker! But to my surprise he was also my muse, helping me
find a wonderful solution to my problem! I needed to introduce him to my students early on in the piece. And what better way than a Show and Tell. I would begin the first class by asking each student to bring something, to the next session, that started with the letter ‘L’ and tell a story about it. I then modelled by introducing my dog, Louis, prompting questions from my students. My students loved the fact that I shared something personal with them and it made them all the more eager to show
their object and ask questions. In subsequent lessons the letter of the day was set for the following day or session.
I have a similar activities using Google Earth, whereby the students and I would share our favourite locations, best coffees, camping sites, primary schools etc. I also had an exercise, ‘What’s On My
Desk?’ I would show the students my desk and they would then share theirs, using the cameras on their phones and the share screen function in Zoom. The upshot off all of this? Cameras would come on, with no hiding behind blank screens! The students found it easier to engage with each other and ask questions. And without too much effort, they would become more familiar with the technology and Zooming capabilities (which was also particularly useful later in preparation for online exams). In fact, they became so engaged that we would continue the discussions out of class in our Wechat forum. There was real human connection and sense of belonging to our group in what could be lonely and
isolating times.
In my Bright Ideas Presentation I would like to present the slides I use to facilitate these activities and demonstrate some student examples.
Presenter: Franca Turrin (NSW)
I am an English Language Teacher and I have worked at Insearch for the last four years, teaching across all levels. I have a degree from Sydney University in languages and a degree from RMIT in
Visual Communications. I have been able to use these skills to complement my teaching in a blended learning environment. I have written for Humanising Language Teaching and have run training
sessions within Insearch for other teachers. My teaching practice is defined by a student centeredness approach with an affinity for technology. My aim is to empower students to learn and
work independently in preparation for university.