Top Tips: Doctoral Teaching in the Pandemic
By Aanchal Vij
Apart from our research project on a good day, the other thing that can potentially offer PhD students a sense of fulfilment is teaching. Teaching and learning, much like many other facets of our lives, have been deeply impacted by the ebbs and flows of this pandemic. As a doctoral researcher who has taught both before and during the pandemic, I've learnt a few things through experience as well as through the support of the teaching community at Sussex that has been a great resource for helpful tips. Here are some of the things I've learnt that might be helpful for other doctoral researchers who take on online teaching in the coming months:
1. Technology is your best friend
The now-mainstream softwares like Zoom and Microsoft Teams being used for teaching have some incredibly useful features that can offer opportunities for engagement with students beyond classroom discussion. For instance, using anonymous polls to have mid-seminar check-ins (especially if the seminars are longer than an hour) and breakout rooms can be very useful. The check-ins can help you gauge where the students' energy levels are at and the way you frame your question can help you learn more about how students are doing in terms of knowledge retention, needing a break, etc. Breakout rooms were my holy grail during the autumn term because putting students in smaller groups really got the discussion going. I'd give my students prompts before splitting them up for 5-7 minutes and they'd return to the main room more motivated to speak and contribute. I also made use of softwares like Padlet which is a great way to have facilitate some anonymous participation in class.
2. Acknowledge the circumstances
It might seem counterintuitive to acknowledge the pandemic and the overwhelming ways in which it has affected classroom milieus in order to ensure a sense of normalcy while teaching online. However, being honest about the awkwardness of the situation and admitting that this is a learning process for you as an instructor too (because it is!) can work miracles. It can make you more accessible to the students and it helps them to know that you're aware of how the changed circumstances have naturally impacted their productivity as well.
3. Encourage multi-disciplinary conversations
Using the first few sessions to gauge what the student interests are -- perhaps modelling the ice breaker in the first session to acquire that information -- worked very well for me. I had a diverse classroom with students majoring in different disciplines. It helped me plan future seminars in a way that I was actively able to bring in their varied interests and disciplines into the discussion to encourage a more vibrant conversation. Even though my own expertise did not necessarily lie in those areas, it was fascinating to raise questions together with students and take on critical lines of enquiry even when there wasn't necessarily a straight answer.
4. Don't be afraid of the silence
As doctoral tutors, it can be easy to give in to silence, especially on a day of low participation. When I first started teaching, I would raise a discussion point and answer it myself within a few seconds of having asked it. However, slowly I learnt that the best perspectives come out of an uncomfortable silence so the key is to take away the discomfort from it. Never underestimate the power of silence as motivation for students to speak out.
I'll be taking some of these lessons with me even when we resume in-person teaching - the pandemic really encouraged me to be more adaptable in my teaching approach, keep my teaching plan very flexible and dynamic, and allow space for slow learning. It's easy to underestimate our own capabilities but it's reassuring to remember that student learning isn't necessarily always visible - you might not see it in class participation but you might see it in their writing. I hope some of these tips help in both online and face to face teaching, and lets you cut yourself (and your students!) some slack in this process of teaching learning.
About the author
Aanchal Vij is an American Studies researcher at University of Sussex. She works on nostalgia, American exceptionalism, and comic books. She has taught courses on American History, Visual Narratives and Adolescence to undergraduates. She can be reached at Aanchal.vij@sussex.ac.uk