Thread by @AnnetteJosephG

We are *still* in a pandemic and our students are struggling. Here are some of the ways I have tried to adapt my courses this semester to our reality. Pandemic pedagogy a 🧵 1/

Attendance policy: emphasizes reward over punishment. You don’t lose points for missing class. You get points for each class you attend. If you miss more than 3 classes I will email you to see if all is well and how I can help. That’s it 2/

Participation: share something verbally, in the Zoom chat, one sentence post-class reflection...anything you contribute earns you points for the day. I weave all modes of participation into the larger discussion 3/

Grading: Say you need 90 pts to get an A. Syllabus lists assignments totaling 180 pts. Small low stakes ones that accumulate, some big high pts ones, medium assignments to give a boost. Nothing is mandatory. Decide which ones are worth your time and capture your interest 4/

Deadlines: Rolling. If you miss a deadline just select another assignment due later and keep it pushing. If you need an extension just let me know your new preferred deadline. No need to trade a traumatic story for an extension 5/

Assignments:
➡️Teach Your Fam. 5 min presentation followed by 5 mins of Q&A
➡️Essays, unessays, play to your strengths and your interests
➡️Some class sessions dedicated to watching course films and chatting on Slack to build community
➡️Collective annotation on @hypothes_is 6/

Scheduling: Class divided into modules. I teach for 3 weeks then we take a break for a week. Zoom fatigue is real. This is the single most humane decision I have made this semester. Thank you to the person #onhere who suggested it sorry I can’t remember who 7/

Lessons learned: Students have difficulty trusting this level of flexibility. We have so ingrained policies of punishment that they are constantly worried about losing points for not having the correct font or the right number of secondary sources 8/

Takeaway: Work out what matters for you to impart to your students...what really matters. Is it “preparing” them for the workforce by replicating the punishment, surveillance and distrust? Is it being in community and learning together? Figure it out and model it. Fin.