ESL associate dean Dr. Maria Ammar working closely with students under normal circumstances.
Four English as a Second Language instructors – Teresa Stillo Ramirez, Valerie Burgoyne, Matt Wilson and Betsy Bierer – have been figuring out how to take highly-interactive courses in the classroom to a virtual environment.
“I have tried to create a workspace in which I can stand to as to mimic my normal classroom style, in which I mostly stand and circulate around the room,” says Stillo Ramirez, who teaches three ESL courses. “Many of my students are immigrants, refugees and some international students, who have to navigate many real-world social and cultural hurdles even as they are suddenly forced to navigate the virtual educational world. Some of them had difficulties logging in to the system and navigating Canvas.”
Help has come from outside of SLCC. “Some of the resources I use for vocabulary and grammar building have made their premium subscriptions free to teachers until the end of the year to help with remote learning,” Burgoyne says. “Many people from our ESL department have helped my students to get connected to WebEx and Canvas and to help resolve other issues, which has been wonderful. Remembering and feeling like I am not alone in this has been invaluable.”
None of the ESL instructors had to cancel classes but teaching from home can be a challenge. Matt Wilson’s night class starts at 6 p.m., about when his daughter needs to be put to bed in their 2-bedroom rental house. His office where he teaches is next to her bedroom. “So, in the middle of class when my students take a break, I move my computer to the kitchen table, go say “Goodnight” to my daughter and fill up my glass of water for the last hour of class,” Wilson says.
What is happening now, with remote learning, could be a sign of how instruction will be changing. “Online learning is the future,” Bierer says. “Teachers and students will all benefit from this experience. It has been an intense learning curve, but I am pleased with my new skills and knowledge. I hope my students are too.”