At the end of our Journalism course, I asked each team member to share an "appreciation" of a teammate or the group.

This was done in breakout rooms.

Before leaving the main room, one student said to the class that he acknowledged the cheese-factor but that he approved of the request.

His group needed to meet for longer after I'd called them all back, so that they could get through all their appreciations.

Somehow, this class was able to develop relationships with each other despite not being in the same room.

I'm grateful for their willingness to try what I asked, to put themselves out there, to try new things.

I've learned a lot with this group:

1. Make synchronous, small group time a priority and routine
2. Mix up groups but have a consistent "home" group they can get to know more deeply
3. Listen to students' observations and make changes to address problems
4. Treat cohorts as one

By having a class meeting everyday at 11am without fail, I consistently had 26+ out of 29 students attend, even on the last day.

The predictable routine was essential.

There are LOTS of things I would change and mitigate, including the near dash over the finish line when all their procrastination is turning into a list of SO many stories to publish at the end.

But I'm thankful for the learning I've had and the relationships they've/I've managed to build.

#distancelearning
#covid19
#teachinginapandemic
#studentsareresilient