Due to COVID-19, teacher candidates in the 2019/20 Bachelor of Education program have had to quickly adapt their teaching and learning styles through the use of online platforms. We are showcasing some of the wonderful examples of projects created by them as part of the community field experience.
Rishi Gupta, Emily Ip, Riley Hass & Marissa Pavone
BEd Secondary (Science and Physical Education)
- What is the name of the community partner or group you are working with?
- J.N. Burnett Secondary students
- What is your project’s subject area(s)?
- Social studies, law, geography, physical and health education, science
- Tell us about your project!
- After secondary schools transitioned to remote learning, the four teacher candidates (TCs) at Burnett Secondary immediately recognized the challenges associated with online learning. To help diminish some of the barriers associated with this transition, we created an interdisciplinary YouTube channel with 20 educational videos to enrich student learning. After initial success of our first few videos, we decided to take this channel a step further by including videos on general life skills (e.g., how to bake, play Big 2, etc.)!
What makes our channel special is that it encompasses a diverse range of topics because our unique backgrounds have contributed to this channel’s diversity. From mitosis and meiosis to the Treaty of Versailles, geology and rocks to fitness challenges, and so on! We have just released these videos to our students and we are super excited to contribute to our community in a positive and meaningful way!
- Did you face any particular challenges in the planning, making or delivery of this project?
- There were definitely a few challenges. Due to the restrictions imposed by COVID-19, we could not create videos that featured all of us together in person. Instead, we had to resort to downloading online software programs that could capture all of us together in one video. Managing through technological difficulties were definitely challenging.
- How was the project received? Did anything surprise you about the outcome?
- For the videos that have been publicized, our project has been very well received by our students. They very much appreciate the time and effort we have put in to assist with their online learning!
- Can you tell us about a highlight of creating this remote lesson plan?
- COVID-19 has been stressful for us all and we truly miss our students. This project served as an outlet for our stress and also allowed us to stay connected with our students virtually. Taking the initiative to create this channel and maintain an online connection with our students was personally rewarding.
- What media did you use to create your project?
- YouTube, Zoom, Windows Media Player
- Where can we view your project?
- youtube.com/channel/UCOqcq8EteFW-n8zYKHjOSmw/