Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education & Social Work, Eric Rackley, suggested staff begin the Fall Semester with a more empathetic approach to help cultivate care for students and positivity for all. He acknowledged how many students will be joining BYU–Hawaii this Fall from countries and regions that have been affected differently by the pandemic.
Rackley said part of his preparation for the return of his students is understanding their experiences and struggles due to the pandemic “and considering what that implies for their return to classroom instruction.” He said being mindful of the diverse experiences and traumas of his students will allow them to feel comfortable and safe at BYUH.
He said he is designing his classroom instruction to be “an intellectually, socially and psychologically safe place where [students] can continue to work through the struggles and trauma of this last year.”
A passion for teaching
Thomas Robertson, an adjunct instructor in the Faculty of Education & Social Work and a licensed clinical social worker and therapist, beamed while explaining why he loves to teach his students in the classroom. “In-person teaching just energizes me, and I love getting to know every student.”
Robertson said it is important to make connections with students so they know he recognizes who they are. “I know everybody does this, but it’s just so important for me to learn everybody’s names.”
Teaching is more fulfilling when students wrestle with the course material, Rackley added. “It’s exciting when students are curious, and they challenge an idea or say, ‘I’m not sure I agree with that.’” He said he follows up by asking the student to explain why they disagree, which sparks a fulfilling “intellectual engagement.”
Rackley continued, “Part of my approach is to include an added measure of grace in my interactions with students, encourage students to be increasingly thoughtful toward each other, try to understand other student’s experiences during the pandemic that may be different than one’s own and realize some students may need a little more time and support to build up the academic and social skills that may have suffered a little during the pandemic.”
Ammon Wilcken, assistant professor in the Faculty of Education & Social Work, explained students can get the most out of in-person school by having more personal interaction with their professors. He said by doing this, professors have the chance to mentor students and help them along their path toward their future careers.
“When students come in and show me they’re comfortable coming in and talking to me, it’s one of my favorite things to have happen,” Wilcken shared. “When we all go back this Fall, I would hope to be both a professor and mentor for students, one on one, whenever possible.”
Working at BYUH has been a unique experience in terms of the faculty and students he has gotten to know, Wilcken added. “BYUH is really a great place for teaching, especially because if you talk to the professors, all of them really do enjoy teaching,” he said. “Professors don’t come to BYUH unless they really want to be a teacher and have a passion for it.”
Robertson said one aspect of teaching he enjoys is watching his students collaborate and dive deeper into the material. He said a few days before the pandemic, his students were understanding the material, working together, showing community and asking great questions during the class period. Robertson said he felt he was doing his job as a teacher because of the effort and curiosity the students were displaying.
“Having certain students who promote a good classroom makes the learning much more effective,” he added. “Students who can create a good classroom, bring everybody together and make people feel comfortable talking is critical for the classroom setting.” He explained he created this classroom environment by having open discussions, group work and collaborating as a class to understand and make goals.
Rackley smiled as he talked about going back to teaching his students in person this Fall 2021. He expressed he is more than ready to go back to school because he enjoys seeing and getting to know his students and learning from them, especially when they are genuinely curious about what is being taught.
“A favorite aspect of teaching would definitely be working with the students. That’s always the richest, most exciting part of it. Here at BYUH, it’s a teaching intensive university,” he said, emphasizing how this “makes it a rich experience for me and the students.”
Applying lessons from online learning
Robertson said for him, online teaching has been a learning curve. However, he said it has also allowed him to develop his courses and teaching style, especially on Canvas, and stretched him as a therapist.
“Something we can learn from the pandemic is every student knows how to be an online student and an in-person student,” he explained. “Every teacher knows how to be an online teacher, and in my profession, every therapist is also an online therapist. We all know how to use the right tools to do our jobs, and our abilities have doubled.”
Robertson expressed his ability to teach in an online and in-person format has allowed him to learn how to use different tools, like Canvas, to assist his students in learning new material from a diverse set of online sources.
Rackley said his in-person classes are full of discussions and interactive lessons to help keep his students engaged and eager to keep learning. He explained his teaching style varies from class to class to keep the classroom interesting and diverse.
He explained he made his online classes more interactive by having students participate in group work, which included joint assignments, discussions and important feedback to cultivate a more unified learning experience for his students.
In Rackley’s pedagogy course, he said he asked his students to watch, read and interpret course material while also working in groups to accomplish weekly assignments as a team.
In addition, he said he encouraged his online students to take notes during his lectures and while doing their homework and turn them in to him. He said feedback from his students revealed taking physical notes helped them absorb and understand the material better.
In the Fall, Rackley said he will continue to use these skills to help his students deepen their learning. For example, he said by having his students complete research before class to prepare them for the discussion, they will be introduced to diverse learning resources besides the textbook and his lectures.
Rackley advised returning students to take courses they enjoy and to enjoy the courses they are taking by changing their mindset.
“If you’re taking courses you enjoy, let yourself enjoy them. If you’re taking courses you don’t enjoy, take them as if you were to enjoy them by putting that attitude towards your assignments and readings,” he said. “Usually, people start to enjoy it because they start to realize what they are learning is interesting and is important to know.”
One way he said students can be more interested is to inquire about what they are learning in the classroom. Rackley shared how he had a student who “asked a lot of questions to make sure he understood things and wanted to know more beyond what the readings offered. I gave him additional readings, which he enjoyed.” •