Dear Hari,
GTKY activities, and generally continuing to implement community building activities, is something I really try to center in my courses. I may even go overboard (if that's possible) on efforts to make sure my learners feel connected to each other - but ultimately, it results in a community of learners that trusts one another, communicates honestly, and even establishes friendships that extend beyond the course.
One of my favorite online tools for this is
Padlet. I *
love* Padlet for a few reasons. First, I'm a visual person and I really enjoy being creative with the Padlets that I design. The more visually appealing, the more inviting to learners. You can set up the Padlet in several ways (templates), but a simple format is the "Wall" - a space where people can all just post responses and messages to each other in what becomes a collage. You can also create columns with a header atop each - a prompt or question, a topic, etc. Then learners can post responses under each. As a GTKY activity, for example, those headers could be: Languages you speak, Countries you've visited, Foods you love, Favorite films/music/museum, etc. You can target goals for the course, academic interests, language challenges, etc.
Here is one I created at the END of a TESOL practicum where I asked my students to leave a note to a future practicum student. And
here is a video I made to share with faculty at my institution who are new to Padlet or want to see additional ways to use it. Of course, you can use Padlet to teach content and invite comments from learners.
I created this Padlet for my recent workshop at TESOL in Pittsburgh. It's a compilation of resources and readings related to Antiracist practice. In a class, you could share various readings, videos, resources, etc. and invite students to read and comment, and build on each other's ideas. Then they could discuss those ideas and reflections in class to get a sense of each other's perspectives on a given topic.
In addition, you might try a similar group sharing through
Google Jamboard - though I generally use that tool more for active brainstorming on topics and projects in classes.
If you try out Padlet, I'd love to hear how it goes!
Cheers,
Rai
------------------------------
Raichle Farrelly, PhD
Director, TESOL Programs
University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, CO, USA
-------------------------
RCIS Chair, 2018-2019
TESOL Nominating Committee, 2019-2020
------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 17-05-2022 11:46 AM
From: Harisimran Sandhu
Subject: GTKY Activities
Hi All,
We've come a long way in terms of online teaching and yet many of us struggle to establish rapport and connect with our online learners.
One of the things that most of us like to do at the start of a course are GTKY Activities (Getting to Know You) and we often feel handicapped in being able to generate the kind of verve that attends f2f sessions.
Which GTKY activities work best in the online mode? How can these be adapted for more effectiveness?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Hari
------------------------------
Harisimran Sandhu
Freelance ELT Professional
India
------------------------------