I observed a one-hour program Canadian studies lesson in a BigBlueButton classroom. The program is a short term language and culture program through TRU. The class I will be observing is made up of 23 students, they are mixed ages from 13-18, from multiple countries. Most of the students are located in Delta, BC. I have observed this class twice previously, this will be my first time observing a culture based lesson.
The topic of the Canadian studies class was the history of Kamloops. In this lesson, the instructor started with the relevance of the fur trade to the establishment of Kamloops. The instructor used a lot of different visuals but eluded to how when she teaches this lesson in person she runs it differently. She has clearly adapted the lesson to fit the online format that is now required in her class. In this class, she has also brought in an assistant to help manage some of the technical procedures to make the transitions smoother. In the lesson the instructor placed the students into breakout rooms, she said she purposefully picked which students would be working with each other. Unfortunately, in the breakout room, I observed the students were happy to sit in silence. I did end up encouraging the students to do their tasks (my inner teacher couldn’t help it).
It’s crazy how fast an hour-long class passes, I’m always surprised how quickly it is from the welcome to the goodbye. I found the use of an instructor assistant was an effective strategy to maximize class time. If the assistant is handling the technical size and organizing the Big Blue Button feature that limits the amount of time wasted on transitions.