This Week for Faculty: Teaching in times of stress and challenge
Emotionally distressing events beyond the classroom can impede teaching and learning. Adopting pedagogies of care can help navigate times of stress and challenge. Below are three tips drawn from the on-demand resource Teaching in Times of Stress and Challenge.
- Check-in with your students and connect them to campus resources. Gauge how your students are doing by checking in with them before, during, or after class, or during office hours. Connect your students to campus well-being resources, and empower them to seek help from Columbia Health.
- Acknowledge what is going on. Students appreciate instructors that acknowledge what is going on in the world beyond the classroom, and that they may be experiencing challenges. Recognize that students may have a hard time concentrating on learning, completing activities and assignments, or remaining motivated to engage in class or outside of class. Build in flexibility to support your students’ success in your course.
- Take care of yourself. Seek out the resources (e.g., through the Office of Work-Life and Human Resources) you need in order to be able to show up for your students.
Consult with us
Office Hours
Join us for office hours via Zoom (or phone) Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm to have your teaching with instructional technology questions answered, or schedule an in-person appointment any time by contacting ColumbiaCTL@columbia.edu.
Consultations
Schedule an in-person or virtual consultation to discuss your approach to adopting pedagogies of care or other teaching and learning needs by emailing ctlfaculty@columbia.edu or email the CTL Learning Designer assigned to your school or department.