Cameras On/Off Insights and
Other Lesson Considerations
The Cameras On / Off Dilemma — LBS Realities
The fully online emergency response teaching during the pandemic pivot is no longer a necessity, but many programs came to see the flexibility that remote delivery or options can provide to adult learners with busy lives and schedules. For this reason, there are some LBS programs that offer more than one delivery option, and not only a face-to-face format.
For LBS practitioners who are currently delivering programming online in a synchronous format—via Zoom, MS Teams or other meeting platforms—one of the most mysterious and frustrating realities is that encounter with those initialed faceless squares!
When cameras are off, we lose some valuable visual information. We don't see the nodding, blank looks, a confident smile, nervous fidgeting.
The useful non-verbal feedback practitioners regularly rely on to adjust lesson pace or to also check for understanding are no longer there.
Consider some of the perspectives the working group shared with respect to cameras being off during a session:
I was thinking about the importance of privacy because I've had students who joined my class from a shelter. I've had students who had very young kids around them. So the last thing that I'm thinking about is asking them to turn on their cameras.
I said, ‘Okay, it’s better for them to be there, with camera off, and even lots of time with the mic off. That would be better than excluding this person from the whole education system'.
—Leila Naderi
The lowest level learners,...they have some of the worst technology. And when the camera's off, I don't know if your video is choking. I don't know if you can't hear the sound. And that's difficult. It makes it very hard for us to help people who've missed out on pieces.
—John Stackhouse
Because adults have more responsibilities, I give a little bit more flexibility, in terms of the cameras being on or being off... they're taking care of their children while they're trying to learn. They'll keep muting themselves, because there's like a baby crying in the background which, honestly, is less than ideal coming from an instructor's perspective, because it's an interruption. But looking at the human level of it, they wouldn't be able to access these courses otherwise.
—Joe Spencer
When we’re trying to be flexible in an online setting with cameras off and people stepping away, we can consider what strategies might keep things engaging in light of these realities.
—Smita Parpani
Here are a few strategies our working group members have found to be useful when it comes to engaging adult learners who have their cameras off:
Create classroom norms around camera use with the students; incorporate flexibility and room for exceptions.
Ask learners who may need to keep their cameras off to upload a photo of themselves or of something meaningful that will replace the initials that typically show up when camera is off.
Explicitly ask for playful emoji feedback after something new is introduced. (e.g. thumbs up, thumbs down, confused face, shocked face, content face).
Introduce a quick poll to elicit feedback and to engage.
Orchestrate a chat waterfall moment (i.e. guide learner to type a response in the chat feature, but to not hit send until the count of three; give time for all to read the waterfall of responses). Learners find this variation to adding their voice to the online class exhilarating and not as threatening because there is a cascade of chat comments appearing all at the same time.
Let learners know that there will be small-group breakout room activities where they may consider turning on their cameras. Learners often feel more inclined to turn on their cameras in a small group activity.
SOME OTHER IMPORTANT INSIGHTS FROM THE PAL WORKING GROUP ON TEACHING DIGITAL SKILLS
Differentiated Instruction
Tailoring instruction to meet diverse learner needs—differentiated instruction— is a foundational teaching practice in LBS programming. Adult learners arrive with different profiles, literacy levels, a plethora of past experiences and varying levels of facility when it comes to digital devices and comfort level with technology. The practitioner is always aware of this and
These varying levels of digital proficiency really do call for greater guidance for some students during the lesson.
BELOW IS AN EXAMPLE FROM GEORGINA ABOUT HOW SHE WAS AWARE OF DIFFERENCES AND PROVIDED ADDITIONAL DIGITAL GUIDANCE FOR LEARNERS NEEDING SOMETHING MORE TO COMPLET THE TASK...
An example of a class task and different comfort levels with technology:
The learners were asked to do the three following steps:
Log in to a Chromebook using your school email or your personal email
Create a Google doc
Give the Google doc a title
Georgina reflects on differentiating her learners and making room in the lesson for greater digital guidance
"So the expectation wasn't that everybody would get there at the same time because people are at different levels of comfort with technology.
I did write more detailed tips or instructions for those who would need them up on the board [or in the chat or a slide if you are online]. Some students didn't need it, some did. That's how I made sure that there was something there for everyone."
John reflects on the value of having a wide set of resources for different types of learners
So when I do my Customer Service class, if we're doing it in person, we have one set of notes, where it's the three slides to a page with the note piece beside that you can print out from Excel. I have another set that is one slide per page, and I have a set with all the fluff taken out. So it's just what my students need.
So that people can actually pick which set they want to work from. For people who are a bit neurodivergent, if there's slides that are up on the screen that aren't in their book, they lose their continuity with that, and they get upset and frustrated. For some people seeing a great big book is terrifying, so being able to have those resources in your pocket to give them what they need, instead of giving them what we want is a is a powerful tool.
Scaffolding for Supporting Digital Skills
Scaffolding is an instructional method whereby practitioners offer support to learners as they work on learning new concepts or honing their skills. Practitioners often demonstrate how to solve a problem or have classmates with more experience in using a digital tool model how it's done. The practitioner then gradually steps back and lets students practice with others and, ultimately, on their own—removing the scaffolding or supports as confidence and skills are strengthened.
"In the context of this group, scaffolding to me means helping to build foundational skills step- by-step in order to support learners developing their digital literacy skills for work, life and further schooling." —Joe Spencer
"More information and steps are added over time so that the desired knowledge can be practiced and learned over the course of the class or the next few classes. When the learners find things are coming to them with more automaticity the teaching supports can be gradually taken away as the learning takes hold." —Georgina Smith