ARTS 1 CHAT BOX HIGHLIGHTS

As one Calvin & Hobbes cartoon puts it, “You can present the material, but you can’t make me care.” How do you make them care about Arts 1 in this pandemic?

Jhoanna Cruz

My weekly synchronous sessions are real time facebook streams in the class Facebook group. This contains greetings, announcements, and a 10-15 minute micro-lecture. The whole thing takes about 30 minutes. 

Students can feedback in the chatbox. The session is recorded and stored into the facebook group for playback.  

It keeps me in their consciousness.

Robin Daniel Rivera

May I reply to @Jhoanna? My experience in team-teaching with Diego was that a number of our discussion fora (DF) deals with how to relate the week's module to their current Covid-19 experience. E.g. For the Materials and Techniques module, we have this DF activity where they will create a 10-15 second music using materials from their week's meal. So that could be sardines cans, noodles wrapper, spoons, etc. And then in the weekly letter the following week, we synthesize how we hope that helped them connect the Arts to the movement of their daily lives, despite and within the pandemic. Hope that helps.

Banaue Miclat-Janssen

To add to Banaue’s response, in fact the final project for both times we’ve taught the course revolved specifically around the arts, COVID, and the future.

Diego Maranan

"How do you make them care about ARTS1 in this pandemic?" I think it's much more important for students to know that their welfare matters more than the requirements we assign. Compassion through and through. 

It's even apt to ask the question, "How does art matter when there is a pandemic?"

Reya Veloso

It’s quite important to let the students know beforehand what’s going to happen during the synch session. 

For instance, I usually give a reminder and the agenda, which includes (1) kamustahan, (2) feedback giving for the done activities/assessments, and (3) clarifications on concepts/topics/instructions. (4) Q&A! :)

Jerard Eusebio

And we make it a point to try to highlight a different student every week with the assumption (that needs to be validated) is that this occasional singling out from the mass might be motivation to keep engaged (i.e., mini-fame)

Diego Maranan

Students respond positively to the smallest gestures. Like Prof Carreon mentioned, they feel the support when you're online during consultation hours or class hours (i.e. I hang around our Discord server during days we have no synch lec just to have a 'presence' for them). They are also very appreciative when you're upfront with negotiating how the class should be handled. Days before the first week of classes, I sent out a needs assessment for online readiness survey, a suggested weekly schedule/structure and they really liked that. Made them feel involved and heard. 

Rachel Katimbang

"Frame the framework" in the current specific (pandemic) context

Wen Raymundo

What @Rachel says also shows how important it is that we keep up with being learner- and learning-centered. This could be difficult for us who’ve been trained, maybe most of our lives, in a different paradigm. 

In my experience, KPOP has been the gateway to increased student engagement. 

May sound like I’m kidding, but I’m not. :))

Jerard Eusebio

Our specific problem is that we need to demonstrate the humanities. Our performative choices—more than our content—will prove that it's worthwhile to do this. Much respect to Sir Carreon, Sir Jerard, Ma'am Rachel, Ma'am Reya, and the hands-on teachers in attendance.

Dennis Andrew Aguinaldo

@Rachel and @Jerard, you raise an important in that also the validation of student’s ideas should come not just from the teacher from their peers

Diego Maranan

Yes! Peer evaluation is our friend! :) Indeed, the result is always telling.

Jerard Eusebio

I think there are so many intersections between literary theory and art theory. Art criticism naman has historically been influenced by—if not, derived from—literary theory. But aside from critical theory and approaches such as Marxism and materialism, feminisms, gender theory, postcolonial theory, etc., if I remember right, Mieke Bal and Norman Bryson specifically pointed out that “semiotics” is one approach that may be engaged both from the literary perspective and from the art theoretical perspective

Mars Briones