We're almost halfway through the semester already and the nights are drawing in, these challenging times continue and many of us are still wrestling with ways to teach effectively online, and ensure students are cared for and supported.
In a conversation this week a colleague commented that she was missing the "in-between" times, the walks between buildings, picking up of mail, or queue for coffee. Some of these are important thinking times, to reflect and process. At home we may have to manufacture these moments, moving away from the computer, even a walk around the block or sitting in a different room is important in these times when we're always on.
This week we want to focus on our well-being, how we can ensure that we're coming up for air and staying healthy. We'd love to hear your tips for trying to stay well during these times and grateful for those we spoke to who were happy to share and provide recommendations.
Each week we provide links to stories and news from around the world, useful resources, and tools that you can use in teaching & learning. If you would like to comment on the content or have something to share then we invite your contributions and responses either by hitting reply and sending us an email or through our social media channels Instagram and Twitter.
We wanted to call your attention to the Zinn Education Project which promotes and supports the teaching of people’s history in classrooms across the country. There are links to teaching resources covering a wide range of topics. This is a truly excellent site and work that needs to be supported.
People, Places, and Things
Abeer Shinnawi is an Arab-American editor with thoughts about how to teach the Middle East and Islam in schools. There are considerations for HE here, such as not putting your Islamic or Arab heritage students on the spot when talking about Middle-East or religious issues. A thoughtful article part of a series of questions of the week.
Interesting photos of home setups for remote teaching, it's interesting to see the different ways instructors have modified offices and spare rooms in the search for the perfect space to deliver learning. Many of these look over-complicated to me but thought considerations about lighting important to note. Even a selfie ring clipped to the top of a laptop screen can make a huge difference.
Another article from HBP Education talks about the idea of Covenant teachers (which is a new phrase for me), but emphasizes the relationship and bond between instructor and student, especially during these difficult times.
This weeks' long read is an article about Boredom and what it does for us from the New Yorker. I enjoyed the quote from Tolstoy that the sensation is a "desire for desires". Some of you may suggest boredom is a luxury we desire at a time like this and as we said in the intro to the newsletter, it may have to be manufactured!
Finally, for those of us who are in Pittsburgh this weekend, the Cultural Trust and Humanities Center at CMU is holding their annual Festival @ home. It's a compelling line-up with events and talks that offer conversations with distinguished writers, artists, and humanists.
Highlighting Black Intellectuals/Artists & Cultural Agents
As part of the work of the Anti-Racist Working Group in Modern Languages, at CMU, we would like to highlight the work of Black Intellectuals/Artists/Cultural Agents throughout the world. It is not simply about the token inclusion of Black individuals, but an underlying transformation from a culture of denial and exclusion to a consideration of diverse traditions of knowledge. We know that we can’t properly teach our modules without incorporating these perspectives into the curriculum. This week we feature Bintou Dembele.
Bintou Dembélé is a dancer and a choreographer who is recognized as one of the pioneer figures of Hip Hop dance in France. She is the artistic director of her own dance company Rualité since 2002. Her work explores the issue of the memory of the body through the prisms of colonial and post-colonial French history.
On Screen
A huge favorite of ours when the original series aired a few years ago, Deutschland 89 is the latest installment of the highly rendered period East-German thriller. You can catch the early series on Amazon and Hulu, it a tense thriller, that you can enjoy as much for the design and interiors of life in the DDR. (In German)
I am Congo is a beautifully filmed travelogue through the country's people and culture, claiming to go deeper into the Congo that is rarely seen. (French with English Subtitles)
Tools and Resources
This won't be news for language teachers, but this article exploring why masks are challenging in the classroom is a must-read.
Are students still using handwritten notes now that many of them are at home on laptops? It is worth reminding them that there are benefits to writing by hand.
The new Apple iOS includes a "wind-down" option which encourages you to reduce phone use in the hours before you go to sleep. Headspace suggests the perfect wind-down routine.
The Carousel technique is an interesting way to manage several projects at once and work out what should be in-focus or push to the back of the carousel.
This wonderful couple model clothes left behind by their patrons.
Thank you for reading, we really appreciate your support and would love to hear more about what you like and what you've seen that might be useful to share. If you have anything you'd like to include in future issues, let us know.
This newsletter is produced by The Askwith Kenner Global Languages & Cultures Room, in the Modern Languages Department, Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University.
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