Teachers need to create a “brave space,” she says. "I want students to feel welcomed and also want to be able to individualize their learning." "I start out the semester by inviting students to share with me their interests, aspirations, and anything else so that I can better support them," Mongan-Rallis says. She invited her friend Sara Thomsen to make a video for the students of her singing the song, “Somewhere to Begin.” The students learned the words and they sang the song together, with Mongan-Rallis leading the virtual sing-along. She had to swallow her pride and do something she wasn't very good at - namely, singing. Mongan-Rallis once led the class in a playful activity. Oftentimes, Mongan-Rallis will start out the class playing music chosen by students, reflecting their interests and backgrounds, as a way of creating an inclusive and welcoming environment. As students stream in, there is time for social conversations and a chance for classroom friends to connect with each other.
Social Connections, Music and Sacrificing Prideīefore every class, Mongan-Rallis opens the sessions well before class time. Her goal is to empower UMD grads to leave their students feeling confident and engaged. Mongan-Rallis shares methodologies and secrets she uses to lead an online learning experience. She and the students in her Technology for Teaching & Learning got a real-life dose of what it meant to learn and teach on-line. While she has a long history of intertwining technology and teaching, the true test came for her in spring of 2020. The attention Mongan-Rallis pays to every student’s success is heightened by the current world crisis. The situation was one of Mongan-Rallis’ most difficult, but she says, “I feel like it ended up a success.” Within only a few meetings, she had gained the confidence she needed to do her work on her own, and she was soon caught up.” She ended up with a copy of her responses that she could then submit. "This way I could encourage her and give her prompts and reassurance as needed so that she could be successful. “I invited the student to respond orally to the assignment, describing what she would have written," Mongan-Rallis says. She was determined to help the student pull out of the cycle and complete the class.
Mongan-Rallis was familiar with a ‘cycle of shame’ phenomenon that causes missing assignments to escalate. On the walk, she treated the student to a beverage at the Northern Shores Coffee Shop and the two began to have an honest conversation about what was causing this student to fall behind.
Threatening spaces can push away students who need help. “An office is sometimes a symbol of power,” she says.
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