Amidst the flurry of frantic redesign and crash courses in using educational technology at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Louis-Etienne wondered how he would deliver his courses from his rural home. He had concerns about bandwidth, but he was also concerned about his students who were facing new challenges and a sudden shift in their learning.
With these concerns in mind, Louis-Etienne began learning about Slow Teaching and decided to take a stripped down approach to his classes.
He started by reducing the content in his lecture slides by 25 per cent.
Then, he set the scene each week by creating ambiance through music, backdrops (including the natural environment) and props. Each week, students were invited not only into a learning space, but an experience.
Time was allotted for thinking, sharing and discussing the content of the week’s lecture. His students would come to class each week eager to enter a space where they could slow down and be with each other as the explored new concepts.
To hear more about Louis-Etienne’s approach, listen to this episode of the Podagogies podcast.