“I want to be a teacher still. I want to give them what they need. I want to make it a positive experience and I think my colleagues do, too.”
Bridgewater State University is a big family, and families often gather around the dining room table. That’s what’s happening – virtually – in Dr. Jeanne Ingle’s education classes during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Ingle, an assistant professor in the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education, has turned her dining room into an office for video-conferencing with individual students and classes.
“Right now, it feels nice to bring them into my home,” she said. “I feel like my students are sitting at my dining room table with me.”
Ingle is holding online office hours where students can conference with her individually or in small groups. She also coordinates student teaching, which is undergoing changes as BSU officials work with state education partners.
No matter the format instruction takes, Ingle aims to ensure her students receive the essential information to become first-rate educators.
“I want to be a teacher still,” she said. “I want to give them what they need. I want to make it a positive experience and I think my colleagues do, too.”
The COVID-19 outbreak offers a lesson in itself, and Ingle plans to discuss with her students how it is affecting education.
In face-to-face classes, she often uses group projects and interactive activities. Now, she is adapting those so students can complete them and connect with classmates through whatever means of communication works best. She is recording virtual class sessions so students who are technologically unable to join live can still succeed.
Ingle’s knowledge of remote teaching is growing, and she’s committed to finding solutions for all her students.
“If this plan doesn’t work, we’re going to make a plan that does work,” she said. “We’re there for each other.”
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