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I chose this picture because of the skeptical, wait-and-see, why-don't-you-first-prove-I-should-pay-attention-to-you attitude I read in this person's body language. Every student belongs in my class, even on the days that they just want to sit in the back not doing much or contributing anything. You never know what's going on in their lives. (Photo credit Jordon Wells on Unsplash)

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Maintain as much structure as you can

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I think an important aspect of creating community in our classrooms is to foster an environment in which we can learn by failing; by getting out of our comfort zones and feeling a bit silly. This is especially important in music classrooms, where we often have to share our artistic work. The photo below encapsulates the idea that both students and teachers shouldn't take themselves too seriously. A relaxing environment can lead to transformative creativity.

Photo by Dominik Vanyi on Unsplash

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A successful team is typically a example of a highly functional community.  I like this picture because it is showing a moment of success for the team.  Not shown (but implied) is all the hard work they would have done as a group and individually (for themselves and for each other) to generate this community success.

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In many courses, especially those scientific courses that have many levels of material and complex thought (such as physiology - cell, tissue, organ, system, body), it would be an unrealistic expectation to think that students will be able to immediately learn all of that. By speaking with peers and teaching each other what they have each focused on, they are likely to be able to cover the material - "together we cover it all"

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I like this image because it shows potential. I like to build on the potential and expertise that students already have. I try to approach them as "experts" of their own experience and my job is to show them what they already know but maybe can't articulate yet.

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I was raised on a farm, and the 4-H saying was "Learn to do by doing." I believe that online teaching and having students navigate online, you have to be as interactive as possible. A teacher guides the students from simple to more complex activities and the teacher gradually withdraws as the learner assumes more responsibility for their learning

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Moto GP racing is a good example of the need for both individual and collective responsibility, and both synchronous riding and asynchronous breakaways, to avoid crashes and to get everyone past the finish line.
Much of my research is based on ideas of "community" but I am always struck by S. Keller's(1988) comment that "Community and Individuality are a dialectic pair, each essential for the other". In my view we can strive to create community but learning will also be enhanced by individual effort.

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This green, well-watered forest reminds me of my trip to a rainforest. The life, water, trees short and tall, the fresh air. We see growth, youth, maturity, interdependence. This "ecosystem" is vibrant and dynamic. This is how I'd like my classroom to be, that each of us would grow and nurture each other. Hopefully it becomes a place where people can be at peace, learn from and support one another, and breathe in fresh ideas.

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Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests

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Too often we see each other/ourselves as weeds.  But each plant occupies a niche - it flourishes in a particular ecological area.  If I’m a helpful gardener, my task is to ensure each seed has the conditions it needs to grow and thrive.  

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Too often we see each other/ourselves as weeds.  But each plant occupies a niche - it flourishes in a particular ecological area.  If I’m a helpful gardener, my task is to ensure each seed has the conditions it needs to grow and thrive.  

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Photo by Hasan Almasi on Unsplash

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Each plant is called to be something different: a poppy should not be faulted because it is not a grass, nor the grass faulted because it is not a poppy.  

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Each plant is called to be something different: a poppy should not be faulted because it is not a grass, nor the grass faulted because it is not a poppy.  

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Photo by Marion Botella on Unsplash

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Each seed is different and needs different settings to help them grow (and yes, some grow better because of fire - some would be harmed!)

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Each seed is different and needs different settings to help them grow (and yes, some grow better because of fire - some would be harmed!)

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Photo by Dmytriy Kravchenko on Unsplash

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I garden, so I sometimes think of students as seeds...

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I garden, so I sometimes think of students as seeds...

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Photo by Syd Wachs on Unsplash

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I am being reminded of the importance of slowing things down so students can find their way in my course and validating their frustrations and confusion... and then helping them navigate. I would do this F2F so I can also do this online :)

From Dawn McBride
* I do not know where I found this picture, sorry.

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I liked this artist's intervention into  traditional art (the kind I teach) with contemporary additions -- for me it worked metaphorically about content -- I will have to be mindful about teaching the series, good-for-you content, but a some of the community creation will be more like the junk food -- ie it's not strictly part of course content, but it most people like it and it helps people relax so they can do their best.  It's not a perfect metaphor! https://blog.adafruit.com/2019/10/01/junk-food-as-still-life-arttuesday/

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Georgia O'Keeffe once said: seeing takes time...seeing all beauties into an image of flower.
Teaching is like peeling the onion one layer at a time, hoping at the end seeing a floral onion together with students... Photo by Maria Hochgesang on Unsplash.com

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I like this picture of a beautiful and healthy meal. To me, it represents the great diversity of our students and the beauty that occurs when we bring them all together in collaboration. Successfully building community online requires us to understand that our students have diverse backgrounds, needs, and learning styles and to actively find ways to help them collaborate. Photo by Photo by Naveed Pervaiz on Unsplash