Lessons from Quarantine-landia

On March 12 after teaching my last class on Latin American Literature to my undergraduate students–just before Spring Break–I came home and crawled down a rabbit hole into  Quarantine-landia. In the weeks that followed I initially carried on in a virtual world using my different screens (phone, tablet, and laptop) to stay connected to students, colleagues, friends, family and the outside world. The screen became a window to the outside world, but I soon discovered that there was the other side to the window, and it was the inside world of my Brooklyn apartment and myself, which I was less acquainted with and more vulnerable in. 

On the other side of the window there were the news headlines, social media, and the buzz–a world of words. On this side of the window there was my home, my early morning walks in the park, and the quiet–a world of images. Initially I felt a dissonance between the noise of the outside world and the respite of the inside world. Even when I listened to music the words in a song felt like interruptions to what I felt the instrumentation was trying to brush and imprint on the surface of my mind. The worlds of words and images and that of the outside and the inside, began to stretch apart and in the in-between space I found breathing room for my emotions. In the inside world with fewer words I felt less trapped and less suffocated. When I ventured out into the muted neighborhood to go to the supermarket I noticed the stillness of the buildings and the movement of the trees. I saw people motioning with their eyes and gesturing with their hands to communicate behind masks and plexiglass. Studying imagery and how images are used to exchange meaning became more effective to map my local and intimate worldview. Images filled the frames of how I was beginning to observe and experience the world. I even pictured words, that of my own and others around me, in talking and thinking bubbles. I was developing a hybrid language that was more fitting for me and my new world. 

This newfound worldview and language of comics began to shape my work and my identities as a teacher, mentor, tutor, student, and creator. It started with making changes to my syllabus and integrating graphic novels into the course I was teaching that went online after Spring Break. I then designed an intercultural storytelling curriculum for a study abroad (remote) program using comics. I created a digital archive of Latin American comics as part of my doctoral dissertation. I sketched illustrations for a children’s book script I had shelved years ago. And I am currently designing an online workshop for formerly incarcerated youth using superhero motifs in comics. Facing a crisis–of the outside and inside worlds–is a fundamental crossroads in the hero’s journey and a story arc. Even superheroes must stare into the abyss in order to discover that their true power does not really come from shooting beams out their eyes or webs from their wrists, but lies somewhere deeper within, which makes their story that much more human and universal. 

I am integrating comic forms into my work to express the anxieties, issues, and aspirations I am feeling and seeing. Through the looking glass of Quarantine-landia I am discovering a power in the language of comics to guide me along the path to the other side of the crisis. I invite you to think about your journey in a similar way–be it your college essay, your summer book report, or your biggest fear. A crisis scenario–in story and in life–can generate innovative forms for introspection, connection making, problem-solving and new languages to map the world(s) within.

– Javier Gastón-Greenberg

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Original illustration by Nawaf Al Mushayt (Lisbon, Portugal) for Bloomberg’s CityLab, used with permission. Word captions by Javier Gastón-Greenberg.

Javier is a certified Spanish teacher in the NYC DOE and Ph.D. candidate at Stony Brook University in Hispanic Languages & Literature. Specializing in arts-based curriculum development and language arts , he’s an adjunct lecturer in Hispanic Languages & Literature; a clinical supervisor for MA programs in Spanish, ELA and Bilingual Education; a curriculum developer; and an experienced teacher at all primary and secondary levels.

Remote Learning: Silver Linings and Golden Tickets

Labor Day isn’t yet looming, but schools are already scrambling. Faced with a pandemic that shows no signs of petering out, colleges across the country have announced plans for staggering student arrivals and limiting the number of undergraduates allowed on campus at once. At the K-12 level, LA has committed to a fully virtual fall semester, while NYC’s hybrid approach will combine a day or two per week of in-person instruction with several days online. Of course, as the COVID situation evolves, school districts will continue to adapt, but amidst all the uncertainty, you can count on one thing: for the foreseeable future, remote learning is here to stay.

As much as we’d all like to trade FaceTime for face-to-face meetings, there are some advantages to classes in the cloud. In person, you can’t hit rewind on your teacher’s pre-calc lecture, but at home, you can watch Khan Academy videos on cosine and sine as often as you want. That time you’d usually spend on the schoolbus? Now you can use it to preview or review material, eat a proper breakfast, or even catch some more zzz’s. Besides self-pacing and flexibility, remote learning can also improve focus. With fewer distractions, it’s easier to absorb lessons and free up hours for personal pursuits.

Yet, to really reap the rewards of online education, it’s crucial to unplug. Sure, there are services like Freedom that let you block time-wasting websites and apps (I’m looking at you, TikTok!), annoying notifications, or even—horror of horrors—the internet itself. But if you keep your eyeballs glued to a screen all day, your brain can come unstuck. So, instead of scrolling through The Great Gatsby on Gutenberg, pick up a paper copy. Rather than peering at pixellated problems sets, print them out. If you’re worried about the environmental impact, remember: what’s bad for the trees is good for your concentration, retention, and efficiency. And the first step toward building a sustainable future for the planet is creating one for your study habits.

Besides limiting your voyages into cyberspace, try to delimit the space in which you work. If possible, the desk where you read and annotate The Handmaid’s Tale should be different from the couch where you binge-watch the series version. Maintaining separate areas for work and play—even if they’re only a few feet away—can keep you on track during lessons and give you distance from them when you’re done. As you delineate space, do the same with time. Depending on your school’s schedule, plan your day to cater to your strengths. Not a morning person? Maybe now you don’t have to be. Missing those after-lunch siestas from preschool? Psst. No one’s going to notice if you take a power nap.

Maybe the biggest benefit to remote learning is that, more than ever, you’re forced to figure out what kind of learner you are. Whether visual or aural, tactile or text-based, you have the chance to craft a program that works for you. And if you use the time to refine your study skills now, once we all come back together in person, you’ll be in an even better position to thrive.

— Colin G.

Sign up for our College Application Crash Course, in which Colin breaks down the college application process into its four main categories: Search & Selection; Tests; Recommendations & Transcripts; and Essays, Activities & Portfolios. Click for more information.

Colin is Head College Process Strategist at Intelligentsia. He received his BA in English and History from the University of Pennsylvania, his MA in History and MA in Humanities from Stanford University, and his MFA in Fiction from the University of Houston. He specializes in College Process, History, Literature, Writing, German, and Standardized Tests with 20 years of experience tutoring and teaching at the high school, college, and graduate levels.

Is Remote Tutoring Effective?

The education landscape has changed dramatically since March, with schools around the world moving their classrooms online. Many parents, students, and media outlets have reported that the transition has been...less than ideal.

Moving a traditional classroom to video conferencing platforms seems to have been more challenging than initially thought, which is understandable. New tools, techniques, and lessons will need to be explored before schools come back for the fall. But one thing that has transitioned fairly seamlessly from before-times is one-on-one tutoring.

We recently talked with several of our top tutors to get a handle on how remote tutoring was going and, to our delight, we found that it’s been all-around very similar. In fact, they’ve shared that it’s just as effective, if not more so.

Tutoring over video is so similar because it’s still one-on-one, the same setup and design as in-person tutoring. The many-to-one model of a classroom does not translate nearly as well over video platforms for a number of reasons. Students get distracted easily, teachers cannot necessarily see all students in their view, or there are unaddressed challenges in the student’s home-learning environment. With a personal, one-on-one setup, tutors are able to account for those weaknesses and help students get set up for academic success.

Plus, there is an executive functioning skill that arises organically when students are required to log on at a certain time to meet with their tutor. They show up ready to learn with less time being used at the top of the lesson for the tutor and student to get settled in.

Part of why we’ve been so confident in this transition to remote tutoring is that many of our tutors have worked with remote clients for years, especially boarding school students. Still, many parents may be wondering: how exactly does it work?

For most STEM subjects, we get a little creative. Some tutors draw on a tablet and share their screens, allowing students to annotate remotely, while others use a physical whiteboard and marker on their end, verbally working through problems and confirming answers. Think of a teacher using a blackboard and a single student who can easily jump to collaborate.

With humanities, shared online documents allow tutors to virtually work side-by-side with students, reviewing, suggesting, and correcting all in real-time.

Standardized test prep? Almost exactly the same. Test prep has often functioned as a process of independent student work own followed by sessions with their tutor to review. Whether sharing screens, collaborating on Google Docs, or reviewing Test Innovators practice tests together, the process is very nearly the same now.

In general, one unexpected positive of tutoring remotely is that students have to assume more ownership over note-taking and additional annotation. Our students are given more agency and that translates to more investment in their own learning.

Of course, not everything is as it was. Navigating behavioral issues and refocusing students can be a challenge when you’re not in the room. This is why working on executive functioning and having a supportive learning environment are particularly important right now.

There are challenges to tutor-student bonding as well, something which only occurs over extended periods of time spent working together. We’re still learning and improving on that front and we’ll report back when we have a larger body of experience matching new remote tutors to new remote students.

All-in-all, we’re encouraged by the first phase of full-time remote tutoring. Aided by past experiences and ever-evolving video tools, our tutors have found ways to continue building strong academic foundations and developing intellectual minds.

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Interested to see how we can help your student? Contact us today.

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Special thanks to Claire, Hemel, and Lori for their input on this Insight.

Improve academically and physically!

That’s right! Not only do we offer academic tutoring and school admissions consulting, but we also offer physical fitness training as one of our many Concierge Services. If you’re interested in adding some personalized, highly-effective physical activity to your student’s schedule, we have an incredible resource in Erik Potempa. He’s been with us for years and has seamlessly transitioned to training remotely, working with the resources available to his clients. Email us today for more information!