The pandemic has opened up several new avenues for practicing and teaching movement online. I polled my audience on Instagram and 60% of the 88 people who responded said they practiced yoga online in the “before-times” (aka before the Covid-19 pandemic). Contrast that with 82% (of 84 responses) who responded that they currently practice online in these Covid times. While Instagram polls are by no means unbiased or conclusive, this seems to hint at an increase in the number of people practicing movement online now versus before the pandemic.
Now, interestingly, 91% of 56 people who responded, when asked, said that pre-pandemic, they practiced to classes online that a teacher would pre-record. By pre-record, I mean classes that a teacher would film to the camera alone or possibly with a demo student present, but for which there were no actual students there while filming.
Pre-recorded classes seem to be the most common way online movement instruction was delivered and consumed pre-pandemic. However, from my perspective, now, during this pandemic, while these pre-recorded class options are still quite prevalent, the option to attend synchronously (often referred to as live classes) on platforms like Zoom has become much more prominent. This means asynchronously, it’s now quite common to watch a recording of a live class rather than a pre-recorded class.
Watching classes asynchronously, whether it’s a pre-recorded class or a recording of a live class, is where the teacher films at some point in time before the content is viewed by a student. Contrast this with synchronous classes where students and teacher are online in real-time together while the teacher teaches.
And, to add to the variety of ways we can learn online, if we compare two types of synchronous (live) classes, we see there are a couple of options, as well. Of the two types of synchronous classes we could provide, there is a two-way streaming option, which many host on platforms like Zoom. For two-way streaming, the teacher and students can see each other and interact in real time. Contrast this with a one-way stream, or webinar format. With this type of live class broadcast, students can only see the teacher, not each other, and the teacher cannot see the students. In this way, one-way broadcasts share similarities with a pre-recorded class where the teacher is talking to a camera and cannot see students. However, there is still the possibility for real-time interaction because students and teacher can communicate using the chat bar. It’s also more similar to a live class, because since students are present in real time, the teacher will likely have to do everything in one take. In this way, the teacher needs to be prepared to handle the occasional spontaneous surprise or interruption in their environment and somehow keep teaching. No retakes!
I’ve taught using all of these formats, and I have to say I vastly prefer to teach live using two-way streaming. I also vastly prefer to turn this synchronous content into asynchronous content and share recordings of my live classes, rather than pre-record classes that I’d shoot alone in my room to the camera. As a student, I also prefer to take a two-way, live online classes. In both the teaching and learning context, I find that taking class live where I can see the teacher and students, and the teacher can see me, recreates some of the in-person studio vibes I loved about my movement classes in the past. It also helps me teach and learn more effectively because I feel like I’m a part of a community.
There are 3 main ways I think two-way, live streaming contributes to my ability to teach and learn online.
1. Live, two-way streamed classes foster dialogue before and after class.
Although I always plan my online classes before I teach them, teaching is not about sticking to a script. It’s about teaching what your students need in the moment. In the before-times when we were primarily practicing and teaching in person, I’d walk into an in-person classroom and interact with a couple of students beforehand. We’d discuss pain or injuries they were working with and I’d be able to take in a little bit about their lives through the typical small talk common amongst students and teachers before class. I’d then tailor my sequence to those needs explicitly, or I’d use that information while reading the room to help myself intuit the group’s needs. Sometimes this would mean scrapping my original class plan entirely. Sometimes it would mean making small tweaks to tailor it to the group. Sometimes, I’d make a note to offer certain individuals who had spoken to me beforehand some alternatives for certain parts of the sequence. All in all, hearing from my students was absolutely essential for my ability to teach an effective class for them. The same is true in an online setting. I base a lot of what I teach off of conversations with students before and after class. I also encourage students to unmute and ask questions during class if they are lost or need clarification. As a student, I like to be able to ask questions, as well, so in the context of learning, I benefit from a two-way, live streamed class. I’m a pretty outspoken student generally speaking, but I recognize that for students who prefer, the chat feature is also a useful tool for them to be able to ask questions without interrupting the class, or while staying more anonymous themselves. In short, the two-way communication is of great benefit for bolstering dialogue between students and teacher, and giving and receiving feedback.
2. Live, two-way streamed classes allow a teacher to teach based on what they observe.
While not all students will choose to turn their cameras on, or may not be in the best view for you to see their bodies, a two-way stream at least gives you the option to use your eyes to teach rather than make assumptions. You can go up to the screen and check in with the class, see who’s lost or struggling, or where you might clarify or repeat an instruction. Teaching live online gives you the chance to not only respond to students in real time, but to learn how your cues are landing and adjust accordingly. In this way, it is similar to an in-person class. Additionally, I believe that even if I’m giving specific feedback to a specific person in a class, which I can do in a two-way livestream, that instruction is potentially more helpful to everyone than the general cues a teacher comes up with to teach poses in their head to a camera, which is the case for a one-way webinar or a pre-recorded class. The reason is that, while these cues might not be generally relevant to everyone in attendance, they are potentially very valuable to some, and much more so than the more general cues given in a pre-recorded class or webinar where teachers have no specific individuals to teach to. I think that level of specificity and detail lends depth to the experience for everyone. It’s also a closer representation of teaching as feedback (observation and response) rather than presentation alone (one-way lecture style) for other teachers taking class who are interested in observing these observation and response skills and learning from them for their own teaching.
3. Live, two-way streamed classes foster personal connection between teacher and students, as well as between the students themselves.
Even if students can’t see each other the way they can in-person, there’s a discernible difference in the energy of a live, two-way streamed class. Students can see other students practicing who’ve opted in to keeping their cameras on. Students sometimes chime in to ask questions that are specific to their needs, too. Spontaneous things happen, like pets and children enter the room and put on a show. Spouses and partners meander around doing other things. We get a little peak into each other’s lives. And if students want more privacy, they can turn their cameras off. This means there’s choice around how much and what students share about their lives. Agency is built into this experience.
Interestingly, when I asked my audience on Instagram if they thought there was a difference between their experience practicing to a pre-recorded class or a recording of a live class, some wrote that they felt there was no difference. However several commented that they felt a recording of a live class was more spontaneous, authentic, and real. I’ve also gotten feedback from students (and experienced this myself) that watching a recording of a live class feels more engaging and holds my attention better. I feel like I get to know who the teacher is more fully when I watch them interact with other people and respond to the unexpected without the option of doing a retake. (When I polled my audience, of the 21 people who responded about practicing to recorded classes online, about 50% said they practiced primarily to pre-recorded classes and the other 50% that they practiced to recordings of live classes.)
Ultimately, I think there are benefits to practicing and teaching movement in all of these ways—asynchronously to a pre-recorded class or a recording of a live class, and synchronously in a one-way webinar broadcast and a two-way live class. It’s likely the combination of these options that is most beneficial to all of us—students and teachers—because this variety means we have better access to helpful content as well as the people interested in this helpful content. Certainly, there isn’t one right way to teach and learn online, or even a superior way. I do think it is worth examining the unique benefits and drawbacks of these different ways, though, because when we can specifically pinpoint the benefits and drawbacks, this will allow us to determine what is most important to further enhance those benefits and minimize those drawbacks. In this way, we continue to elevate our ability to learn and educate online, as well as elevate the profession of online movement education.
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