Creating a Safe Online Learning Environment

Over the course of the pandemic, we have faced first-hand the challenges that distance learning brings. One of these challenges is the need to create a safe online classroom- where participation is encouraged but not forced and where students can participate freely without fear of being judged either by fellow classmates or by their teachers.

Date and time:

Location:

This interactive webinar will be hosted by Nena Močnik, an expert in online education. She will set the tone by elaborating on the topic of the classroom as a safe space and the need for this even prior to Covid-19. There are of course many overlaps between a safe learning environment online and in-person. Both the similarities, disadvantages, and challenges between which Nena will then elaborate on. In practical terms, the webinar will turn to online tools which teachers can use to facilitate a safe online learning environment. These ‘tools’ range from getting to know your students adequately, to the different formats and ‘spaces’ that exist in an online classroom. How to tackle so-called ”difficult subjects” in an online environment, and practical solutions to do so will also be discussed. The webinar will conclude with final questions from the audience, where participants will have the opportunity to share their experiences, and closing remarks will be made by Nena herself.

Bio of our webinar host:

Nena Močnik holds PhD in Social and Political Studies (Balkan Studies) from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. In the frame of her last project ‘Confronting Historical Trauma, Preventing Structural Violence: The Potentials of Experiential Learning in the Humanities Curricula at CY Cergy Paris Université, France, she conducted extensive research on dealing with difficult topics, traumatic histories, and identity-based violence in European higher history education. She was an external expert evaluator at Euroclio project ‘ReThink – Remembrance Education for thinking critically’ and a coordinator of European Commission – Remembrance project “#Never Again Teaching Transmission of Trauma and Remembrance through Experiential Learning” (www.againneveragain.org). She is a lead-editor of “Engaging with Historical Traumas: Experiential Learning and Pedagogies of Resilience” (Routledge 2021) and an editor of a Special Issue ‘Lessons from Sexual Violence in Mass Atrocity Crimes: Toward Preventive Pedagogies in History Education (Review of Education, Pedagogy and Cultural Studies). She is the author of two monographs: “Sexuality after War Rape: From Narrative to Embodied Research” (Routledge 2017) and War-related Sexual Violence and Trauma Transmission: Reconciliation and Peacebuilding in Post-Conflict Settings (Routledge 2020). In addition to her university work, she has delivered numerous workshops and trainings in the field of human rights, social justice, and anti-discrimination, promoting experiential learning and embodied cognition.