3-2-1 Response: Presence, Inclusion, and Circles

3 thoughts/ideas

1. Presence builds trust. In week 1 I said that connection feels different online. During this course, I saw why. Learners read our presence in small, steady signs: quick check-ins, clear goals, warm tone, and fast replies. These signals tell people it is safe to speak and safe to not know yet. I stopped guessing that students “just know.” I now ask simple guiding questions and invite pause and reflection. Work on social and teaching presence backs this up (Lowenthal, n.d.; Hufford, 2014).
2. Inclusion must be built in from the start. I still hold that flexibility and mixed modes help. But flexibility alone can hide quiet voices. My job is to make it safe to ask, safe to try, and safe to fail. That means clear paths to take part, plain language, and a marking guide that shows what “good” looks like. It also means more than one way to show learning. In my exams work, that could be varied prompt forms, a fair time window, and clear rubrics. Research on teachers’ inclusive practice points to design for all, not last-minute fixes (Finkelstein et al., 2021; JISC, n.d.).
3. Simple rituals grow a group. Our team used talking circles. One voice at a time. No rush. No blame. This small practice did real work: it let people share, hear, and be heard. It turned a set of names on a screen into a group that cared. This matches reports on circle work in online teaching, when done with care for its roots. Paired with clear norms and short “pulse checks,” circles help keep a course alive (Schwartz et al., 2020; Forj, 2024).

2 questions

1. Exams and inclusion. In my role as an exams facilitator, how do I design tests that are fair and also inclusive? Which steps give the best gains with low extra load—varied prompt types, plain-English rubrics, a time window, or a short “how to take this test” guide? What mix keeps standards high and bias low (Finkelstein et al., 2021)?
2. Trust at large scale. What works best to build trust in big, at-different-times groups? Ideas to test: short welcome paths, a clear “how we work here,” rotating peer roles, and set points for peer review. How do we track trust over time in ways that are light and honest (Forj, 2024; JISC, n.d.)?

1 metaphor
I still see online facilitation as a summer campfire on the internet. The host does not just light the fire. We also set the circle, name the shared rules, and pass a talking piece. The heat is shared. Stories rise when the space feels safe. Without a planned circle, the fire burns but people hold back (Lowenthal, n.d.; Talking circles… 2022).

References
Finkelstein, S., Sharma, U., & Furlonger, B. (2021). International Journal of Inclusive Education, 25(6), 735–762.
Forj. (2024, May 16). How to revive a stagnant online community.
Hufford, D. (2014). Presence in the classroom. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, (140), 11–21.
JISC. (n.d.). Building digital capabilities framework.
Lowenthal, P. (n.d.). Talking Social Presence [Video]. YouTube.
Talking circles as Indigenous pedagogy in online learning (2022). ScienceDirect.
Schwartz, M., et al. (2020). Digital citizenship toolkit. Toronto Metropolitan University.