The Simple Power of Checking-in: as teacher, as student, as learner

 by Gerald Doyle and Scott Downs

Our students and faculty colleagues (Gerald) and professional (Scott) tell us that one of our most impactful practices is the simple one of checking-in. 

For those not familiar, it consists of inviting everyone in a group or the classroom, often sitting or standing in a circle – or now in some hybrid fashion of being online across a grid or in context, to check-in, saying how they are as they come into a meeting or classroom and what they want from the session or today’s lesson, discussion, lab and time together.

A few things are powerful about this practice. Without pressure, it invites people to disclose a small piece – as much or as little as is (reasonably) comfortable – about themselves and their intentions. In a pre-Covid 19 world, we might use the physical arrangement of a circle – at least a rough one – where everyone can see everyone else. Spatially, everyone is equal, despite people coming with different levels of responsibility, seniority, experience and organizational power. All voices are heard in turn, on an equal footing, without interruption.Anyone may pass if they so choose.

A check-in can be held in response to a particular question, which could be simply “How are you as you enter this meeting, class or discussion? What do you hope for in our session?”

If a group is new to one another -- as with the start of the new academic year this September 2020, the check-in can start with students sharing their names and a brief self-introduction. Each person’s check-in can end with “I’m in” and the group may respond with a common acknowledgement, like “Welcome.”

People’s first participation in check-ins may feel strange; they may be accustomed to conventional meetings and students might be largely oriented to classrooms with conventional seating and teachers that launch immediately into the lesson planned for the day or an agenda. In March 2020, much of the education world immediately transitioned to online and remote learning and we have now become familiarized with or normalized to Google Meet or Zoom meetings. In the business world and in teaching and learning, we are challenged in our ability to be present, engaged, focused and aware.

To ease the transition to this model of “Checking-in,” facilitators, teachers and those familiar with the practice can model contributions. At first, our students and colleagues may only check in with fairly factual or polite observations about the kind of day they’re having and their expectations for the agenda. Whatever they freely offer is fully acceptable. A key check-in principle is to make everyone feel welcome in whatever way they choose to enter.   

 “You have the right to be seen and understood without having to compromise who you are."

“You get to decide which identities you will share with the world and how you’ll do so. You get to choose how to name your identities.”

~ Tiffany Jewell, antiracist author, educator

 We consistently find that once it is clear that everyone’s contribution is indeed welcome, students and people start to share more of their feelings and their genuine hopes. Each person speaks with their own voice … and … the sequence of responses allows people to be encouraged by and build on the contributions of others. Allowing different individuals to launch the “Check-in” over the course of the semester has allowed individuals to lead and follow -- and support each other adding to the dynamics of the community of learners being created.

In professional or classroom settings, we often hear that there’s simply insufficient time to do this kind of “check-in” exercise and that there’s too much on the agenda or too much content to cover, and too little time. And so, we have observed that there’s both a rush “into the meeting” and “material and content” that often spills over beyond the end of the session when “our minds have already shifted to the next thing.” 

Most recently, our (Gerald’s) long time colleague and friend offered this reflection as she completed the first class of the new academic year:

 “As I have seen firsthand, the students must be engaged before they can become receptive to the course material. Once you remove your expectations for covering the entire course curriculum that you so carefully planned out, you reduce the pressure both on yourself and on the students. The students sense this and feel more comfortable. You can then use more of the class time for students to connect both with you and with each other, while covering some of that “essential” course material on their own time. It’s a much more relaxed learning environment.”

~ Elizabeth Friedman, professor

Our experiences over time offer an abundance of evidence that avoiding a check-in is a false economy. The time spent together is more focused, individuals and students are more engaged, more participatory (without posturing), and there is greater diversity, inclusion and equity in the voices heard and the differences aired.

Our observation is that the flow of shared comments tends, in a gentle, unpressured way, to build a deepening pattern of self-revelation, of “showing up”. In the subtlest and softest way, the practice starts to build a trusting “container”. The foundation laid can be built upon for deeper dialogue and deeper exchange on many levels.

Separately, in recent conversations with our colleagues Pam Baker and Cindy Hunt (Journeous), we have explored how we might use these “check-in moments” as mindful listening opportunities and moments for the renewal of our energies and those of our students. For instance, Pam and Cindy suggest we think about how might we 'charge and renew the individuals in our classroom or in our meeting/gathering' so that we 'allow ourselves to be present' as we prepare to begin our meeting or launch into the start of the lesson or the journey at hand. And furthermore, how might we motivate each student to engage in the discussion through their own unique perception or lens on the world?

The research from the science of communication reminds us that taking a minute or two at the beginning of a conversation, dialogue, meeting or class in order to still ourselves, to restore our energies and to replenish our reserves allows a richer more fruitful conversation. As we listen to individuals "check-in and as we wrap-up" our time together, we might offer these refrains to a modified version of "call and response."

Recognize the person / people - "I'm so glad you're here. You make a difference to this class (or this team);

Recognize time or work - " There was a lot of great work produced in a limited time with some great ideas generated - well done! Your effort makes a real impact;"

Recognize values - "I've been inspired by your willingness to help each other and the commitment to making a difference."

~ Pam Baker and Cindy Hunt

When we affirm how people show up, we respect - that is, to see twice - how our students arrive at this moment in their day. And from this point, we are ready to begin today’s lesson, as it were, from a co-creative and co-participatory framework. 

Too often, as teachers or presenters, in our eagerness to convey a set of ideas, we lead the discussion until the sound of the bell. We might do better to think about how we land a plane, begin to pull into the next train station or bus stop, that is, we must create moments of transition at the end of the class to allow students to “arrive safely and warmly” in order to ready and prepare themselves to transition to whatever is next.

When we give up our desire to fill every minute and allow our colleagues and students to find a natural cadence that people have learned more and achieved greater insights and learning – in the same amount of time.

As we begin the new academic year, disrupted and dislocated by the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us feeling somewhat lost (and at a loss), fatigued, depleted and perhaps unsettled, we offer this simple practice as a small step toward welcoming and connecting with each other -- honoring and respecting how we choose to show-up. Finally, as we begin the new academic year, we are eager to further explore the how the practice of "authentically checking-in and showing-up" connect to the larger set of ideas and theory which define the concept of a "culturally sustaining pedagogy."

As teachers, students, facilitators, guides, activists and learners, we welcome and invite your voice and ideas regarding your related experience with the simple power (and influence) of “Checking-in.”

We work actively each day within in our networks, with our clients and students, to explore this question, as well as the others. We'd love to hear your stories, share your puzzles and celebrate your triumphs from your own journeys of inquiry.

Scott Downs is an Agile Coach with Fractal Systems Ltd. 

Gerald Doyle serves on the faculty of Wolcott College Preparatory High School, provides Ministry Placement Research/Consulting for Career Formation Services at the Catholic Theological Union and advises several edtech companies including Upkey and GetSet.

Scott and Gerald are co-founders of Tri Cosain, a practice which weaves inspiration, learning and career coaching for leadership in life and work; they are the co-authors of 9 Questions for Leadership in Life and Work. Their work embraces equity, inclusion, diversity and well-being as foundations for personal leadership. 

------------------------------------------

Resources:

For more ideas and insights on check-in practices, and about equal voicing in talking circles, please be invited to explore:

• The Core Protocols, by Jim and Michele McCarthy 
• Time to Think, by Nancy Kline Time to Think, Amazon UK
• Talking Circles, First Nations Pedagogy Online 
• Fun Retrospectives: Check-in 
• Tiffany Jewell, This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on how to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work

Next Up: There's value in a wrap-up as well where we take stock of where we have come during this journey, next steps, resolving how we’re “walking out of the meeting or classroom, lab, studio, etc” so that we’re ready and prepared for what’s next. That's a separate piece but worth thinking about as it allows us to think of our intentions, interactions and engagement as a mobius strip, that is, our beginnings and endings (and our transitions) are connected - and one.

Insights: Point and Counterpoint. We invited our colleague, Amber Kim, Ph.D. to explore and think about the idea of "checking-in." Dr. Kim shared these questions for reflection, and we share them with you as part of this forum for conversations of inquiry and dialogue.

In "checking in" who is afforded the right to be truly authentic about how they are "showing up in this space"? Does checking in really create a space for people to bring their true feelings? Under what conditions produced and held by the facilitator can this happen?

Also, when participants describe their feelings and their intentions, often folks don't realize that their intentions are good but their impact can be harmful. This disconnect may be troubling for others in the room who hold marginalized identities.

Overall, I would invite us to explore, 

"Who was the check in process was created by? And what dominant culture aspects and assumptions (if any) are embedded in the process?"

"Who can be authentic in the check in process? And therefore, who does the check in process benefit?"  

"Who feels left out or marginalized by this process?"

"How do we ensure that the check in process and all of its benefits are accessible for everyone, particularly those who are marginalized?"

We (Gerald) is grateful for these questions and the ways in which Dr. Kim has challenged our thinking.