Activities during the online component of the course included analytical readings and discussion to increase formal knowledge of each issue. We also included creative reading and writing, observing and experiencing movement, listening to and producing music, examining and creating visual forms, and observing and reflecting on what each participant saw in their literacy program or learning centre and the interactions there.¹² We encouraged participants to challenge themselves by trying out modes they were less familiar or comfortable with, and then observing their reactions and insights. We included a vast array of exercises, hoping to entice participants to pick and choose, explore and pursue greater depth in a mode or on a theme that seemed fruitful. We hoped to spark, surprise and catch interest in the broad range of possibilities, but discovered that although a broad array was enticing, it was also intimidating. Participants felt that they should have done more. The analytical readings felt especially onerous. Another time we would try to recognize the possibility of those feelings and take care not to overwhelm or contribute to a sense of inadequacy.

In the online course, as in the workshops, different approaches were included not simply for the experience or the variety, but to enhance the depth and dimensions of the exploration of the theme. For example, one of the first themes was examining the complex layers of violence and the ways in which issues of violence are silenced in our society. They disappear from view almost as soon as they are raised and with very little broad change resulting. We explored this theme through visualization, a powerful extract from a novel, other fictional reading about violence, observing and creating violence prevention posters, exploring hiding and revealing through using layering with wax crayons and scraping off layers, listening to songs about violence and exploring sound and silence in a range of ways, as well as through a selection of analytical reading. In each activity, participants were invited to reflect, to document their reflections in any mode they chose, and share thoughts, feelings and new insights with the rest of us online.

In keeping with our aim of self-care, we tried to encourage participants to engage with the course material in whatever ways felt right to them. We invited them to stretch themselves a little, to challenge themselves to try out modes they were less comfortable with, to experiment, explore and to notice their own reactions and set their own pace without making a judgment about better or worse ways to participate.