Korean university students rebuild connections in face-to-face team assignments. When there is no escape from people, how can everyone participate comfortably despite students describing anxiety about working with real people instead of Zoom screens? Late 2022 saw institutionally-encouraged face-to-face classes return as the learning norm. However, learners expressed high levels of anxiety regarding face-to-face classes. To cope with this the teacher practitioner conducted regular check-ins regarding student-reported anxiety about learning. Thinking of the face-to-face classroom as a ‘new’ learning environment, the teacher researcher walks through collaborative scaffolding to help learners engage despite discomfort and nervousness. The presenter will share how they re-worked Hmelo-Silver, Chernobilsky, and Jordan’s collaborative learning processes in new learning environments into their physical classroom after two years of online Zoom classrooms.

Hmelo-Silver, C. E., Chernobilsky, E., & Jordan, R. (2008). Understanding collaborative learning processes in new learning environments. Instructional Science, 36(5), 409-430.