Virtual Learning Engagement Strategies
So here we are. Just a year ago, would you have thought you would be a virtual teacher? With even more future uncertainties of how the world of education will change, the only thing to do now is to embrace it and do your best to not only make it work but to rock it! I must say that virtual learning has its positives as well as negatives. Sure! You miss that in-person teaching and learning environment; things are different, but there are thousands of families, who throughout the years, have opted for virtual learning, so teaching and learning in a remote location aren’t out of the ordinary.
Most would agree that student engagement is a challenge while being in-person, but now, there is even more of a need to make sure student engagement is superb.
The prerequisite to these strategies is a solid classroom management plan.
Provide timely and useful feedback
Feedback can improve students’ understanding, provide confidence, and promote academic and personal growth. I worked with one teacher who averaged a two-week turnaround on checked papers. How ineffective it that! By the time students received their work back, it wasn’t as relevant to them as it was “at the moment”, and students were disinterested in the assignment since they had moved on to something else. All the hard work put in to provide written feedback was wasted since students were more interested in the grade versus the paragraphs written about their work from the teacher. In this case, the teacher worked herself for nothing while the students didn’t grow from any errors and misconceptions. Therefore, to keep students engaged in the learning journey, provide a quick response time. Before any assessment, students should have received feedback on all assignments. They should have also had opportunities to correct their work. Feedback should include a mixture of verbal and written and should be clear and detailed while acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses and what needs to be done to improve it. Suggestion: 1) stagger the days that work must be submitted by class periods. This way, you won't be overwhelmed.
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2. Make learning easy to digest
My attention span is short. Once I disengage, I began thinking about what I am eating for dinner, the strange scar that I just noticed on my finger, or the new shoes that I saw online yesterday that I hope is still available. Yes, I am like this in-person, so imagine how I am on a Zoom conference. Now think about your students at home learning in your virtual classroom. Chunk the work so they will digest it. Even long texts will be dull on screen.
“Neuroscience has proven that our attention span is 10 minutes. After that, our attention starts to wane. Chunking content into ten-minute segments and then allowing learners 10 minutes to digest is the best way to learn.”
Students need the information delivered in different formats. Keep them engaged by including (engaging)videos, discussions, voice-over slides, audio, whiteboards. Keep the content paced out but hit the points, especially those priority standards.
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3. Let students do
Application is one of the most important steps in the learning process. Students must have multiple opportunities to put newly acquired skills to work. After learning, they should do. “Education without action is like food without exercise,” says veteran educator Terry Godwaldt, founder of the Centre for Global Education. Some activities may include:
Having peers conversations
Having students depict the concept with the use of a meme, comic, or word cloud.
Participating in online forums. Try some here.
Writing a short essay or a persuasive piece
Assign students to present using charts, timelines, and/or videos
For more suggestions, book your 1-on-1 coaching session here.
4. Incorporate fun elements
Make learning an enjoyable experience. I have seen teachers go above and beyond to keep their smaller students engaged, including jumping from desks ( I do not recommend), dressing up in characters, voice changes, etc. So for older students, that probably won’t work, so how do you implement fun? When planning, think about activities where students can actively type, talk, and click throughout the lesson. Many online platforms include drawing tools and chat boxes. Ask many questions and incorporate games where students must physically be engaging such as using Nearpod.
For more suggestions, book your 1-on-1 coaching session here.