COVID-19 has
forced schools to conduct virtual classes to ensure students’ progress towards
learning and education doesn’t stop. But with online lectures come significant
challenges, and it is essential to address the issues faced by students during
learning. Virtual classrooms offer numerous benefits, but they also come with
significant challenges, such as lack of engagement between peers and teachers.
Therefore, the best school in Dehradun, The Heritage School North Campus, is
sharing five ways by which virtual classrooms can become more engaging and
interactive.
1. Break
the Ice
Create a fun and
engaging atmosphere at the starting of the course or semester so that students
feel connected to the class and you (as a teacher) by offering some simple ice
breakers. You can either ask students to pair up and interview each other or
ask students to choose their favorite color.
2. Foster
a Community
A sense of
belongingness to a community is vital for effective communication and forming
connections with each other during and outside the class. Students feel more
engaged when they feel they are a part of the larger group or something bigger
than themselves. Creating a community structure such as message boards, where
they can share what they feel about each other can be helpful.
3. Create
Individual Learning Plans
One of the
benefits of virtual classrooms is that it offers individual learning plans
based on competency-based learning methodology in which student’s performance
is assessed by determining what type of learning they respond to and
discovering the holes in their knowledge. Teachers can make use of individual
learning plans by incorporating technology in education to track each student’s
performance.
4.
Integrate Face-to-Face Virtual Interactions
A big downside of
virtual classrooms is isolation, which can quickly lead to disengagement.
Online educators should combat isolation by encouraging or adopting virtual
face-to-face interactions such as by recording video lectures or communicating
via video conference.
5. Solicit
Feedback
The best way to
know whether your students feel engaged is by soliciting feedback at the end of
the lecture. One can do so by creating anonymous polls that allow students to
let you know how effective and engaging the learning materials are. This is a
great way to assess if a topic needs more discussion, what types of assignments
they want, and if anything needs to be changed at the end of the class.
A premier CBSE school in Dehradun, The Heritage School North Campus, believes that engaging students during virtual classrooms can significantly impact student’s learning and growth in this time of COVID-19.
Info Source: edutopia.org
