Keep students engaged in virtual classrooms by following these simple tips

Keep students engaged in virtual classrooms by following these simple tips

The coronavirus pandemic has taken the world by storm and continues to keep people around the world in their homes for their safety. As a vaccine or drug has yet to reach the general public, social distancing is the best way to curb the spread of this disease. Just like everything else, educational institutions have also stopped. However, to maintain continuous learning, schools are resorting to online classes for all their students.

While the method is effective in keeping kids informed about their respective curricula, one challenge for teachers is to keep students involved during the online learning process. It is difficult enough to teach them when they are physically present in the classroom. If it doesn’t, it becomes even more difficult. In the lines below, let’s look at some simple tips that can help teachers improve student engagement and ensure that the purpose of teaching online is being fully served:

1. Make classes shorter:

Instead of taking longer sessions, keep them short and crisp. This ensures that students are listening to the entire session as it matches their attention span. Based on the topic chosen by the teachers, they should design the class in such a way that all the key points are discussed compactly. Keeping them short will facilitate the learning process and students will be able to understand and remember it better.

2. Progress check-in

Conduct tests with the help of school ERP software and make sure to check the progress of the students periodically. Make sure that the learning is effective and students can grasp whatever they are being taught. Conducting tests and grading them keeps up the competitive spirit of students. They work harder to score better and the same grades can be shared with the parents to make them aware of the situation.

For students who are performing below average, special attention should be paid to them and additional classes can be held to maintain their progress with the rest of the students.

1. Introduce an element of fun:

The adage, “All work, no play …” holds even today. So be sure to introduce some fun into the online learning environment. A group activity such as games can be included and this will make the students look forward to these sessions.

2. Hold quizzes with rewards for best performance

In addition to testing, teachers will need to keep students on their toes instead of quizzes. These can be carried out on-site or planned. The goal of their achievement is the same: to keep students engaged at all times and to ensure that they can understand the lessons being taught.

Rewarding students who perform well in these quizzes are a bonus. Be sure to inform them of the prizes so that they compete with each other.

1. Make the most of technology integration:

use technologically adequate resources and improve lessons. Audio and video files, whiteboards, file sharing tools, and live interactions are some of the ways you can maximize student engagement in the virtual classroom.

2. Design Specific Rules to Follow

Design Specific Rules to Follow - As in the physical classrooms where students are expected to sit quietly until they have a chance to ask questions, the teacher needs to define some basic rules and make sure they are at all times respected. Make sure you set specific time periods for chats, questions, etc. This leads to better classroom management and keeps students disciplined.

All those schools that strive to keep learning a continuous process with the help of school ERP software can use these tips to fully engage their students. It is quite a new concept in India and therefore it needs to be done in the right way without any glitches. These tips are effective and easy to implement as well. Therefore, they must be considered by all schools and teachers.

Feel free to reach out to me if you need help with what is right for you, using this link.

Cheers!

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