The past years have required changes in various aspects of life worldwide. One of the most significant changes has been shifting students from in-person classes to remote learning. Virtual courses have become highly prevalent for all ages. Children tend to have difficulty adjusting to a virtual classroom for various reasons. For one thing, it’s more challenging to keep them engaged. Many kids need in-person interaction with classmates and teachers. As a result, grades suffer and learning is significantly reduced. This lack of progress can damage students’ long-term school careers and educational goals. This can be especially detrimental for high school students trying to get into the college of their choice. While remote learning will probably never be ideal, there are ways that teachers can improve the overall experience. Even determining the best Microsoft Teams backgrounds can make remote learning more enjoyable. Here are several other ways to increase learning and improve grades to prepare kids for the future when they can’t be in the classroom.
Make Your Curriculum Interactive
Students of all ages benefit from a very interactive curriculum. Good reading and listening skills are imperative, but participation is also essential, especially in a remote environment. It’s easy to get distracted if you are in a location alone or if you have things going on around you, like family or pets.
Foster a Sense Of Community
Whether first-graders or graduate degree students, people are social beings and enjoy being a part of a community. It tends to be more challenging to foster a sense of community virtually. However, just as it helps people actively learn in the classroom, it is also highly beneficial in remote learning. A sense of community may be even more critical in a virtual environment to ensure everyone stays engaged. Occasionally, especially during the first of a school year, do fun activities such as a virtual ice breaker with a large group. Icebreakers also work great with small groups. Either way, they are a fun way to familiarize classmates and hopefully create friendships.
Request Feedback
Everyone involved in remote learning, especially at the grade school level, is new to this type of education. Students, teachers and parents are all having challenges. Routinely gathering feedback from your students and parents can help everyone deal with this transition from classroom to remote learning. Make it clear that you are glad to hear their opinions and ideas and are open to making modifications. This way, you can improve your process a little at a time and benefit everyone, most notably the students.
Split Up Sessions
It can be tough to hold one person’s attention for an hour, especially younger kids. Adding remote learning and a group of people into the mix makes it even more difficult. Break your live sessions into 15- or 20-minute blocks. Have your students learn independently between blocks by reading, writing, or researching.
Hopefully, these suggestions will give everyone involved in remote learning some added peace of mind that “the new normal” will turn out OK. Remote learning can also work great for workplaces that need to train their employees. Businesses can benefit from using a Zoom background with company logo for classes or virtual meetings with clients.
