In this article, we will discuss how to engage your students in the classroom by giving them lessons that are interesting and fun. Online classrooms have their own set of challenges which can be difficult for teachers to navigate. We will talk about engaging tools and activities that are found effective in an online classroom as well as provide you with a list of ways to create content that is more engaging than ever before!
1. Create a blogA blog is a great way to keep track of your thoughts or posts for the class as well as use it as an archive for students who are absent. You can also create different blogs based on subject areas such as math, English or science! This way your students interact with you differently and address their class needs.
- Create an announcement blog with the latest information about your Online Classroom such as topics, dates for assignments etc.
- Share links to helpful teaching tools or anything that is relevant to the subject area of your Online Classroom
- Update students on absences through a blog post
When students are allowed to share their thoughts and ideas in class discussions, they feel more comfortable with the Online Classroom environment. This also helps you identify where students are struggling or need further support.
- First ask one student to share their opinion before opening it up for discussion
- Ask a question that allows each student to contribute an answer without forcing them to work in
Encouraging Peer learning allows Online Classroom students to share their knowledge and opinions with other Online Classroom classmates. This can be done by having an Online Chat Room where Online Students are encouraged to have discussions with one another on specific topics that you specify before the lesson starts, or after it is completed.
- Create a chat room using any online platform (Skype, Slack, Google Classroom, myViewboard, microsoft teams)
4. Allow student input on homework assignments, projects, and attendance courseworkOnline Classroom teachers should allow Online Students to submit their own homework assignments, projects, and coursework. This will help Online Students feel like they have more control over the work that is being assigned to them and make Online Learning a collaborative process where all students are engaged in the learning experience.
Incorporating Structured Activities gives the learner the control to move forward in the Online Classroom, not just wait for a teacher to give them feedback on their work. Online classrooms should include engaging activities which will keep Online Students interested and engaged. Engaging Activities can be as simple as interactive quizzes or more complicated like an Online Treasure Hunt where students solve puzzles that lead them to clues about different topics and branch out into new Online Learning spaces. Online classrooms should also include activities that will help Online Students to develop skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and interpersonal communications.
Some good Engaging Activities are debates over controversial topics or online discussions of readings from the course material with others in the Online Classroom.
5. Give them opportunities for self-directed learning by providing links or resources they can explore on their own timeSharing resources like websites, wiki resources or blogs is a great way to help Online Students explore topics they may not have discovered on their own. By directing them to a variety of resources, Online Students can learn about topics they may find interesting and explore them in greater depth.
6. Give feedback promptly - don't wait until the end of the semester to give grades or commentsFeedback is important for any form of learning. For online courses, feedback must be deliberate and purposeful. Ways an online teacher can provide good quality feedback to their students include using collaborative tools such as wikis or blogs, and through discussion boards or virtual classrooms.
The type of engagement you want to encourage in your classroom might be different depending on the course or subject matter. For example, if you're teaching a language-based class such as your native language, it would be helpful for students to speak with each other and their professors regularly via social media platforms like Twitter. If you teach an engineering course that requires more collaboration than one person can produce alone, then Google Docs is going to come in handy. Whatever the content may be, there are tools out there designed specifically for engaging online learners at all levels and skill sets - so don't get stuck using old school methods just because they're what's most comfortable! Are you incorporating any of these multimedia practices into your current curriculum?
