Online classrooms have completely revamped our ways of teaching and learning by making learning more flexible, affordable, accessible and engaging for the students. In fact, the rapid adoption of eLearning as the preferred mode of education, especially amidst the coronavirus pandemic has encouraged educational institutions towards digitizing most of their teaching and management functions with the help of modern tools such as admission management system, smart classes, fees management system, eLearning portals and likewise.
In spite of the various ways in which online teaching can be advantageous for the students as well as the educators, learning online can be made more effective and engaging with a few tweaks in your classroom management strategy. Many things can go wrong in an online class and deplete student engagement if not managed properly. For instance, connecting using a webcam can be a bit challenging especially for younger students. Students are also prone to a lot of distractions while learning online which is why keeping the students engaged and interested in your class can become challenging. In fact, teaching online requires a completely different skill set than teaching in a traditional offline classroom. Here are a few tips and tricks for educators to facilitate learning and make the learning environment in their online classes fun and engaging. So, without further ado, let us take a look at each one of them…
Effective use of technology-
Online teaching has its fair share of challenges, but it also provides educators with many new and highly effective technological teaching tools. Using digital teaching tools such as whiteboards, drawing tools, screen sharing, text editors, and games can really help in enhancing the student engagement in an online class by adding variety and novelty to your online lessons. Educators must learn how to make effective use of these technological teaching tools and also take time to explain about the same to their students in order to make them more confident while using them. Educators can then use their own creativity and curiosity to think about how and where they can use a particular tool to liven up their lectures.
Interactive Learning-
While teaching in a traditional offline classroom, it is not unusual for educators to give students time for quiet reflection, reading or thinking about a problem. However, in an online class you are better off by keeping things lively and interactive. You should not let the students sit idle for too long in an online class as it can deplete their engagement. Instead, try asking questions and using the flow of conversation to liven up the classroom learning environment.
Be Presentable-
Make sure that you as well as the location from where you teach online look presentable. Any simple background will go a long way in preventing students from getting distracted. Moreover, if the students can see your face make sure to look engaged and interested in their opinions as it will help in boosting their morale and keep them interested in learning. Moreover, make sure to keep the visual elements like slides look clean and use high quality videos to make the learning experience of students smooth. Focusing on the visuals is only half of the equation. As a rule, equal focus should be put on audio. Educators could try changing their voice to a different tone while letting students know about any new activities. While offering praise to your students, make sure that you are loud enough. Moreover, make sure that any audio clips or audiobooks that you use in the class should be of good quality. Apart from this, make sure that you have a strong internet connection as students will easily get distracted if your connection with them breaks off frequently.
Goal Setting-
Encouraging students in your online class to set some learning goals and track their progress is yet another way of keeping their learning on track in an online classroom. Share a clear outline of your course and lessons with the students so that the students can easily track their progress and are motivated towards achieving their learning goals. This will also help them in being more engaged and interested in learning in your online class.
eLearning is the biggest innovation in the field of education of late. Educators should make sure that they know how to make online classes fun and engaging for their students in order to become a successful online educator.
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