The on-going pandemic has adversely affected the formal education of students all around the world. With online learning emerging as the only viable learning solution, schools and colleges are now tasked with moving their classes online. For teachers who have been teaching in a traditional classroom ecosystem so far, crossing this particular chasm is no easy task. Keeping students engaged, motivated and interested in learning can be a little challenging especially when using an online medium for the first time.
As a teacher who has relied on technology to expand my boundaries and help students across the country in their learning journeys, I can assure you that this new medium offers great flexibility and interactivity between teachers and students. This teacher’s day, here are a few tips that you can use to make online learning more fun, engaging and effective.
At BYJU’S, integrating technology into teaching has empowered our teachers to do a lot more. They are no longer restricted to a 2-dimensional blackboard. With the help of animations, gamification and other interactive elements, teachers are able to explain concepts contextually, resulting in life-long learning in students.
Understand digital tools and plan around them
The digital landscape could be new territory for you as a teacher. But it is important not to get overwhelmed. It’s crucial for teachers to take a step back and first understand the functioning of various digital tools and chalk out the ones they plan on using. Embracing the power of technology and becoming digitally empowered is the first step to making online class fun and effective.
Encourage students to create a ‘digital learning space’ at home
For students to be engaged, it’s important they have an open mind to learning online. A distraction-free environment with a strong internet connection will help them have an uninterrupted experience. Encourage them to customise their learning space to cater to today’s changing ways of learning.
Make learning interactive
Integrating opportunities for real-time interaction into your online class can enable you to recreate an offline classroom environment. You can use features such as breakout rooms to give more structure to your interactions and make sure every student participates. Make sure to use the necessary digital tools to enable students to get their doubts clarified instantly. With chat features widely available today, you can exercise control over the questions and answer them without interrupting your own teaching flow.
Evaluate your students regularly
It is crucial to assess your students regularly to make sure that a sense of accountability is established amongst them. It’s important to ask your students questions during the class to make it interactive and to make sure students pay attention. You can also give students periodic assignments, tests and exams to ensure they are studying regularly. Gamified content can also be used to make quizzes and other online assessments fun and engaging for students.