With the current upheaval in our educational system, both parents and teachers are confronted with the issue of making a quick transition from traditional to online classrooms. Teachers and parents are still working out how to make
online learning more effective due to its suddenness and lack of preparation time.
So, how can students benefit from online learning? Here are a few pointers that might be useful.
Assist your students in getting online
Don't assume that all of your students will be able to access the internet on a regular basis. Many internet firms and independent organisations, fortunately, have stepped forward to try to give better coverage to aid kids in their learning.
Set a good home wifi network
When it comes to setting up your home environment, take your time.
Young minds are often distracted, so don't get off to a bad start while setting up your home teaching environment. If you're making recordings or films, or giving a live presentation, find a calm, private spot in your home.
Assign work to groups and pairs
Your students require more social connection than ever before, yet getting all of your distant students together for typical class time might be difficult. Assign small group tasks to assist your pupils stay connected with their peers. Encourage older kids to communicate with their peers or partners at a time and through a media that they are all familiar with.
Teaching Strategies
Focus on ‘Active’ Learning:
Even the most dynamic teachers cannot get away relying on long drawn lectures for an hour online. To engage students, the faculty must mix spurts of discussions, video & audio clips, and hands-on exercises with text. This blend of teaching and learning tools is very new to most teachers who haven’t practiced active learning during their face-to-face classroom sessions.
‘Chunk’ the lessons:
Long lectures and sessions are most ineffective online. To make learning most effective and efficient, keeping students engaged takes precedence. Therefore, no pages of text or prolonged one-hour non stop reading. Experts recommend a 10-minute‘ chunk” of informative content with varying formats that would work wonders for students. Younger students benefit from breaking down the text into short paragraphs and colored content to be distributed after class that highlights important points. This helps students retain information far more than lengthy notes or classes.
Be present:
No matter where the teaching is, it is of utmost importance for the faculty to be mentally present with the students. Now, that doesn’t mean just responding to the questions asked by the students. They should have a “social presence” in their online classrooms by sharing some photos or mentions of some interesting activities they did over the weekend or recommend some interesting reads. Have a 10-minute “catchup” time to come together and share stories or ideas that encourage better engagement in students.
Logistics
Technology Tools:
Online classes require video conferencing softwares, which vary for different schools. Teachers must corroborate with parents with required account details, downloading of required apps (eg. Google Docs, Powerpoint, Evernote), and access information much in advance.
Robust internet connection:
Some may agree to download videos and notes to mitigate wifi issues and for students who are facile with technology. However, engagement and interaction with students online have proven to be far beneficial. Schools and homes should leverage this by having a robust and efficient
internet connection to avoid slacking and distraction in students.
To conclude, the most effective learning happens when a bunch of students interact and solve interesting problems, discuss topics, or share ideas. With backbenchers pushed in front of the screen and elimination of playing favourites, this might be greatly beneficial in having a fair and unbiased system. In the same breath, using assessments or quizzes after each session would be the best way to identify gaps/create focus groups who need extra help with performance.
Make sure you follow these tips and share this resource with fellow parents and teachers.
