Engagement in an online classroom must be a top priority of the teachers. It helps in making online teaching effective and making the most out of their course. However, connecting via webcam is not as easy as it seems. In addition to that, it is a new way of learning and hence, requires a little extra effort from both ends i.e., from both teachers and students.
As a teacher, you should work on your skillset and pedagogy because to teach online you cannot totally depend on what you have been doing for years in a brick and mortar classroom. You will have to try out new ways of making your class more engaging and interactive and a fun session.
If you want to learn about the various ways that you can adopt in your online classroom, keep reading!
Ways To Make Online Classroom More Engaging
- Get Prepared Before Starting
Share the study material with your students before class so that they have a general idea of what they will learn in the session. It also guarantees that the lesson is better understood. Also, share your expectations and agenda beforehand. You should also set a time for the classes and send it to your students. A fixed time for class makes the classroom disciplined and also, helps students plan their day. When students know when to attend a class every day, it makes them interested in learning.
You should also take mock classes before the session starts so that you are prepared for the actual class. This will also help you understand what works and what needs to be changed.
- Make Your Class Worthy Of Students’ Time
Just because someone is attending your class to learn and you are the one teaching does not mean that you can do whatever you want. Whatever you do in the class should be worthy of the time invested by each student. For making students’ learning experience better, here are a few tips:
- The use of multimedia enhances the learning experience. Therefore, you should use videos, audio, graphics, etc., to teach students.
- Promote interaction between students by letting them communicate with each other about their views, opinions, questions, etc. Ask them whether they are understanding the topics or not or ask them to explain what they have understood.
- Take breaks in intervals, whenever necessary. Teaching continuously will drain your and your students’ energy.
- Set The Tone Right
If it is your first class or the beginning of the session, you should introduce yourself and ask your students to introduce themselves too.
Start strong because the tone of the class is set in the initial few minutes. To make sure that you are doing it right, you should check the sound and video quality, lighting, background noise, etc. Also, you can ask a few questions, in the beginning, to find out how much your student knows about the topic.
- Follow Up
Your work does not end with finishing the topic. To make your online classroom engaging, you should always follow up. Ask questions at the end of the session, give them assignments based on the topic that you taught, take feedback, talk a little about what you will be teaching in the next class, etc.
Final Thoughts
When a classroom is engaging, students learn better. A teacher should always try to make the classroom as interactive as possible so that there is maximum engagement and involvement of students in the learning process. Remember that learning is a two-way process. You cannot expect more from students if you are not giving them enoug. Therefore, as a teacher you should give your best.
