Virtual classrooms have become the talk of the town. A study in the US showed that the online learning industry is projected to pass $370 billion by 2026. Online education is the future and with more and more people shifting to online classrooms every day, it is important to stay updated and informed about the changes in the industry. It goes without saying that the education landscape is changing drastically.
How do you ensure that you stay ahead of the game? Virtual classrooms have become a part of our life just like schools and educational institutions. Given that virtual classrooms are different than traditional classrooms, how can teachers ensure that the students are engaged and interested? Here are six amazing ideas to make virtual classrooms more interactive and interesting.
6 Ideas to Make Virtual Classrooms Interesting
- Classroom Activities and Games
The impact that classroom activities have cannot be overstated. To make sure that students stay engaged, teachers should incorporate various classroom activities. The activities need not always be centered around the syllabus and the textbook. It can be a simple activity like stand up and sit down. The basic aim of classroom activities is to increase interaction in the classroom and to improve attention & focus. In a virtual classroom setup, you can employ online games and other activities.
- Novel Teaching Methods
When things get routine and mundane, students will start losing interest. While it is not in your hand to decide the syllabus and concepts and of course, you cannot make a concept more interesting but you can use innovative teaching strategies in the classroom. Online teaching demands innovative teaching methods. Such methods are always welcomed and will attract the students’ focus. There are online teaching tools that you can use to increase interest. Teachers can use animated videos and presentations, they can also use the storytelling method to convey the lessons in a better way.
- Timely Assessments and Evaluations
One of the most important things that you have to keep in mind is that online teaching is different from normal face-to-face teaching. It is important to address this difference. The attention span of students is low when it comes to virtual classrooms. You should identify gaps for random discussion sessions or recess periods where your students can just relax at least for five minutes. You can also fit in activities during this time. You should empathize with your students. Consider shortening the duration of your classes further if you are a primary or pre-primary teacher.
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- Teaching Aids
What are teaching aids? Teaching aids are additional instructional materials that are used by teachers to teach a concept. Virtual classrooms have a lot of advantages over normal classes. There are a lot of instructional materials that are available online and there are a lot of sources that the teachers can make use of inside the classroom to explain a concept better. They can use graphs, charts, presentations, and likewise to demonstrate and teach. Podcasts, audio files, etc can also be played.
Content sharing is effortless if you have chosen the right platform to teach online. The online teaching software that you have chosen will decode how seamless your live classes are.
- Gather Feedback
Technology is changing the face of education. In order to ensure that you are going in the right direction, you have to collect feedback from your students. They will be able to tell you what is working and what is not. There’s no harm in changing the way you are approaching things. It tends to go wrong when you deny changing your approach. You can use surveys and polls to collect feedback and make sure to act on it. You want the learning experience to be meaningful and effective, not hostile and scary.
- Rethink Assessments and Evaluation
In virtual classrooms, there’s very little interaction between the students. In order to curb this issue, you can conduct peer evaluations and play games like two truths and a lie so that your students get to know each other better. This will help to foster a good classroom culture and students will start having a sense of belonging.
Conclusion
The ideas that we have discussed are sure to help you increase student engagement. Virtual classrooms and online education are the future and while they might not replace the traditional methods altogether, they are going to co-exist. It is important to develop strategies and methods to ensure that your students feel comfortable and focused.
Happy Teaching!