Staying Connected...Virtually

When Covid-19 first began to spread it took everyone by surprise. We realized how unprepared we all were for such a massive outbreak. I’d like to focus on the impact on teachers and students to be specific.

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I recently read an article that addressed ways to ensure that you maintain your student-teacher and peer-to-peer relationships even during distance learning. The article addresses how teachers can foster the sense of belonging for their students in a virtual classroom atmosphere. Many classrooms are going to start the year virtually due to safety guidelines in place. There are so many ways to interact with your students to help maintain a classroom atmosphere that is safe and welcoming. Try to ensure that throughout your online learning experience you are greeting your students regularly. Ensuring there is a morning routine is essential. On your online platform, you can greet students with a morning video that entails details about the daily lesson or provide a bell ringer to start class.  Teachers should also perform distance learning check-ins with students to keep track of how each of their students are doing. You can have students complete a check-in questionnaire via video, audio, or text. Another way that teachers can foster a sense of belonging is having the students interact with each other on their online platform. Creating a virtual turn and talk would be a great way for students to engage with classmates and think deeper within the lesson. Because peer-to-peer interaction is so vital to a positive classroom culture, teachers can also set up virtual table groups. Teachers can create a discussion forum thread with a set of 4 students so that they can engage in meaningful discourse about the topic or lesson. Another great way to ensure you are maintaining a positive online culture is to include the parents in the conversation. Let your parents know what their children are doing in class and provide them updates. Allow students to express their emotions through writing assignments. Students and teachers may get overwhelmed in an online learning environment, especially if it is not by choice. It is important that teachers provide students an avenue to convey what they are feeling. This can be done through daily journaling paired with your daily check ins. 

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I personally use Google Classroom as my platform to interact with my students through technology. I had the opportunity to utilize a lot of these tips during the shutdown. My students were pretty excited about the break initially. After a few weeks, I was able to see how important daily virtual check-ins were for maintaining engagement and a positive atmosphere for learning. Students were out of their learning comfort zones so I used technology to engage them and restore their sense of belonging.
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If you still need help in maintaining the relationships that drive engagement and learning during distance learning, check out the article ​here!

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