Since the Covid pandemic disrupted the educational norms that people have lived by for over a hundred years, virtual learning has become a viable option for continuing that mission. One issue that has surfaced as a hindrance to this new style of learning is student engagement and there are many reasons for this.
Whether students don’t understand the requisite decorum that must be maintained in an online classroom or they don’t have a quiet setting by which to attend the virtual meeting or they struggle to pay attention, teachers certainly have their hands full when it comes to achieving maximum levels of student engagement. Virtual Office backgrounds are useful tools for generating and maintaining engagement because they appeal to the senses and to the imagination. There are many tricks and tips for keeping students engaged in a virtual learning setting.
Be Prepared
Obtaining free Zoom Office backgrounds is one way to be prepared before students gather in your virtual waiting room. Another is to make sure that you have your lesson plan timed down to the minute, including built-in break times. A good teacher will log in to practice with break-out rooms and other features of remote learning and read articles on how others in their field are getting good results.
Create a Comfortable Atmosphere
You can customize Zoom backgrounds as a way to generate a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. School has a reputation for being boring. Engaging with society, especially for young people, has always been a tricky venture. Your trick, as a teacher, is to somehow provide an engaging experience that doesn’t make people feel alienated.
Knowing your students is the best way to create a comfortable atmosphere. Allowing humor and creativity is another way to foster engagement, as long as these elements jive with your lesson objectives.
Icebreakers Foster a Sense of Community
One of the purposes of the icebreaker is to remind folks that they aren’t the only ones who may be feeling shy or uncomfortable. A true community of learners is one whose members can exchange both praise and criticism in equal measure. Icebreakers are a great way to introduce people to one another or to introduce a lesson or concept before people need to apply serious critical thinking to an issue.
Provided Opportunities To Collaborate
When students work together to solve problems or create things, they necessarily feel an external element helping to cajole them into action. It’s important to give students a primer on how to engage with each other when in small groups or break-out rooms. You should encourage patience and charity and start with small, easy tasks that can help them to establish their presence with confidence.
Virtual learning may or may not be the educational trend of the future. Since the Covid pandemic, it has proven to be an effective means of teaching if in-person instruction isn’t possible. Learning how to keep students engaged during virtual learning is tantamount to re-establishing the valuable norms of education and getting the most out of your sessions. Visit a virtual office website to check out some backgrounds that could serve you in your quest for student engagement.
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