Since the start of the pandemic, many schools have students enrolled in distance learning. If you are a preschool or elementary school teacher, this means that now you need to create interesting and educational online lessons for students.
So how do you make your online class engaging?
It all comes down to focusing on the amount of interaction between you and your students. As interaction increases, class involvement increases.
Here are eight strategies guaranteed to increase interaction and make your online class exceptionally fun and valuable to your young learners.
Recreate your students’ learning environment
You want to set the tone for how you want your class to feel, the moment they walk in. You don’t want your students to see your nightstand prominently behind you or dirty dishes as part of your classroom decor.
Instead, create a backdrop for the space you are teaching in. Decorate it with houseplants, flowers, vibrant curtains, book or graphic displays to make your students feel like they are in a learning environment. You can also use digital backgrounds that can be easily exchanged, depending on the topics of the lesson or whenever you feel like making a change.
Part of re-creating an optimal learning environment for your students is to minimize the distractions that can interrupt the lesson. This is no time to run noisy appliances like dishwashers and blenders.
Use props
Children love to pretend. And using props like masks, toy balls, silly hats, toy microphones, soft toys or dolls can help you make your class more memorable.
You can also use online learning tools such as whiteboards, flashcards, diagrams, and maps to reinforce what you are teaching your students.
Keep it simple
Your students need to remember many rules when they are in your online class. In addition to following your instructions, they need to absorb new information and concepts being taught.
This can lead to cognitive overload in your students. According to research, cognitive overload occurs when the mind is overloaded with more information than it can process. They are particularly prone to this when using online platforms. And as a result, they may retreat or shut down completely in your class.
It is important to keep the lessons simple and teach one concept at a time. Let’s say you are teaching opposites. Just focus on the opposite words you are targeting for the lesson and don’t get into the way you spell the words or move to a completely different teaching point.
Keep moving
Just because they’re sitting in front of a computer doesn’t mean they have to stay there for the entire lesson. Have fun and play games like “Follow the leader”, where you choose a leader, which could be yourself or someone else in the class, and ask the rest of the class to follow the chosen leader. Or challenge them to see how many jumps or pushups they can do in one minute.
You can even organize treasure hunts and send them around the house looking for items you want them to find. You can also play games related to what you are teaching that encourages them to move. For example, if you put questions on the screen that your students have to answer, let them run around in circles if they get the right answer or jump twice if they get it wrong.
Use technology to your advantage
If you want to infuse some digital fun into your class, use your platform to share eBooks, music and YouTube videos for your students. Platforms like Zoom have features like whiteboards or white canvases that both you and your students can doodle on. You can play hangman, tic-tac-toe or even organize drawing contests with your students.
Be expressive
Think of yourself as an actor in a movie. When the cameras are on, your job is to grab the audience’s attention and guide their intellect and emotions where you want them to be. You can do this through your expressions, your gestures and your voice.
For example, vary your tone from high to low as you tell stories or explain a point. Or, use exaggerated facial expressions and hand gestures to make them interested in what you have to say. Like Borderlands 3 Save Editor is a very interesting game. Which can be very informative for kids.
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With young children, energy and expressiveness are important when teaching so they don’t lose interest in your class. When you bring enthusiasm, you are more likely to see your students reciprocate.
Communicate with parents
For online classes to be successful, it is essential to engage and communicate with your students’ parents. At the beginning of each trimester, create messaging groups where both you and their parents can talk about their child’s personality, as well as class performance and behavioral expectations.
You can also ask them for suggestions or ideas on the type of activity they would like to see in the lesson. Use email newsletters to let parents know in advance if there is anything their child needs to bring to class.
Use fun hand and keyboard gestures
Encourage your students to use fun hand and keyboard gestures to show their understanding. If they get the right answer, give them a virtual high five. Likewise, tell them to do a thumbs up if they understand, or thumbs down if they don’t understand. Or they can send smiling, affectionate, or frowning emoticons to express their feelings.
Another fun keyboard trick to encourage participation is to have class grades on whatever you want them to do. Tell your students that they have to press a number on the keyboard to choose what they want to do next. And the option that gets the most clicks wins. For example, tell your students if they want to answer a question, press “1” or if they prefer to draw a picture, press “2”.
Online teaching doesn’t have to be boring
By incorporating these tips into your lesson, you’ll be ready to teach your best lesson ever online. Greater interaction, along with positive energy and preparation, will make your lessons enjoyable for both you and your students.
