How Teachers Can Connect Better with Students While Teaching Online

1. How Teachers Can Connect Better with Students While Teaching Online Online teaching is nowadays the primary tool of learning. Not only schools but institutions and private running academies are also holding online classes due to COVID-19. While this seems to the best alternative nowadays, but online lacks in building rapport with the students. Teachers often find it difficult to make students open up to them and students do not know how to connect with someone they might not have met in person. So, here we come with some ice-breakers to help teachers connect better with students while using smart learning technology for school online. Look for video conferencing tools with waiting room option - There are some platforms such as zoom that let you put a group of attendees in waiting room while the session is going on. This way, the teacher will get time interact with every student while keeping the privacy intact. The child might be able to open up a little during these quick chat sessions. If not at individual level, teacher can also let in a group of 4-5 students and have a conversation with them. Video postcards - You might not have heard of these, but video postcards are quite in these days. Teachers can make short video messages and send them to students. Believe or not, with these small messages, you can make the student feel encouraged and special. Share feedback - Video or audio assessments have better impact on students than a written feedback. So, you must give genuine feedback to students, whenever possible. If a student does something good, make sure you send him/her a video or audio with words of encouragement. Feel free to call - Do not hesitate from calling students, whenever you want to give feedback or just converse with them. This makes the student feel that they have support from someone. There’s no need to have a long discussion. Keep it short and meaningful. These are some of the simple ways with which a teacher can build rapport with students and make online learning more fruitful. Many education providers in India are paying attention to these small aspects to ensure there’s no lag in learning and children thrive in a supportive environment. We hope you will take some cues from this post, and implement the same in your organization.