What are the best strategies to motivate and engage students in online learning?

When teaching online, there are 3 main things to consider: the 'person' as student, the virtual environment, and the goal-directed occupation (teaching standards). When considering the ‘person’ ponder unique challenges students may have… screen fatigue, zoning out, decreased social learning, split attention to task in their unique physical and temporal environments, sensory integration challenges which also challenge consolidation of memories from short-term to long-term. Novel options like a “flipped classroom” may be a wise option as it allows students to process the lecture at their own pace, time of day, and in their chosen physical environment which may not overlap with the scheduled virtual time.

When considering the environment, use a strength-based approach. What does the virtual environment offer that the physical environment doesn’t? More timely feedback and… digital resources. Utilizing a Bloom’s Taxonomy pedagogy wheel, set up each virtual day. Three hours of “instruction” could be flipped to 1-2 hours of on-your-own consumption of: a video lecture, podcast, novel resources such as academic articles, emotion-based educational videos, mnemonics, case studies, assigned readings, etc. Then 1-2 hours of in-person ‘instruction’ (activities) including digital activities that promote: 1. Activity 1—remembering 2. Activity 2—understanding 3. Activity 3—applying 4. Activity 4—analyzing 5. Activity 5—evaluating 6. Activity 6—creating

Take time to be the dedicated “coach”-for any subject. Caring coaches gently push students to success by letting them know they’re there for them every step of the way. For my most successful online courses, I used a program called Pronto to “text” students reminders, encouragement, concern for them, check ins, etc.. Students could send a message 24/7, and I would reply within 24 hrs. At times, I would jump on Zoom to help them. Emoji’s and GIFs made the communication more fun for them and for me. Students could see my dedication to their success, and it worked! I thought I wouldn’t like online teaching, but making a connection to every student, not just a few hanging out after class, made a huge positive impact for all!

Activity resources are endless, but good resources include: Google suite, Blogger, Wikispaces, Coggle, Canva, Quizlet, YouTube (content creation and consumption), podcasts (content creation and consumption), Padlet, music platforms, Wikipedia, movement breaks, ChatGPT, guided drawing/crafts to reinforce concepts, Khan academy, TedEd, FlipGrid, Kahoot, etc.. Seek out a Bloom’s Taxonomy pedagogy wheel for more ideas. Remember to toggle between individual-based activities, dyad activities, small group activities, and class activities to enhance attention to task. And finally match repetition and higher level taxonomy to more pronounced and challenging teaching standards.

A great way to give students autonomy and voice is a creative choice board assignment that offers at least six different options. For example, one choice offers a summary and asks their opinion on an article covering the topic and another choice offers watching a video and recording a verbal response to the video. Giving students options increases engagement , ensures that there is an option for each individual, and covers all skill levels.

At the beginning of the school year, the students create classroom agreements about what they can expect from each other and how respect works in the classroom. It’s a wonderful way for students to take ownership of classroom community vibes. We also have a weekly community circle where we check in with each other, like sharing what we did over the weekend or our current favorite song. We stand in a circle and look one another in the eye. We’ve also used the circles to problem solve when we have challenges. These activities help us see one another and listen.

We sometimes make the mistake of thinking that we know more about tech than our students do. The modern student is more likely to be way ahead of using tech in an instinctive way, whereas most educators these days have had to learn it. We must always have at the back of our minds that students have been born into a world where, for them, tech has always existed; they therefore, view it differently to older people, who see it more as a tool that has to be learned.