A Different View of Engagement
They don’t even turn on their video. I don’t know if they are even paying attention.
I was in a meeting with some highly dedicated teachers the other day, and the idea of engagement and what it looks like in the world of screens was discussed. Specifically, we talked about the lack of interaction during synchronous sessions. Some students, or in this case, many students, don’t turn their video on for class time, and it is unnerving when you don’t know what students are thinking or how they are reacting.
In face-to-face settings, we can pick up on the cues. The glances toward the paper. The student who is thinking about saying something. Even the look of interest on the face of a students.
That is all gone, and it is a big loss. It is disheartening to talk to a black screen, hope for the mute button to come off or long for words in the chat. Our time with students is different now, and we have to view teaching differently.
That doesn’t mean that students are checked out if their screens aren’t on. It’s an easy assumption to make, but we have to be careful. The teacher who brought up the topic asked some students why their camera was off, and this is what she heard.
“My video was glitchy. With so many people in the home, turning the screen off saves bandwidth for everyone.”
“I didn’t even think about putting it on. I can if you want me to.”
“I didn’t shower today.”
“I don’t want people to see my room.”
“I was working on something, but I was listening.”
We just don’t know what’s going on over there, and it can be frustrating to put all of our hope in the synchronous video sessions because there is more going on than we know.
Interact with students in new ways
Everybody is using different platforms, but regardless of the tech tools, we have to reach out to students (and families) in a way that most of us never have. Most of us have relied on the class time and then been responders. For those students who sent us an email or came in during office hours, we were all in. Sometimes, we would reach out to the student who was struggling to try to help, but it’s different now. The need to systematically and intentionally check in with students both academically and socially-emotionally is greater now than ever. The number one indicator of engagement is teacher presence in an online class. It’s both important and difficult to be present both during and outside of the class time without losing your marbles.
Be Intentional
Set up a check in schedule and keep track. I had a goal that I would get every student to say at least one thing every day. It wasn’t always during class. It was before, after or some other time. I had 120 students and a clipboard, and I would check it off every day. That was probably going overboard, but I wanted every student to know they existed every day. I think it matters.
Use a Google Form or Pear Deck or something else to do a really quick check in with students. Maybe thumbs up, thumbs down or neutral. Maybe smiley face, blank face or frowny face. Figure out a way to keep track of the responses and THEN…follow up on the frowny faces. Those are students who need to be checked on. Maybe you can do it as a team.
As an English teacher, I spent a lot of time going back and forth with students on Google Docs. Even when we were in class, I sometimes held my writing conferences virtually. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to talk to the student, but it was efficient and some students opened up more. Have fun with it. Just because it is written doesn’t mean you can joke a little back and forth.
Hold office hours, lunch and learns (or not learns), or something else that will allow students to breathe and talk to someone they trust without the pressure of performance.
Pretend everyone is listening and put on a good show. Be authentic. Be inclusive. Assume that they are listening in rapt attention. It will make you better.
Don’t over survey students. Coordinate your efforts with others and work together to connect with students and with your colleagues. This is time consuming to set up, but once you have a system, you’ll feel more confident and you’ll be more effective.
Those are just a few, simple ideas, and I’d love to hear how you’ve been successful (even a little bit) in connecting with students.
You have lost a lot of your ability for the minor, but meaningful, connections with students, so now is a time to consider how to be more intentional and deliberate in making those connections.
Teaching through the screen is stressing us out, and rightly so. We desire connection, and we are grieving the loss of that connection that existed in face-to-face environments, so we have to change our mindset to see that connection and engagement are possible, but it’s going to look different. Moving toward a new mindset where interactions are less dynamic but equally impacting takes time.
Where are you spending your time? Is it possible to shift some of your time away from one area and toward student connection, documenting that connection?
What can you do today to engage students in a new way?