In online teaching, classroom management is undoubtedly the toughest part. Finding the right classroom management strategies is one of the top professional development needs of a teacher. In regular classroom-based education, experienced teachers can establish routines early. But, a virtual classroom is a new concept for even experienced teachers. Are you a teacher facing difficulties with the management of a virtual classroom? It is better to learn some classroom management techniques. Here are some classroom management tips for effective virtual classroom management:
Clear Communication is a Must:
For proper online classroom management, it is important to establish norms. Particularly, norms for effective communication between you and your students are important. Let us consider that you plan to call your students to video conferencing. You should make certain things compulsory in advance. Here is the list of things that you should instruct your students before the video classes begin:
Prepare for class ahead of time
Use the chat function when you need assistance
Make sure that there is no or minimal background noise
Always keep the camera on.
Also, once an online session is over, ask your students for some suggestions. You can ask them as to what helped them learn the best in the virtual environment. Ask for their suggestion for improving communication norms. You should set some standards when you motivate students to add feedback or inputs to forums.
You know one thing for sure if you are an experienced teacher. Every teacher like you will come across some students, who do not understand virtual communication norms. Remember to maintain patience. For most students, remote learning is a new concept. Also, only a few students get support at home from their parents. You can make an online classroom comfortable for all students by modeling suitable behaviors. You can do this commonly for all irrespective of whether students get support at home or not.
You can teach your students to wait when others in the meeting are talking. Also, you can make them understand that they can use the mute option on their phone or computer when there is external noise in their home. Further, you can teach them to follow multiple approaches to take part. For instance, they can share comments verbally. Otherwise, they can use text or even emojis or thumps up and thumps down buttons to show their thoughts.
Also, you should remember that some parents can feel overwhelmed with the online classroom. The reason is that it is a new method for them as well. Some parents might be working from home. Even, some will have to manage both their work and the schoolwork of their multiple children simultaneously. So, it is better to make sure that you keep the communication accurate, positive and simple. You can display expectations and standards in key locations. For instance, you can make a practice an important announcement on the course home page. In turn, parents can retrieve the information effectively. Make sure to keep the parents and students informed about the methods they can follow to see any common announcements you make. When the communication is clear you can considerably reduce the chances of confusion. It will also avoid receiving multiple emails from parents asking for the same information.
Test the Technology in Advance:
Nothing can hinder your online classes quicker than fumbling with your video conference or slideshow. Naturally, you will be tempted to try every new app out there to prevent these things. As against getting distracted by the shiniest new apps coming up then and there, you can do one thing. You can pay attention to learning about some tools really well. If you plan for live coaching, you should have a conferencing app handy.
Also, you should have a learning management system for providing feedback to your students and even for assigning work. Further, it would be better to have a personalized learning platform. Also, ensure the usage of collaborative documents and presentation programs. This is one of the important classroom management ideas you can follow.
Years back it was a real issue to launch breakout rooms. Teachers had no other option other than setting up multiple video conferences. They had to manually switch students in and out of the rooms. Thankfully, many online teaching platforms now allow teachers to send students into breakouts. Also, you can bring those students on breakouts back just with the touch of a button.
Among the many tools, the most useful will be Ken42. The reason is that it integrates with other tools easily. and is a user-friendly tool as well. Comparatively Ken42 a better stability among other platforms.
Create a Routine For Classroom Time:
When there is a routine, it will be easier for students to follow. Creating a routine for the time within the online classroom will make the sessions more productive. The productivity will improve not just for your students but also for you as a teacher. As the flow of the lesson will be engaging and predictable in this way, it will be easier to gain the focus of students. Creating a routine is one of the effective classroom management strategies for teachers too. The reason is that you will get time to think deeper. You can get time to find new ways to keep students engaged during online classes. Even, you can identify the ways to keep an eye on the understanding of students.
Apart from these best classroom management strategies, one of the effective online classroom management strategies is to take quick disciplinary actions. Similar to regular classroom management methods, the best practices for classroom management will be followed by students only when they know that they will be punished for their non-disciplinary actions.