Pupils can find the experience of remote learning quite daunting especially when ‘interacting’ with peers online or having to participate during live lessons.
The research suggests peer interaction is important to motivate, but we also know how important it is as a teacher to direct and engage pupils when teaching. Below you can find some suggestions in relation how best to do this.
1) During the ‘teaching’ phase online it is important to do the following:
a) Engage them at the start of the ‘lesson’
– Set pre-teaching tasks prior to the session to allow thinking time & activate prior learning
– Provide a starter question or warm up task whilst pupils ‘enter’ lesson
– Empower pupils to ‘lead’ parts of lesson
Here is a selection of examples of these strategies in action Lesson starts
b) Facilitate peer collaboration
– Use the chat function on Zoom or teams to enable pupils to pose questions or ask one another for help
– Use online tools to get pupils to collaborate e.g. Goodnotes, Keynote, Googledocs
– Use whiteboard.fi to interact and receive pupil responses live
Here is a selection of examples of these strategies in action Peer interaction
c) Provide support through scaffolding or modelling
– Provide scaffolded tasks to support
– Share videos to unpick misconceptions; live model examples before practice
– Use break out rooms to target groups (LSAs/Teacher)
Here are some examples of these strategies in action Provide support
2) When starting to undertake independent work pupils need support in developing independent learning habits and in demonstrating their understanding. This enables them to move from guided practice to more independent practice:
– Provide modelled examples (pre-prepared)
– Ensure gradual scaffolding in all tasks
– Develop depth through tasks and share structures for independent learning
Here are some examples of these strategies in action Independent practice
3) Responsive planning: As we would usually do, we need to gauge pupils’ responses either live or through independent work in order to ensure we utilise the information to inform future planning.
– Poll pupils to get feedback
– Analyse low stakes assessments to inform planning
– Unpick pupil misconceptions through live tutorials
Here are some examples Responsive planning
We hope this has been a useful insight into how to make ‘live’ interactions more engaging for pupils here are some practical tips Practical tips in managing the logistics of remote learning in your department or Key Stage.
Here are some top tips overall for remote learning from one of our schools. Engaging Home Learners