How teachers rose to the challenge of making online learning engaging and fun
How teachers rose to the challenge of making online learning engaging and fun
How teachers rose to the challenge of making online learning engaging and fun
By Vanessa Ho
December 2, 2020
Summary
In the classroom, Yaritza Villalba used to transform history lessons into fun events like rap battles and speakeasies with root beer and students dressed as 1920s celebrities.
With the school year in full swing, teachers around the world are adapting to completely new ways of instructing and engaging with students during the pandemic.
They are taking on the steep challenge of reinventing coursework and mastering new technologies to connect with students and make online school a little more fun.
"My students are learning in a way many people couldn't fathom," says Villalba.
Across the Atlantic in England, Angela Gillen marvels at how far she and her colleagues have come since March, when their campus closed and they quickly learned how to use Microsoft Teams to keep students engaged.
The tool helps her spot trends like the nocturnal habits of her students, who often do homework from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. It helps her know when students are struggling at home - an especially difficult task without regular, in-person classes.
"Sometimes it's hard to know what's going on, so it's important we're able to see students on Teams and track how well they're getting on," Gillen says.
For a lesson on online etiquette, he built a Minecraft journey of a hero muting his mic and working nicely with students.
Because his students are usually shy about their language skills, Oliveira asks them to record assignments in Flipgrid instead of making them speak in front of class.
The tool can help his students understand presentations in English and give presentations in their native tongue.
Reference
Ho, V. (2020, December 02). How teachers rose to the challenge of making online learning engaging and fun. Retrieved December 05, 2020, from https://news.microsoft.com/features/how-teachers-rose-challenge-online-learning-engaging-fun/