I was going to write this blog about traditional classroom management as that is something I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this year. Instead, I will shift the focus slightly to something more relevant given today’s teaching environment, digital classroom management. A report from the National Center for Education Statistics says that in 2017 “about 21 percent of public schools and 13 percent of private schools offered any courses entirely online.” This number has only increased since then and more so due to COVID complications. Being able to skillfully use what we know about classroom management in the online learning environment will be a significant tool for teaching this coming school year.
According to the team at Edutopia, the proven practices of in-person classroom management should not be discarded simply because of instruction transitioning online. In our physical classroom, we often design and us the space available to us intentionally to build an atmosphere of learning. The same can happen online by providing clear areas for your online students to find the resources they need. This may mean preparing a very thorough tutorial video showing students where all of their resources are since they might not be clearly visible like in a physical class.
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Just like you would do with a physical classroom, you need to have clearly defined online office hours and contact information so your students know how and when they can reach out to you. Be present when you are working with them virtually, minimizing as many distractions as possible in both your environment and theirs. Since you won’t be able to chat up your students in the halls, be sure to reach out to them regularly through a variety of means.
The general rule of thumb, if it works in a physical classroom it works in an online one. As a teacher, you might have to learn some new ways of establishing your classroom management plan when doing distance learning and adjust your own habits accordingly but in the end, your students will adapt under your guidance and examples.
I agree that the sound principles for best practices long established in our physical classrooms carry over to online platforms in principle, however achieving these things in an online environment may be more challenging than what you have suggested here. I think your emphasis on online office hours and clear contact times are important, also I agree that students need more regular contact online due to less face-to-face interaction. Motivating students to contact their teacher, creating accountability for contributing to their groups, making the office hours and zoom calls productive, and many other challenges exist in the online classroom that we don't have in the physical classroom. I think the students themselves can really lead us on this one. Students intuitively know ways to reproduce in person social interaction through online media in ways I think even my generation are lacking. Also, your blog design is very clean and well designed.
ReplyDeleteOne personal example of how online education can still result in meaningful social interactions is my own graduating class for my Master's Degree. The program was entirely online over two years and I befriended most everyone who started with me. We have a facebook group that we keep in touch with and even got together for dinner one night (those of use close enough to do so). I've seen a lot of parents afraid their students will lose out on the social aspect of high school being forced into online education due to COVID but those opportunities are still there, they just look different than our expectations.
DeleteThank you for your comment!
Virtual classroom management is something I hadn't considered to this point. I concur with your outlook that "if it works in a physical classroom, it works in a digital one". I'm curious of there are opportunities for students to more personally connect with one another within an online class. I have found that I am more successful in a classroom where I can connect and relate to the other students.
ReplyDeleteA very interesting topic and obviously very relevant given the possibility of some students still being educated remotely this fall. Were there any specific recommendations for online management that you saw in your search or at the sites you visited?
ReplyDeleteGenerally, you should prepare your Classroom management plan the same way. Have concrete rules you expect students to follow, explain to them why they are important, develop an expectations on procedures, etc. Specifically, it is the details of those that change with online education. For instance, in my online master's program we were expected to always state our name before we talked. You almost never can see the entire roster of your class with online video classroom software so this helps everyone know exactly who is talking. This isn't an issue with in person classes obviously. Other things to consider is having camera on/off, microphone etiquette, distraction free camera view, things of that nature that are unique to video classrooms.
DeleteMost software lets the host establish these things before any student ever logs in so be sure you familiarize yourself with your options if you find yourself hosting a virtual classroom.
Thank you for your comment!
Rhett, I’m intrigued by your ideas about translating in-person management strategies to an online setting. In my experience the management tools that have worked most effectively for have been cultivated in the unscripted, informal moments between activities. In taking online classes this summer, I have found that the lack of meaningful relationships between students and teacher is the primary impediment to gaining any effective student buy-in to the learning process. Looking ahead to a school year in which I fear that the vast majority of my classes will be taught asynchronously online, I wonder how (beyond office hours and video calls) we can cultivate the human relationships that allow for effective management of classrooms.
ReplyDeleteI have experiences both types of online classes plenty of times in my academic career. They usually fall into three types, asynchronous with no virtual meetings only online forum conversations, synchronous where you have a virtual meeting you are expected to attend throughout the week much like a traditional course, or a mix of the two.
DeletePersonally I see advantages to all types. At the college level, students are typically mature enough to handle less interaction so the asynchronous isn't terrible although I feel I get less out of those courses overall. You really get what you put into that type though. In k-12, I would expect only fully synchronous online courses would work as students are still developing proper learning habits and need that consistent guidance. This also more easily allows that human connection, being able to see and hear your instructor and classmates. Group breakouts are fairly streamlined on most platforms I find so that is still achievable, giving students a small group learning experience. Combine that with forum interactions (although maybe a class social-media page might be more relevant) and you still get a decent amount of social interactions.