Virtual Classroom Management

When it comes to virtual teaching and learning, classroom management may look a little, or a whole lot, differently. Maine Educator compiled some resources to help support you during this time.

Digital Resources

Online Classroom Practice

Timer

If you’re in need of a timer as students work, Online Clock includes digital timers, countdown clocks, sounds and more. You can pull the timer up on your screen and share your screen as students work so they can see the clock too.

Noise Control

Virtual classrooms can be noisy, but you can set a visual noise level for your students. Bouncy Balls uses the increased agitation of multicolored and sized objects to indicate sound level. When the system detects noise, the feature you choose, emojis, bubbles or another option, will jump with the sound. You can control the tool’s sensitivity as well.

Establish a Routine

The same way you have routines in your physical classroom, you should set routines and norms in your virtual classroom as well. Keeping a process of how class will operate will help students behave in a way that will allow you to teach and other students to learn. The same rules that would apply to your physical classroom should apply to this virtual learning as well.

Have a routine for the beginning of your class and the end of class. For example, take two minutes and allow each student to say hello to each other in the beginning of the lesson and at the end of the lesson reserve another minute to allow for virtual hugs. These are visual and auditory cues for students that teaching will begin after everyone says hello and it will end when virtual hugs are complete.

Be clear that during virtual lessons all other devices, like cell phones or tablets, should be off and put away. For younger students, make sure they know to put away toys or crayons or other items that can take their attention away from you while you’re teaching.

Be Clear About Chat Features

While it is easy to turn off the chat in a tool like Zoom, you may need to keep it on to allow for students to academically interact or ask questions. Be very clear with students that the chat feature is for academic purposes only and if you are made aware of anything inappropriate occurring in the chat, or bullying, take action immediately. Keep a close eye on student behavior and if you notice a student acting differently, or withdrawing from participation, reach out to that student’s parent or guardian as he/ she may have received an unsettling private message that you could not see. Chats in classroom streams must also be closely monitored and clear guidelines for classroom streams should be set immediately.

Dress Code

Everyday can’t be pajama day. If you want to ensure your students take their work seriously, you need to act as if you are in school and in a physical classroom. This means you need to wear appropriate clothing as well. Sure, you can dress down a bit, but make sure what you are wearing is still professional. Set the proper example and students will follow.

Raising Your Hand

Develop a system where students understand how to raise their hand. Some of the tools you may be using, like Zoom, have this feature built in. Be consistent and make sure students understand they need to wait to be called on, just as if they were inside the school building.

Engage Everyone

It’s harder to get students to engage when you’re not physically together. This is where your encouragement comes into play. While you’re teaching, ask students to participate and ask questions. Keep track of the ones who answer the most and remember to invite the ones who don’t to participate in the next lesson. Those students who don’t speak up during the virtual classroom may need to have further contact via email, text or phone call.