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As the world evolves and changes, so too do the methods of passing on knowledge to the next generation. And, thanks to the accessibility of technology, distance learning has become a popular way to give both children and adults access to education that they may not be able to access in their hometown. However, not every pupil is equipped to handle the pressures that come with distance learning, so it is imperative that teachers make the experience engaging and fun in order to help their pupils do their best work. Here are just four ways you can make distance learning fun for pupils and ensure they stay engaged with your coursework.
Give Your Pupils a Sense of Control
One of the best and easiest ways to make sure your pupil or pupils stay engaged with your lessons is by giving them some measure of control over their lessons or assignments. Allowing pupils some choice over their coursework is a great way for them to both take control over their learning as well as give them the chance to learn about something they enjoy or are interested in, which will keep them engaged.
Now, this doesn’t mean you need to give them full control over the whole course; you could use these free-choice assignments as rewards for hard work in other areas, tying us into the next tip: rewarding achievements.
Rewarding Good Work
It is important that pupils be rewarded for their efforts, as extending rewards helps to promote appropriate and positive behavior and motivates people to be more productive. These rewards can be things like badges or certificates, or even some cool school supplies if you want to give them something fun that can be used during lessons as a daily reminder of their achievement.
While external rewards are important, intrinsic rewards are also imperative in order to keep pupils motivated. Help promote the value of intrinsic motivators by reminding pupils how their newfound knowledge can help them and others in the future, even in small ways. Associating their achievements with tangible effects in the real world, such as how those skills they just learned could help them in the working world, will keep them motivated and reinforce the purpose behind the course.
Bring in Some Social Aspects
Just because distance learning is usually a solitary pastime, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t include some social aspects to your learning. Social functions are a great way for your pupil or pupils to share their success stories with other pupils, which will in turn motivate them to carry on working hard so they have something to show at the next social gathering. These gatherings can take place in person or online through applications such as Skype or other meeting apps.
You can also bring a social aspect into your coursework by opening up the course to sharing and commenting online so that pupils can engage with each other about the work, making it more interactive. You can also use this interaction to judge what kind of content pupils are more likely to engage with, allowing you to tailor the work to better suit their needs.
Use Technology to Improve Your Lessons
Learning doesn’t only need to take place through reading or watching videos; using a mix of content delivery methods can help keep pupils engaged with the course. If all your lessons are PowerPoint presentations, then maybe it’s time to shake things up, perhaps with a guest teacher to do the audio on a video presentation.
Keeping your pupils engaged with their coursework will help them get more out of the experience and in turn make you a better tutor, so ensure that you keep your content fresh and engaging and you’ll be sure to see some positive results.