Managing Your Digital Classroom
Managing Your Digital Classroom
From my experience on this journey to become a teacher I have realized that schooling can really only prepare you for so much. As much as I feel confidence in areas that were taught to us in courses and implementing instruction, class room management is a whole different beast. There is no amount of training or hypothetical practice can prepare you for what happens inside the classroom. Classroom management is skill that can, in my opinion, always seek improvement. Your management style might have to change yearly depending on what works for the specific group of students or it might be a series of trail and error throughout the year. Either way, it's important to prioritize finding classroom management strategies that work to help foster a healthy and effective learning environment for all.
"Effective teaching and learning cannot take place in a poorly managed classroom. If students are disorderly and disrespectful, and no apparent rules and procedures guide behavior, chaos becomes the norm. In these situations, both teachers and students suffer."
(Classroom Management That Works, Robert J. Marzano, Jana S. Marzano and Debra J. Pickering)
This year because of COVID 19, classroom management has become a more difficult task than ever before. Some schools have had to do Hybrid or Full Remote learning for most of the school year. How does one manage a classroom when there is no classroom? I was lucky enough to be in a district that only had to be remote a handful of times but I know so many of my peers have struggled with this. I don't think the zoom classroom will be fully gone post COVID, it will probably take on a new role for sick days, snow days, and other circumstances so even though the year is coming to a close its never too late to learn about digital classroom management strategies. Here are some that I have found to be the most helpful and I hope that you do too!
1. Set Expectations for At Home Learning Space
When doing school from home it can be very hard to keep focus while trying to separate at home and school rules. It is important that there are rules put in place to ensure students can do their best work at home. Some suggestions are:
-Have students come onto the Zoom meeting dressed for school. Comfy clothes are okay but having them change out of their pajamas can help wake them up and prepare their mindset for school.
-Make sure that if possible they are working at a table or desk, not lounging on a bed/ couch.
-No playing with pets or toys while learning as they can become a huge distraction not only for the student but for the rest of the class as well.
-Develop a routine (consistent schedule, morning meeting etc.)
2. Set "Chat" Rules
The Zoom chatroom can easily become a distraction while virtually learning. Teachers should set rules regarding the chatroom to develop an understanding with their students that the chatroom can always be removed as a privilege if not used properly.
-Chat should be used for questions only unless asked other wise by the teacher
-Giving students the opportunity to communicate and connect openly with their peers in important in building classroom community. Setting a time specifically for "free chat" whether it be for 5 minutes before morning meeting or at the end of the day, could help lessen the urge to type in the chat while learning.
3. Use Visual Reminders
- Cue Cards
-Visual Timer
4. Parent Connection
- Google Sites can be a great place to post resources for parents that want to help their children at home but don't know how. This way they are getting the tips/ instruction directly from you and how you're teaching it in the classroom. It will definitely save you some time in the end and avoid the ever dreading "but they didn't teach us that way" conversation. "Teaching in Room 6" is a teacher blog that I found had a great example of how to do this by creating a "Parent Portal" page.
-Class Dojo is a school communication platform that teachers, students, and families can use to build communities by sharing what’s being learned through photos, videos, and messages. This can also be helpful in creating a system of rewards for students as they learn to hold themselves accountable for their behavior and manage their individual performance.
Hi Grace! I'm so glad you shared this compiled information for us! I definitely noticed a lot of the points you made during my own experiences hosting live meets with classes, and totally agree you can only be as prepared as information there is to prepare from - so it's super helpful to have it outlined to reflect for future teaching strategizing if it were to be continued to be utilized. I also love the aspect about the parent portal, and feel this would be a hidden gem tool for a lot of educators who struggled to explain directions about Google classroom to parents of students that were confused on how to use it initally, especially the younger students who aren't as familar with technology too. I will definitely reference back to this - thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Grace, thank you for sharing this blog post! As you know, I struggled with managing my hybrid classroom. If I was paying attention to the virtual learners, students in the classroom were off task. If I was paying attention to the students in the classroom, my virtual leaners were off task. I never found a good way to manage both locations at once.
ReplyDeleteToday was my sixth day in a new long term substitute position. I am working in a third grade classroom that is completely virtual. The students have been virtual all year and are used to it, but there are still struggles. The hardest part is getting them to sign back on for meetings. I will see all the students at 9am for morning meeting, and then there are students who don't return for the rest of the day.
Remind has been a very useful tool. It allows me to quickly contact parents when their student is not online. But this takes instruction time away from the students who are there on time. If I don't send messages out for the absent students, they never sign on. It's a tough balance.
I am so excited for all students to be in person. I never want to teach online again! But I agree with you- virtual learning is not going to disappear. We'll have to adjust to a new normal.
This blog was great! I definitely agree that classroom management is one of the most challenging parts of the job and one that you continue to grow at. This year was definitely unchartered territory in terms of management styles but, from learning comes growth! You mention setting expectations, chat rules, and using visuals which are all great strategies to help foster a commitment to collaboration. Ziemke and Muhtaris state, "What makes collaboration possible is not the location or the students, but all of us: the teachers." It truly does begin with the teachers who find creative ways, such as the ones you listed, to maintain that classroom management even if we are not in the room and sitting all together. I love the Parent Communication Idea! Having a Google Classroom just for parents might alleviate many questions parents have about the new learning processes. Thanks for all the great ideas!
ReplyDeleteHi Grace, great job! I agree, classroom management in itself is a hard thing to accomplish but then doing it while being online or hybrid is even crazier. I also definitely agree that classroom management is something that is a trial-and-error thing. You really won't be able to learn how to have an effective classroom until you are physically in the classroom. I believe that classroom management is something that can always be improved and it's so much more difficult when you are online. When I first started teaching online last year during my student teaching, it was very difficult to get my students all together and online especially when we did not have as much time together as we would if we were in the classroom face to face. In the beginning I did have to set up rules like you said in your blog but I would have loved if I used all the different timers that you showed on your blog too. I think virtual timers are cool because you can use different ones and the student seemed to really like them. I also think the cue cards are really good especially when the students don't know where certain buttons are. The cue cards are also really helpful when you're not trying to make a lot of noise and you can just flash a sign up and the students will be able to know what you're talking about. I think all of these tips and suggestions are really helpful and I will definitely use them if we ever have to teach remote again. Fingers crossed. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Grace- great job on your blog post! I really enjoyed reading about the different classroom management strategies that you suggested for digital learners. I think that it is so important to establish norms and expectations, not only for the students but for their parents as well (cue the parent walking across the room *not prepared for school*)! I think that by having a set routine, as you mentioned, not only sets up the students for success, but also makes the days a little easier. In our days where our learning environment may not be consistent, at least our learning routines can be!
ReplyDeleteGrace - loved the points you talked up. This year was definitely an adjustment for a lot of teachers so I think you brought up some good points. Having some very clear expectations are important for keeping the classroom organized and on track. I specifically love your "Parent Portal" idea. I think it is really helpful to having a strong relationship with families by having the parents get to know the teacher and the classroom. Using methods such as newsletters can be huge for getting everyone on the same page. I loved the points you brought up. Really great job, Grace!! :)
ReplyDeleteGrace- this is such a relevant and important topic to be talking about! You included so many of the resources and tools I have used this year. What you mentioned at the beginning was so powerful and true, our own education could only prepare us for so much. No one taught us how to teach during a pandemic and we are working so hard to accomplish that. When I took over in November for a 2nd grade class it was terrifying- we were in a hybrid mix and the model was changing ever 2 months or so. It was impossible to get into a routine for me and the students but setting those expectations were crucial.
ReplyDeleteFor especially the younger ones, the chat, backgrounds, and household distractions are SO distracting. I always suggested they wore headphones to block out some sound and find a place that was comfy and quiet. While I did want them at a table so they could do work, I found that too much happens around those areas. The great thing about the workshop model is I could teach a quick lesson, then they could hang up and go try it on their own at the table, off the meet.
We are all doing the best we can, the more resources, tips, and tools we share, the better. Hopefully we will not need any of this in the future but it's so great to have and know how to use. Thank you for sharing this and best of luck the rest of the year!
Hi Grace,
ReplyDeleteI have found that classroom management is the most challenging thing for me as a teacher! Looking back at last year and distance learning, I certainly could have used your blog for help! Especially the idea about not playing with pets (I think every one of my students got a dog last year). Last year was a bit of trial and error online, but eventually I learned to lay down more guidelines and rules as problems came up. I really like your idea about building in "chat" time because the kids love to use the chat bar. I think it's a very effective way to help with learning during lessons, but I never thought about building in chat time! Love it! In fact, I think I need to build in chat time in my "in person" class now becuase the children really need the extra social time. I really love the parent portal idea too, it seems like a very helpful way to keep parents in the loop! I think I may try that for next year! Thanks Grace!
Laura A
Hi Grace. Thank you for sharing your resourceful finds on virtual classroom management. I especially like the timers and the cue cards. I don't know how many times I had to say "mute your microphone" and "unmute your micorphone" during those fun remote teaching days. I wish I had that cue card then. I really like the timers that would be useful for my 1-minute reading conferences when my students were in breakout rooms reading. I hear of the dojo, but never used it so thank you for sharing. I did, though, have the advantage of only meeting with about four students during each group which definitely made it a lot easier for targeted instruction oppose to having a whole class. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHi Grace,
ReplyDeleteGreat job with your blog post. Classroom management has always been the thing that makes me the most nervous about teaching, and now with digital classrooms there are all the more obstacles to tackle. I liked the resources and tips you included in this post, especially the visual aides and timers. I have heard of Dojo before but have never used it, I'm eager to give it a try! Thanks for writing this post!
-Shawna Zeisner
Hi Grace,
ReplyDeleteThis is such a relevant and important topic! None of us were prepared for learning how to manage a virtual classroom. The tips you provided are beneficial and realistic. Setting expectations and rules for at home learning resonated with me a lot. I love the idea of having a rule that students must be dressed for school, and sitting at a table, as it helps get them in the right mindset. Also, establishing a schedule and routines is essential. Another idea of yours that I like is using visual representations, such as cue cards. When I was teaching remotely some of my students were constantly unmuting their microphones and talking when it wasn't their turn. I found that using a visual reminder to stay on mute was super helpful with managing this behavior.
-Colleen Konkol