How To Better Engage Students In Online Math Classes 

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Many students find math intimidating. But with a great teacher many students would overcome their worries. Great teachers connect mathematical concepts to real-world applications, allowing the subject to be more fun and interesting. Recently, social changes and technological influences have also made learning methods more diverse.

An increasing number of schools, universities, and institutes have moved their classes to the web. The current trend indicates online education will replace most other forms of learning in the future. Tutoring on the internet has become more interactive and more accessible, thanks to technological advancements.

Even though the digital domain makes teaching simpler, both students and teachers also experience the downsides. For instance, Mathematics is a highly complex subject that’s highly challenging to teach in virtual classrooms. It deals with tough topics and concepts that can be difficult to grasp on a virtual mobile device.

Teachers will also have difficulties assessing whether a student is attentive and interested in the virtual environment. As a result, retaining students’ attention becomes a critical issue for online ma th courses.

That’s why students get bored and finally drop out of virtual math programs. However, there are ways to improve engagement in virtual math classes that are simple to implement.  For example, you can easily teach the premise of greatest common factor (GCF) according to TutorMe and other similar tutorial sites that provide math learning guides.

Consider the following tips for you to apply effective teaching strategies when teaching math online:

Interact With Students

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Teachers need to design their online classrooms to facilitate student interaction and help students express their opinions by enabling students’ voices. One effective strategy that works for many virtual teachers is this: they ask their students to make a video explaining how to solve a problem that may be confusing for their other classmates.

These assignments inspire students to learn more, and teachers can assess students based on the videos. Furthermore, videos made by students can be a good resource if other students fail to keep up with the topic.

Students can also participate in meaningful math discussions online by having a separate chat room for thorough talks, which can help build confidence in their voices and perspectives.

Apply Practical Teaching Approaches

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Learning math can be complicated due to its complexity. In contrast to conventional classrooms, virtual classrooms can’t utilize the same teaching approaches. To demonstrate the concepts through practical examples, you’ll need to take advantage of essential education technology tools.

To make the sessions more fun and interactive, you could try adding real-life examples to the concepts for students to stay cooperative. Get the support of technology by using presentation slides, media clips, virtual discussion boards, and other convenient apps.

Plan Out Synchronous And Asynchronous Class Time

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Most schools have designed two class-style online programs. Both synchronous and asynchronous ways are used to teach online courses. While synchronized technology provides students and teachers the opportunity to be online and communicate with one another simultaneously, asynchronous technology enables them to interact at different times.

Traditional course setups have class lectures as synchronous events, but homework being asynchronous. This may depend on you and your students’ availability and preference. You can designate a few hours for each course event.

Personalize Teaching

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Students’ engagement in the class is defined by the way you interact with them. Become their mentor rather than simply teaching them the coursework. You can help students devise their own learning plans and suggest techniques to understand a math lesson in a swifter manner.

You can consult them individually to clear their concerns and inquiries. Find gaps in the performance of every student so that they can be addressed. Keep their learning plan updated based on how they perform in class. When you apply a personalized teaching approach, you’ll be able to nurture each individual more effectively.

Provide Swift Feedback

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Often when teaching a distance education or online math class, it is less demanding and stressful for students to submit an assignment or project compared to when they need to offer them physically in your teacher’s desk.

Thus, you have to respond promptly to email messages from students seeking help in completing their homework and grade their homework quickly so that they may use it for their next assignment.

Make Time For Individual Reading And Learning

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Provide students with information about reading materials to complement their math learning. Inform them that there are many other information sources out there and ask them to share their resources.

Digitally, students can access a wealth of resources on STEM topics. You may opt to share such materials before your online class occurs; this way, all the students can do their research beforehand. It is essential to teach them how to learn on their own and to become independent learners.

Communicate Clearly

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Online learning, like other methods of teaching, has its strengths and weaknesses. Some perceive the lack of communication as a downside. To resolve such a notion, communicate clearly to your students.

Keep your decisions and priorities transparent for the students to see. You can also talk openly about how this all affects everyone. Explain the importance of teamwork and effective communication. Everyone will benefit from this. Keep expectations and deadlines in mind by communicating clearly and frequently and apply the following pro tips:

  • Send emails, make announcements, use texts, create peer support groups, and take other measures for communication.
  • Prepare a weekly assignment for all your students. Maintain consistent weekly schedules and follow specific deadlines for every task.
  • Be clear about what you expect from your students. You need to remind students to speak up and participate as much as they could. Remind them that their active participation will also earn them some brownie points.
  • Make your students understand the professional and respectful approach to netiquette upfront. Your tone of voice can easily be misinterpreted online.

Apply Effective Assessment

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There are two effective ways to evaluate and assess student’s performance. One is formative, which allows you to provide feedback on understanding. The other one is summative, which considering the outcomes. Both ways will reveal how students have understood and successfully applied the mathematical concepts they have learned in your classes.

Consider the following tips to monitor students’ progress:

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  • Formative assessment needs to be implemented more often to support student learning.
  • There are several alternatives to complete projects, such as a small multiple-choice quiz at regular intervals, group assignments, or the opportunity to critique students’ reasoning.
  • Publishers of textbooks offer online tests. You can create multiple-choice quizzes and fill in responses in Google forms with easy-to-use features, and the examinations can be checked and graded by themselves.
  • You should be aware of issues relating to privacy with video-monitoring software and other alternatives. Regardless of whether students cheat in class or online, determined students can overcome temptations.
  • Conducting examinations with an open book or notes style is still an effective way of gauging the students’ understanding and knowledge of the course.
  • You and your students can talk openly about what it takes for them to prepare for the higher level’s requirements to focus on the essential things.
  • Learn about the basics of assessment and how to plan and implement sound assessment procedures.

Conclusion

In mathematics, students usually need a lot of support and guidance when learning complex concepts. And today, teaching mathematics in the context of online learning has become even more challenging. But with the following tips above, you’ll be able to get your students more engaged in your virtual class and be excited about math.