The move to remote learning during this pandemic has made creating/maintaining strong connections with my students extremely challenging. I teach Global Studies which is packed with current events and complex global situations. I regularly incorporate short video clips and other relevant media and need to share my screen frequently. Unfortunately, this results in an inability to see all of my students at once on the screen (and those I can still see are very very small). It also makes facilitating student discussions difficult. A second display would greatly benefit my students even though I would be the primary user because it would allow me to see all of my students and their faces while I share my screen with them.
The connection between teacher and student is one of the most powerful contributors to academic growth and student attitudes towards school. Most adults can still name the few teachers who had a key impact on their lives or school experiences. Making eye contact with students while teaching in person is critical to creating and maintaining that connection. It helps me as a teacher learn so much about a student's engagement, level of confusion, and current social-emotional state. Understanding those things help inform my choices about how I try to nurture a unique connection with each of my students.
I believe that developing strong connections with my students also happens to be one of the most effective teaching strategies for both optimal learning by students as well as for proactively managing the classroom environment. It helps relationships develop among students and with me and fosters mutual respect for each person's role in creating a productive classroom environment. A second display would allow me to maximize my connections with students despite the physical distance of remote learning.
About my class
The move to remote learning during this pandemic has made creating/maintaining strong connections with my students extremely challenging. I teach Global Studies which is packed with current events and complex global situations. I regularly incorporate short video clips and other relevant media and need to share my screen frequently. Unfortunately, this results in an inability to see all of my students at once on the screen (and those I can still see are very very small). It also makes facilitating student discussions difficult. A second display would greatly benefit my students even though I would be the primary user because it would allow me to see all of my students and their faces while I share my screen with them.
The connection between teacher and student is one of the most powerful contributors to academic growth and student attitudes towards school. Most adults can still name the few teachers who had a key impact on their lives or school experiences. Making eye contact with students while teaching in person is critical to creating and maintaining that connection. It helps me as a teacher learn so much about a student's engagement, level of confusion, and current social-emotional state. Understanding those things help inform my choices about how I try to nurture a unique connection with each of my students.
I believe that developing strong connections with my students also happens to be one of the most effective teaching strategies for both optimal learning by students as well as for proactively managing the classroom environment. It helps relationships develop among students and with me and fosters mutual respect for each person's role in creating a productive classroom environment. A second display would allow me to maximize my connections with students despite the physical distance of remote learning.