Sneha, my niece was reluctant to attend school.
I questioned her, "Why do you feel that way”? Please stay focused and be attentive in the class.
She added, Aunty, sometimes I find the classes boring.
I thought, How are my kids feeling in my class”?
Today’s children are tech-savvy. Gone are the days of using a blackboard, a chalkboard, rote memory, and old methods of teaching.
Children are smart and inspiring. There is no doubt about their intelligence.
I use specific techniques to maintain student engagement in my lesson.
- Flashcards
I use flashcards for each module. Important points are written on flash cards. So the flash cards are rotated in rounds. They recall the points on flash cards. Of course, I get help from my students for the preparation of flash cards.
Flash cards are small square-sized chart paper. Important points and hints are written legibly in beautiful sketch pens. The sizes may vary. For KG children, its small flash cards. For students studying from 3rd grade to higher classes, the flash cards should be more than 10 inches both in width and height.
- Infographics
Infographics are prepared using chart paper. It is a collection of data and images to provide an overview of topics. Students use infographics during class seminars and workshops. Students can create engaging visuals to communicate information clearly. Cognition is developed because of the graphics. It involves higher-level thinking skills. Infographics synthesize the information. We can add charts, graphs, and stylish fonts to create infographics.
- Presentations or slides
Creating slides and displaying them on the projector or doing screen mirroring is an interesting way to teach in the class. Creating slides is an easy and fun way to learn the concept. Students can create slides at home as a project and copy them to the pen drive, or they can send an email to the teacher. As they create slides by themselves, they learn and explain them as demos in the class. They would not forget and remember it always. It allows students to visually understand the concept and engage with the subject topics.
- Roleplay
Role play is a fun way of teaching. Languages can be taught through role-play. A student has to act as a teacher and other fellow students can be the audience. The student who acts as a teacher must have prepared well with the topics and should have done homework too.
- Group discussion
Students form a group [5 or 6]. Teachers allot specific topics or contents to each group. The teacher should monitor the group, guide the students, and provide support wherever necessary. Record the discussion for future corrections. Rectify the students where they go wrong or explain elaborately to the whole class. Creativity can be added.
Students would enjoy the session, and their doubts would be cleared.
Classroom seminars or Mock Seminar
Classroom seminars are similar to role plays. While role play is conducted for the smaller grades. Classroom seminars or mock seminars are conducted for higher classes. Assessments in performance, content delivery, and concept explanation can be given marks. The head of the department can provide feedback or assess the student.
Workshops
Workshops are trending nowadays. Students have to collect the details and information in detail. A wide range of various topics or chapters should be included. A workshop is teamwork. Even infographics and flashcards can be displayed. A webinar related to the topic is displayed. When anyone presses the button, audio is heard related to the topic or chapter.
Create blogs
Creating a blog is easy. Post a lesson on the blog with images, slides, and videos. The blog is helpful for the present as well as for future students. Students can revise the topics whenever they need. A blog is a reference tool for students.
Thus, by making use of technology, a classroom will become more fun, creative, and informative. Engage students whenever and wherever possible. Interactive sessions make the class interesting and lively, and students share their knowledge with fellow peers. They help each other.