(SKKN 2022) HOW TO INCREASE STUDENTS ENGAGEMENT IN ONLINE CLASSES

THANH HOA PROVINCE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA DINH UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE HOW TO INCREASE STUDENTS ENGAGEMENT IN ONLINE CLASSES Teacher: Mai Thị Loan Jod title: Leader of English Group Ba Dinh upper Secondary School Nga Son District Study thesis: English THANH HÓA 2022 CONTENT 1.INTRODUCTION 1.1 Reason for choosing the topic 1.2 Research purposes 1.3 Research Objectives 1.4 Research Scope CONTENT Theoretical background 2.1 2.2 Situation of the problem before applying the experience initiative Experiences or solutions used to solve the problem 2.3.1 S ynchronous strategies 2.3 Consider the primary objective when creating the synchronous a lesson 2.3.1.2 Provide links to valuable resources and reference sites 2.3.1.3 Cameras On 2.3.1.4 Create tutorials or online scenarios to enhance interactivity 2.3.1.5 Name Selectors 2.3.1.6 Include a visual presentation that accompanies the synchronous learning experience 2.3.1.7 Develop a guide that learners can utilize to stay on track 2.3.1.8 Encourage learners to offer feedback 2.3.1.9 Make a presentation available online after the synchronous lesson takes place 2.3.1.10 Integrate group collaboration activities 2.3.1.11 Using Zoom Chat to check understanding 2.3.1.12 Hand Signals 2.3.1.13 Flip the classroom to stimulate deeper discussion 2.3.2 A synchronous strategies 2.3.2.1 Examples of asynchronous learning 2.3.2.2 The Benefits of Asynchronous Learning 2.3.2.3 Communicate the Blended Learning Objectives Internally 2.3.2.4 Create a Flexible Blended Learning Strategy 2.3.1.1 2.3.2.5 Include Effective Assessments In The Program 2.3.2.6 Build a Blended Learning Community 2.4 The effectiveness of the experiential initiative on educational activities, on self, colleagues and the school 1 1 2 3 4 5 9 11 11 12 12 13 13 13 14 17 18 18 3 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS INTRODUCTION 1.1 Reason for choosing the topic Today online education is trending and is becoming very popular Online education is a new digital way of studying so that students can study from home Though the concept of online education is not new due to pandemic Covid-19, the importance and necessity of online teaching have increased immensely Schools and coaching institutes are teaching their students through online medium and this is why it is important to know how to arouse student engagement in online classes 1.2 Research purposes Student engagement is about how interested and active a student is in any given lesson It’s an important concept that, when accomplished, works wonders for both the students and the classroom as a whole The coronavirus pandemic has changed almost every part of our lives, including how our children learn As of this study, most schools have closed across the nation, sending millions of pupils and students home Schools and teachers across the nation are scrambling to provide online learning options for students How can teachers used to teaching in a classroom provide an effective online learning environment for all their students, regardless of access and need? It takes a lot of patience, flexibility, and creativity I learned the importance of student engagement in the classroom on my first day of teacher education classes How to help students at Ba Dinh high school learn effectively in these very unique times, recently, in the past months of online teaching, I truly experienced its power firsthand Research Objectives 1.3 - Find out some effective techniques in teaching online classes and know how to apply them to motivate students to participate during online classes - Know how to provide different learning options for students to get all Zoom students involved Research Scope 1.4 - The challenges of getting students to participate have intensified during remote learning Digital platforms such as Microsoft team, Google Meet, Zoom can create added communication barriers by making it hard to know when to talk, for example, or how to read subtle but important elements of discourse like a person’s body language and facial expressions Additionally, online discussions are often hindered by variability in students’ access to technology and by privacy concerns, and consequently many teachers have had to rely on students’ submitting work over 19 isolated channels like email, which can leave back-and-forth between peers (and between students and the teacher) by the wayside - Getting students to contribute in virtual classrooms takes some work, it turns out “We keep calling this generation digital natives as if they are simply whizzes at everything computerized They aren’t,” They need personal support, scaffolding, and reassurance that technology does not provide It is simply a tool, not a teacher.” Taking advantages of some useful applications such as Azota, Google form, Google sheet, Padlet, Quizlet, Quizizz… helps to enhance the students’ engagement during online classes CONTENT 2.1 Theoretical background Online education is a system of teaching or education through which students can study online using their electronic devices such as computers, laptops, smartphones and palm tops etc just sitting at home through the active Internet connection Online education is a way through which teachers and students can connect with each other using the Internet from any corner of the world It is an education system through which teachers can teach any student from anywhere in the world and students can also study in any part of the world Due to the pandemic Covid-19, we were instructed strictly not to get out of the house Due to which all schools, colleges were closed and students were prohibited from getting education and promoted in the next class Keeping such circumstances in mind, an online education system was started which is proving very crucial today Online education has made its way around the world because of its convenience and easy process of operation In lockdown where all the sources of education are closed, the online education system has made education a new world New and digital methods of education are being adopted worldwide Therefore, children are able to study through online education in all countries of the world Stimulating classroom participation is already a challenge in person, but it is even harder in an online course The video conferencing platforms create additional obstacles as it becomes harder to plan when to speak, or to guess how our message is perceived Additionally, access to technologies (computer, high-speed internet) complicates spontaneous exchanges as well To counter those technological hazards, a large number of teachers have chosen to go with individual assignments handed in via submission boxes, which limit interactions even more 2.2 Situation of the problem before applying the experience initiative However, there have been three outstanding difficulties in the past years of online teaching That is the surprise of students, the stress of all forces when participating in online teaching and the systematic shortage of connected devices and digital resources One of the main causes of difficulties is the way in which interaction activities between teachers and students are organized Teachers need to interact with students in direct and indirect ways not only during class time but also before and after each online class In addition, teachers also need to interact with parents to ensure their connection and support Among these, maintaining interaction during online lessons is the most difficult because of the short learning time; large numbers; shool students not yet have study habits; teachers' skills when using technology solutions or technical systems, poor transmission lines, lack of synchronous peripherals But for proper online education, students’ active involvement is required So, learn how to engage students online to make online classes more interactive The engagement of students in online learning is a paramount factor without which everything is in vain Active engagement of students enhances the learning experience and adds more fun to the teaching process by which the online teaching method can be proved fruitful However, active student engagement in online class is not quite understandable by everyone Some faculties or guides or even parents not pay attention to this factor Student engagement can be understood as: “to improve the experience of education, what type, amount, and intensity of investment a student is infusing in online education” So, in this experience initiative, I mention some innovative measures that I have been taking to engage my students online 2.3 Experiences or solutions used to solve the problem In every classroom, there are students who always have their hand raised to participate, and those who are hesitant to engage Whether they’re introverted, tend to think awhile before they contribute, or are just having a bad day, it can be hard to bring kids into discussions who are reluctant to add their voices The challenges of getting students to participate have intensified during remote learning, we’ve heard from many teachers Digital platforms can create added communication barriers by making it hard to know when to talk, for example, or how to read subtle but important elements of discourse like a person’s body language and facial expressions Additionally, online discussions are often hindered by variability in students’ access to technology and by privacy concerns, and consequently many teachers have had to rely on students’ submitting work over isolated channels like emails, which can leave back-and-forth between peers (and between students and the teacher) by the wayside To find out how to improve student discussions and participation in online learning, I culled through hundreds of comments from my students, as well as on social media and followed up with more than 80 colleagues at Ba Dinh high school to see how they tackled the challenge last year A wide range of strategies have been offered, both synchronous and asynchronous, to integrate the values and the voices of all students even the quietest or those with disrupted schedules - into my classes this year To boost student participation during online learning, I have been applied these synchronous and asynchronous strategies 2.3.1 Synchronous strategies Synchronous learning offers many of the benefits of traditional instruction, such as immediate feedback and direct group collaboration, minus all of the drawbacks such as the cost of on-site teachers However, to get the most out of the synchronous learning experiences, teachers have to develop an effective synchronous learning strategy that will allow him/her to capitalize on the many tools, techniques, and technologies that are available today 2.3.1.1 Consider the primary objective when creating the synchronous a lesson Having a clear idea of what we hope to achieve through the synchronous learning lesson is the key, especially when we are creating the synchronous learning plan and syllabus What skill sets are we trying to develop? What information must be provided during the synchronous lesson? Is there a particular behavior or approach that I am striving to instill within my learners? Keeping this primary objective in mind while I am developing my strategy can help me design live lessons and modules that hit their mark every time When I have clearly defined goals, I know which key pieces of data to include, which learning methods will work best, and how I can deliver the content to achieve the best results Here are some detailed objectives I sent my students before online classes: 2.3.1.2 Provide links to valuable resources and reference sites Include plenty of links to important reference sites or valuable resources that can be of benefit to the learners Are there articles that may help them to tie the content to real world examples? Are there sites that learners may want to check out if they want to learn more about the topic itself? Include the links in their companion guide or post them in live chats or Zalo groups so that they can access them quickly and conveniently, rather than wasting time on searching the web by themselves I usually send Zoom link to my students on Zalo groups Join Zoom Meeting https://us05web.zoom.us/j/89 358049201? pwd=YUFvL01WbHVRWnh nSWtqY2JzTFBldz09 Meeting ID: 893 5804 9201 Passcode: YFx6fx 2.3.1.3 Cameras On There’s nothing worse than teaching a bunch of black squares When your students turn their cameras off, you have no idea whether or not they’re paying attention You don’t even know if they’re actually sitting at the computer Make it a rule that students must keep their cameras on during your lessons That way, you can make sure they are really listening to you Their facial expressions can also help you see whether or not they understand the concept you’re teaching Here are some of my online classes’ images: 2.3.1.4 Create tutorials or online scenarios to enhance interactivity If there are real life examples of problems that you can tie into your synchronous lesson strategy, then you may want to consider integrating online scenarios or walkthroughs that the learners can utilize during the session If there is a concept or process that may be more difficult to be understood, then create a tutorial that learners can view during the lesson For example, if you are teaching how to utilize an app, then you can develop a tutorial of how to use the app that you demonstrate virtually Then, students will have the opportunity to ask any questions and clear up any confusion that they may have right away Name Selectors Sometimes you ask a question that you just want one student to answer You can use a random name selector to make sure all of your students are ready to participate Since they don’t know when their name will be chosen, they all have to be prepared For example, when you were in your physical classroom, you may have used popsicle sticks with your students’ names on them This could also work in the online classroom However, if you want something a little bit more high-tech, websites like Flippity allow you to put all of your students’ names on a wheel Just click the wheel, and one of your students’ names will be randomly picked to answer your question 2.3.1.5 2.3.1.6 Include a visual presentation that accompanies the synchronous learning experience Create a visual presentation, such as a slide show or a website, that accompanies any live chats or lectures that you're developing Doing so, will enable more visual learners to follow along and get more from the synchronous lesson, and will also allow all of your learners to benefit from a more interactive and immersive experience Be sure to integrate relevant graphics and images that can enhance learner engagement, as well as text recaps that summarize key information included in the synchronous learning lesson Powerpoint, Quizizz class, Azota class are the easiest ways I usually use to present my new lessons This is an example of using a Quizizz live Lesson on modal verbs: 10 And here are some examples of getting students’ interests on Azota Flatform: 12 question where students need to support their answers with evidence, they can’t just copy from someone else 2.3.1.8 Encourage learners to offer feedback The most valuable tool you have, in terms of synchronous learning strategy improvement, is feed back from your learners So, why not encourage them to voice their opinions and offer their input through a learner survey or questionnaire at the end of the synchronous learning experience Ask them about their overall experience and if they feel that they benefited from it Let them know that their feedback is invaluable, and that their opinion can help you to fine tune your synchronous learning strategy moving forward For synchronous learning, I translated traditional discussion strategies from the classroom to live chats, while others found that digital tools helped boost classroom participation During remote learning this spring, students in Ba Dinh high school classes led their own discussions over Zoom Before the live class, students answered questions independently, and then shared their responses at the start of the meeting as a jumping-off point for a broader class discussion While students conversed on video, I listened and drew lines on a sheet of paper tracking the flow of the conversation, resulting in a spider web At the end of the discussion, I shared the drawing over video, and then asked students to reflect on the experience and what they learned about who talked, who listened, and who built on the ideas of others It has been successful as a means to get students to credit their peers with helping them come up with new ideas, which helps build rapport For example: In a speaking lesson, when practicing giving a fact and making a cleft sentence focusing on the fact (Tiếng Anh 11, Unit 13 Lesson E-Language Focus) After giving instruction and guide the students hơ to the task, I draw this spiderweb (a starweb) and ask student to work in pairs Dũng makes a fact Na listens to Dung, and then make a cleft sentence based on Dung’s fact 13 And here is their work 2.3.1.9 2.3.1.10 Make a presentation available online after the synchronous lesson takes place Chances are that some learners will be unable to attend the synchronous lesson As such, you may want to record the presentation and make it available online after the fact This is also ideal for learners who were able to attend, but may want to use the knowledge gained as a reference in the future You can even make it available as a Podcast or digital download that your learners can access on any device Integrate group collaboration activities One of the most significant advantages of synchronous learning environments is that you gain the ability to utilize group collaboration exercises These group collaboration activities enable learners to benefit from the experience of their peers, even if they are across the world from one another, and to become an active participant in their own learning process Create scenarios that the group must work through together, encourage them to discuss the solution to a problem via live chat or online forums, or ask them to post their opinions about a particular lesson on social media sites I have done my online lessons with the help of Azota and Google Form Making full use of Zoom Chat is really helpful to get students’ attraction Zoom Chat allows free and paid users to streamline communications between team members and external Zoom users With Zoom Chat, we can: • Quickly find contacts, messages, and files, keeping knowledge and information at your fingertips • Organize what’s most important by using starred chats and customized notifications to help you cut out the noise • Communicate in public or private channels organized by projects, teams, or topics Share files, emojis, screenshots, and more Here are some examples that I used to get my students engaged: 14 2.3.1.11 Using Zoom Chat to check understanding: After giving a small part of the lesson, I have my students use the Zoom chat in the meeting to ask and answer questions to show whether they understood a concept To create structure around the responses, I guided my students in creating norms around using the chat feature - they decided to reply their answers to the teacher only or to the whole class The practice helped me check for student’s understanding and pushed students to engage more with the content I used Zoom chat when holding live lessons with my students in almost all online sessions The youngsters enjoyed typing “T” or “F” for true and false questions while answering problems in the chat box, and some even attempted to write sentences in response to my questions Typing responses also provided a lot of keyboard practice for my young students As well, the teacher can give good comments on the students who had the correct anwers 15 2.3.1.12 Hand Signals While you’re teaching, you may choose to mute your whole class That way, students won’t be able to talk during your instruction However, you still want them to participate in your lessons One way to garner engagement is with hand signals If you ask a yes or no question, your students can give a thumbs up or thumbs down If it’s a multiple choice question, they can hold up their fingers for the answer they chose For example, they would hold up one finger for A and fingers for B This allows you to see which students understand the content without everyone trying to talk at the same time Or, if you want to get your students up and moving, you could even give them an action to to choose the correct answer They could jump up and down if they think A is correct or pretend to swim if they think B is correct This will allow you to check for understanding, while giving them a small brain and/or body break 16 2.3.1.13 Flip the classroom to stimulate deeper discussion: I found that a blend of asynchronous and synchronous instruction worked well to stimulate student discussion during remote learning First, I taught new content asynchronously through recorded videos and online activities At the start of the live class, students briefly summarized the concepts they had learned together and then divided into breakout rooms to solve related problems in small groups Flipping his classroom allowed me to spend less class time in direct instruction - and listening to students at the start of class and in small groups helped me identify, and then address, where my students were struggling This has allowed me to clarify concepts in a more targeted way and better assist students With the help of Google Form, I have done this easily I sent them the link of Google Form to get the students’ opinions about How to a weekly test on Azota And here are their opinions 2.3.2 Asynchronous strategies 17 2.3.2.3 Asynchronous learning means that the teacher and the students in the class all engage with the course content at different times (and from different locations) The teacher provides students with a sequence of units which the students move through as their schedules permit Each unit might make use of assigned readings or uploaded media, online quizzes, discussion boards, and more The teacher guides the students, provides them with feedback, and assesses them as needed 2.3.2.1 Examples of asynchronous learning: • Watching pre-recorded lecture videos or lessons • Viewing video demonstrations • Reading and writing assignments • Research projects • Student presentations • Online class discussions via course discussion boards • Individual or group projects • Learning activities such as quizzes, problem solving, and games 2.3.2.2 The Benefits of Asynchronous Learning For remote students, asynchronous learning not only helps alleviate the “Zoom fatigue” that can lead them to disengage, but also offers flexibility to personalize learning to suit their specific needs Asynchronous learning offers a decisively effective learning experience that enables students to benefit from the following: • Never miss a class • Learn at any pace • Personalize and optimize the learning experience • Revisit lessons as needed to improve comprehension and retention • Take advantage of extra time to process, practice, and respond • Adapt learning to self-accommodate for a disability Of course, synchronous learning also offers advantages that contribute to student success In live sessions, either in-person or online, students can engage in real-time social interactions and discussions, and they can get immediate feedback and guidance from teachers If you don’t have a Learning Management System yet, it’s very important when making the research to keep in mind your blended learning strategies and your learners’ needs Communicate the Blended Learning Objectives Internally Learners have to know when and why they will use technology for their training process Inform them about the combination between technology and face-to-face training so that it will be clear when to use what This is my Website where my students can learn asynchronously during not only the pandemic time but also during the normal time My sudents have to sign up the Web so that they can learn the lessons and finish their tasks every day 18 2.3.2.4 Create a Flexible Blended Learning Strategy If you already have a strategy in place keep in mind that blended learning is a model that needs a lot of flexibility Before the official launch, you can organize a focus group of employees who can test the LMS and training materials Ask for their feedback with surveys or forms implemented in the LMS After this, you can easily optimize the strategy and the content in order to fit your learners’ needs There are so many appliactions for teachers to help increase the students’ participation and interest in the lessons They are really helpful and creative Padlet, Quizlet, Quizizz, Kahoot, Canvas, Azota, Class Dojo … are such the necessary e-teaching and e-learning applications Below are some images that I show the work I have done on my Website in the last term to help improve my students’ engagement on distant learning 19 20 These are my classes on Padlet and Quizizz where my students share their opinions, new ideas, hand-in home assignments, or get link to practice new vocabulary and structures 21 2.3.2.5 Include Effective Assessments In The Program Establish if you’ll have courses that will be in-class and you can develop pre and posttraining assessments for them If some courses will be online, the assessments can be at the end of the course You can use multiple or single choice quiz and other interactive assessments In this activity, I gave the live lesson on Inversions, and then I asked my students to practice more about this structure via the link Quizizz I sent them Upon looking at this screen, I know who the most hard-working students are, how many times they have practiced, and how well they have done the Quizizz test at home If needed, I can email their parents to notice the lazy students who don’t practice at home at all 22 Build a Blended Learning Community Being and feeling as part of a community that supports technology-assisted training is an effective way to increase engagement You can start a forum inside your LMS where employees can change opinions or ask questions Although some teachers - and students - said that synchronous discussions were more engaging because they resembled a traditional classroom, many educators found that asynchronous discussions were more equitable because they opened up participation to students with low bandwidth, who had schedule limitations, or who were uncomfortable engaging with the full class 2.4 The effectiveness of the experiential initiative on educational activities, on self, colleagues and the school I have done two small surveys to get my students’ opinions about how they engaged in the lessons and the effectiveness of learning online through this link on Google Form: 2.3.2.6 23 Link 1: https://forms.gle/ECA8Yun62jHTd7WG6 Link 2: https://forms.gle/kBfzp1WijwqWXicS9 The first survay has been done on 127 students from classes 11D, 11K, 12D at Ba Dinh high school 66.9% agreed that they found this way of learning effectively, 23.6% said they found it was alright, only 9.4% agreed that it was ineffectively In the second survey, many students liked the ways they could participate in the live lessons, and showed the effectiveness of the new ways of learning new words, practicing new grammar structures and assessing themselves 24 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS As we look around your Zoom “classroom," we see black screens, empty chairs, and blank faces Teaching online comes with many challenges, but one of the biggest problems is a lack of participation from the students We can’t just walk over to their desks to redirect them and make sure they are paying attention In a virtual classroom, we need a new set of strategies to keep them focused and engaged Teaching online comes with its own special set of challenges, none more problematic than fostering meaningful student participation Looking for ways to increase online class participation? I believe that each teacher has our own tips to start using today to get all your Zoom students involved To encourage participation online, I myself, along with my colleagues at Ba Dinh High School have worked together to find the best ways to deal with them, to make online lessons more and more interesting and exciting, to get the most participation of our students However, limitations are inevitable The study presented in the thesis is of no exception I hope that future study on the same topic could overcome the shortcomings Candidate’s statement I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “how to increase students’ engagement in online classes” is the result of my own research in Ba Dinh high school, and this experience initiative has not been submitted for any other reseaches Confirmation of Ba Dinh high school administrator Nga Son, May 20th, 2022 Implementer Mai Thị Loan 25 REFERENCES Brougher G (1978) Teaching English as a foreign language Routled &Kegan Paul Ltd Lee, W, R (1986) Language Teaching Games and Contest, Oxford Oxford University Press Paul, R Pintrich & Dale H Schunk (2002) Motivation in Education Bùi Duy Phương Hướng dẫn thiết kế trò chơi học tập Powerpoint https://youtu.be/BMDTeQI8bcQ Thảo Ngân Memorize Everything with Quizlet - The Complete Guide https://youtu.be/eP05kj4Z5lc Thảo Ngân How to submit assignments by Google Forms, store with Google Drive and grade them with Google Sheets https://youtu.be/2qqFpKYPzAQ Thảo Ngân How to use Blooket - Game-based learning application https://youtu.be/BIlDPqcIDYU Thảo Ngân ClassDojo Classroom Management App - The Ultimate Guide https://youtu.be/WmntD-SRDZ8 Bùi Duy Phương Dạy học Online phần mềm zoom mà khơng biết điều phí https://youtu.be/YaC7OuFy2zk 10 Azota Nguyễn Văn Đại HƯỚNG DẪN TẠO ĐỀ THI TRẮC NGHIỆM CHỈ PHÚT TRÊN AZOTA https://youtu.be/Xzxrym8HT5M 26 DANH MỤC CÁC ĐỀ TÀI SÁNG KIẾN KINH NGHIỆM ĐÃ ĐƯỢC HỘI ĐỒNG ĐÁNH GIÁ XẾP LOẠI Họ tên tác giả: Mai Thị Loan Chức vụ đơn vị công tác: Tổ trưởng chuyên môn - Tổ Ngoại Ngữ - Trường THPT Ba Đình TT 2 Tên đề tài SKKN Một số giải pháp hiệu giao tập lớp có học sinh nhiều trình độ Hướng dẫn ôn tập kiến thức Tiếng Anh THCS để học tốt Tiếng Anh 10 THPT Hướng dẫn học sinh khởi động đọc hiểu đề thi Đại học mơn Tiếng Anh khối D Cơng thức hóa mệnh đề quan hệ giúp học sinh dễ vận dụng làm tập trắc nghiệm mơn Tiếng Anh THPT Ba Đình The redesign of multiple choice exercises based on reading passages in Tieng Anh 10 textbooks to train students for the national high school exammination Motivation activities in Listening Lessons in Tieng Anh 10 Textbooks Themes using techniques in English teaching procedures Applying some language games in “warm - up” part to create excitement and enhance learning English for grade 10 students at Ba Dinh high School Some techniques to help students remember English vocabulary using mobile phones Some techniques to use flashcards to remember vocabulary in learning English Kết đánh giá Năm học C 2006-2007 C 2008-2009 Sở GD & ĐT Thanh Hóa C 2010-2011 Sở GD & ĐT Thanh Hóa B 2011-2012 Sở GD & ĐT Thanh Hóa B Cấp đánh giá Sở GD & ĐT Thanh Hóa Sở GD & ĐT Thanh Hóa Sở GD & ĐT Thanh Hóa Sở GD & ĐT Thanh Hóa 2012-2013 B 2015-2016 C 2017-2018 Sở GD & ĐT Thanh Hóa C 2018-2019 Sở GD & ĐT Thanh Hóa B 2019-2020 Sở GD & ĐT Thanh Hóa B 2020-2021 ... education, students? ?? active involvement is required So, learn how to engage students online to make online classes more interactive The engagement of students in online learning is a paramount factor... students to participate during online classes - Know how to provide different learning options for students to get all Zoom students involved Research Scope 1.4 - The challenges of getting students to. .. and intensity of investment a student is infusing in online education” So, in this experience initiative, I mention some innovative measures that I have been taking to engage my students online