The attention span of students in virtual classrooms is a matter of concern on both sides of the screen. While teachers struggle to engage everyone joining the session, students are bombarded with distractions being absent from the physical environment of an actual classroom. Yet, Schools in Sonipat are having to take their classes online as the COVID-19 pandemic poses a serious health risk on the entire humanity and educational institutions are the last places that can reopen as children cannot be put into groups and packed into confined classrooms. Until circumstances normalize, all teachers can do is to keep their online sessions engaging. And what you can do, as a student, is to improve your attention and focus while taking the virtual class.
Here are a few helpful tips for you to do that.
- Set up a classroom-like environment around your computer
Although flexibility is available, avoid taking your class from just anywhere in your house. Do not take your laptop to the couch to log in. Neither changes your sitting location every day. Pick a quiet, distraction-free spot in your house to set up your laptop and sit facing away from the regular humdrum of your home. Surround the space with books, stationery, and notepads. Do not leave your gaming console on the table. Treat the area as your home classroom where nothing but study materials can exist.
- Avoid doing anything that you do not do in a class
Do you have your breakfast while listening to your teacher in the class? Do you get the option to lie down while the teacher is explaining something important? Can you look outside the window and stare at birds? Can you work on something else while the teacher is teaching a totally different subject? The best way to increase your attention span in virtual classrooms is to treat the experience like actual classrooms. Discipline yourself to not engage in any activity that you do not do in the real classroom.
- Read the matter before logging in for the class
Coming prepared to classrooms has always been a standard practice among the students of the top school in Sonipat. And the habit has become vital now as virtual classrooms are half as efficient in creating knowledge depth as compared to the real one. Reading the lesson once before logging in will create familiarity. When the teacher teaches again, it will become easier for you to follow even if you are learning it from the computer screen. The practice will also help with the flow. And the teacher can seamlessly teach without the hindrances of the screen.
- Take quick notes constantly
The only way to replicate some of the physical experience of an actual classroom is to take notes of the virtual lectures. Once you write down what the teacher is teaching, you ingrain the knowledge into the memory depths of your mind. Avoid using technologies where you record the classroom to hear the synopsis later. Having this backup will make you less attentive during the actual virtual class and require you to work extra. Pay attention, write down the keywords and read again later to learn better.
- Interact and ask questions
Most video platforms have the mute audio and video option as everyone cannot join the screen at a time. Respect the discipline of the virtual class by muting yourself whenever necessary but do pitch in with answers when the teacher asks a question. Also, jot down your questions from the Q&A session that the virtual classes of the best school in Sonipat almost always have. This will close the engagement loop from your side and help to draw more value from the virtual sessions.
- Keep all novel distractions away
In virtual classrooms, it is easy to minimize the video conferencing screen and switch tabs to search for something else. It is also tempting to use your phone while the class is still on. You might not be able to control your temptations during the class but you can anticipate them beforehand and keep them away. For instance, install a website blocker and block all distracting websites during the span of your class. Also, deposit your phone in another room so that it is not accessible to you easily.
The Swarnprastha Public School is working closely with its students and parents to increase the efficiency of virtual classes. With reopening still being unsure, SPS is bolstering its online training with the help of its expert teachers and management. The school recognizes that the students play a major part in making virtual learning successful. And thus, all assistances are available in every form to keep education on track. Virtual classes are difficult. But through adaptability, we can all carry on with our normal lives in these abnormal times.
