Student involvement in live chats
In our classroom live chats, I get the students involved by asking their thoughts on the topic before I go into an explaination. The students that participate in the chat seem to enjoy this. I will specifically ask for any student that has spoken up yet, to please do so. That normally works if we have a quiet student. The larger challenge in the live chats is not participation by those in attendance but getting people to attend since it is not required.
Brian,
Very nice interactive approach! Thank you for sharing.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
Another technique I found useful is to incorporate a poll question. This is an easy way to get participation an also gain feedback. You can then tailor your presentation based on the results.
Shawna,
I am newer at this, and I've tried emailing the students reminding them of the chat, as well as posting announcements in the classroom. After the chat I send a 'thank you for participating' email to those that participated, and a 'we missed you' message to those that didn't. While I've tried all these things, my attentence is around 5 out of 30. I'm open to suggestions.
Stephanie,
Asking their thoughts on a specific topic is definitely a good way to get them engaged. One way that I have kept students engaged is to have them provide examples on one of the course topics or taking a poll on an issue. I agree that it is a major challenge to get people to attend the live sessions. I usually post an announcement of the chat topics for that week in hopes that it will entice students to join.
Stephanie, you mentioned getting people to the live chats being a challenge. That is huge for me as well. I usually have 2 or 3 of 30 attend. What strategies do you use to get more to attend? I am finding little increased success, regardless of what I have tried.
Thanks!
Shawna
Stephanie,
Good idea asking students their thoughts before you give the explanation. I do several "Questions for the Crowd" during a Chat Session. Like you, I may ask for a descripton or an example of a phrase or topic, then build on student's answers. I also often do a "Point to xxxx for his/her answer. This helps to keep a little humor in the chats and also keeps everyone focused. If someone is lagging answering every question I work to "catch them giving a good answer" so they can be recognized for contributing.
Rodney C.
Stephanie,
These are two common challenges. I like your start process.
Dr. S. David Vaillancourt
