High School Courses

Tips For Keeping Students Engaged During Virtual High School Courses

You love your students, and you want to do all that you can to help them stay engaged with their schoolwork during these tough times. When you're teaching virtual high school courses, your engagement methods for students are going to look a bit different than normal. Let's take a look at some ways to keep your students engaged while you're teaching virtual high school courses.

Be real with your students. If you're struggling with teaching high school courses online, don't be afraid to talk about what's making it hard for you. Whether you're struggling with technology or to grade assignments on time, letting students know that they're not alone in dealing with a hard transition can help them see you as a real person with real issues, and can make them more motivated to stay on track. When they see you doing the hard work, they'll want to do the hard work too.

Using parent contact can also be a great way to keep students engaged. Reach out to parents for positive reasons, especially in the first few weeks of the school year. When students know that you're willing to go out of your way to tell them to do something good, they'll be more likely to work hard to meet your expectations. This doesn't have to be anything too time consuming - sending a quick email or text to a parent with a few sentences celebrating their child can go a long way in helping your students realize that you're watching for them to do the right thing.

Teaching high school courses online can be tough, but keeping a positive attitude and being transparent with your students can make all the difference. Remember, these changes are temporary, and your students are looking to you to be the example of how to handle these hard times.