After the last few years I think many of us realize how important it is to hear from our students, both about their learning as well as their lives in general. All of our students have an opinion, and given the right opportunities within the classroom, they are likely to share their thoughts with us and with others. This week I will be providing some tips and tricks as to how we can individually communicate with our students in a digital space.

Once benefit of communication through a digital space is that it does not draw attention to any specific student. With many of the suggestions I will be sharing, student peers will not be aware of any additional communication that may be happening. This can be especially beneficial for students who may be shy or weary of what others may think. It is also an amazing opportunity to bring in differentiation as well as build a strong relationship with your students that would not be possible in the time constraints of a given day.

Prior to implementing these strategies, you will want to ensure you have directly taught students your expectations centered around each strategy. It will be important for students to know and understand in what situations these strategies can be used, what type of discussion is appropriate and expected in each of these strategies, as well as how long they should expect to wait prior to hearing an individual response from you. I would also recommend that you do not implement all of these strategies as once. I would suggest starting with one strategy and allowing your students to become comfortable. Once they are effective with the first, you can than begin to introduce another different strategy. As always, start small and build on a steady foundation. This will help to prevent you from taking time later in the year to reteach expectations.