Introduction

Icebreakers

Icebreakers provide students the opportunity to participate in short engaging activities that enable them to have a little fun while connecting and getting to know one another. Icebreaker activities can be utilized in variety of settings; including socially-distanced in person classes(Face to Face), synchronous online classes(Google Meet), and asynchronous online classes(LMS).

Social and Emotional Learning Check-Ins

Regardless of the way you are structuring distance learning, it’s a great idea to include weekly or even daily SEL activities which allows students to focus on developing the five competencies(Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-Making) and provides an opportunity to talk about their feelings. You can do this as a whole group, small group, or with individuals. Students can flood the chat with emojis, or provide you with visual, verbal, or written responses.

Personal Inquiry

Personal inquiry invites students to focus on their own interests and be motivated to drive their own learning. They may talk about their hobbies, families, sports, or other personal interests. Personal inquiries seek to actively ignite passion, inspire relevance, and develop agency in students.

Small Groups

Google Meet allows you to create up to 100 breakout rooms where you can organize students into smaller groups for collaborative projects or focused discussions. You have the capability to shuffle students, randomly assign students to a breakout room, and/or drag and drop students into specific rooms. Students can easily rejoin the original meeting following their small group interaction.

Chat

To encourage student voice during a synchronous Google Meet, use the chat feature as a way to get ideas on the table and provide a platform for students to communicate with you and their fellow classmates. Students can also use backchannel comments to chat with one another.

Polls

Set up poll questions to gather reactions and engage students throughout a Google Meet. Moderators can set up multiple questions(viewable to only them) and launch the poll when needed.

Q&A

Educators can use the Q & A feature in Google Meet as a structured way for students to ask questions on class content. Students can interact with other students’ questions by upvoting. Moderators can then choose to answer the most highly ranked or most relevant questions. When the meeting ends, you will automatically receive an email containing an export of all submitted questions so you can follow up with specific students if needed.

LMS Messages

Both Google Classroom and Canvas have communication features that enable instructors to communicate with students via direct messages and discussion forums.

Conferences

Sometimes student, parent, or students/ parent conferences may be beneficial to discuss personal or academic issues the student may be experiencing.

Video

Teachers can create videos and share them with students. these can be used to update students on class activities or even just to make that personalized connection. Students can also create and share videos using resources like Flipgrid or the discussion feature in Canvas.

Surveys

Surveys can be used to collect a wide variety of information. They can be used to find out the ways students would like to communicate with you and how they would like to receive your feedback. For example, some may want to video conference with you, some may want badges, and some may want to receive emails.