Connection Between Kindergarten Students and the Teacher During Distance Learning
12 October 2020The COVID-19 pandemic has rendered face-to-face classes a safety hazard due to the manner of virus transmission. As such, people all over the world have adjusted accordingly in order to proceed to a sense of normalcy despite the circumstances. Every aspect of society has suffered and changed, including education. At present, distance learning is being implemented to avoid direct contact and curb the spread of COVID-19.
However, educators and parents alike would naturally question the connection between students and teachers for this form of learning. Since many teachers are utilising virtual education, educators would have to work a little harder to create connections and teach effectively. Below are useful methods to address these problems.
Establishing Connection Before School Starts
Welcome Cards – Encouragement is key especially with kindergarten students. You could further improve your connection with students by sending them welcome cards before school starts. With this small effort, you could encourage them to connect with you despite not being able to teach them face-to-face.
Virtual Parent-Teacher Meeting – It is important for parents to be familiar with the overview of distance learning. After all, you will be working with them hand in hand during this difficult time. You could schedule these virtual meetings based on their availability through free video messaging apps and websites. Through this, teachers and parents will be able to discuss the students’ individual learning needs and cater to them in the best way possible.
Virtual Student Meet and Greet – Kindergarten is most likely the first time for children to engage in a structure school setting. In order for kindergarten students to adapt well in a school setup, traditional learning obliges educators to connect with students through a meet and greet. Such could be done through virtual meetings as mentioned above.
Establishing Connection During the School Year
Pre-Taped Readings – The best thing about distance learning is that you could “pre-tape” your virtual classes. You could record yourself reading a book and send them to your students. Through this, they could listen to your stories anytime they want, furthering their appreciation of appropriate literature at an early age.
Virtual Scavenger Hunt – Kindergarten students are more inclined to learn through fun activities. The more they enjoy the process, the more they absorb the lessons, thus motivating them to listen and be attentive. You could set up a scavenger hunt with the help of the parents. You could create kindergarten-specified puzzles and have the parents hide them around the home, further improving their critical thinking and logical reasoning.
Fun Virtual Activities – You can still do incorporate activities such as show and tell, dress up days, themed virtual birthdays, directed drawings, virtual field trips, student recognitions and awarding, question of the day, jokes of the day, and pajama movie days in the comfort of their homes with the help of technology. These activities will further develop their interpersonal and intrapersonal skills in a fun and creative way.
