A collaborative learning environment is one of the best ways to keep students engaged. However, sometimes creating this type of environment is easier said than done. Luckily though, there are a few simple ways that educators can jump-start the collaboration process and get their students participating. We’ll share our top tips below.
Encourage Participation
Sometimes, encouraging participation is all it takes to get your students talking. While most educators like to think that they are open and friendly, some students are easily intimidated or reluctant to speak up. Simply asking your students for their opinions and adding discussion periods to your lectures can help to break the ice. Once your students realize that it’s safe to contribute to discussions, they are more likely to do so frequently.
Provide Different Opportunities
Of course, not all students are comfortable sharing their opinions with the full class. It’s important to remember that there are different ways to participate, and that every student can contribute in a way that matches their comfort level. For instance, you can use partner activities, small groups, or online discussion boards to encourage more introverted students to share their opinions.
Share the Right Information
Robust discussions are more likely to happen when students are engaged. Try to find supplementary materials to share with the class. Newspaper articles, book passages, or video content are all interesting ways to give your students a new perspective. You can also encourage students to share their own findings that relate to the study materials.
Use Digital Tools
Digital tools make it so much easier to share information and promote discussions. With an app or computer program, all of the necessary information will be in one place. This means students can spend less time searching for your resources- and more time using them.
Improve the Collaboration Process With Illunotes
Illunotes makes it easy for students and educators to take notes, share information, and communicate clearly. Our app is specifically designed to help the collaboration process, with plenty of built-in features for sharing, saving, and editing notes. Explore the Illunotes website to learn how it works!