Students developing friendships with one another is a core component of a successful classroom. When children can develop peer relationships, they are more apt to help one another with difficult material and relevant social issues. These friendships are an integral part of the academic experience, even if it has no direct impact on their grade.
These days, it can be harder than ever to get children to interact with one another in real life. They prefer to talk with one another from behind the computer screen where they have more time think and process their responses. Teachers can utilize some of the new edtech available to help students create these significant bonds with their peers.
Students can use edtech-centered social media.
Some companies are coming up with new platforms that closely resemble popular social media platforms like Facebook. Students can use these pages to help develop their academic goals and connect with mentors. With their dreams prominently displayed on these social media pages, teachers and other students can quickly identify what is important to that child. Those with similar interests can group together to help encourage one another.
Teachers can help students to create their own learning material.
Technology makes creating new learning material easier than ever before. Now, students can create presentations and audio recordings with just a few clicks of the button. Having a few degrees of separation between a child and their peers during the presentation can allow their real personality to shine through. This gives peers an opportunity to see them and their unique characteristics more clearly. Teachers could start to see students reach out to one another more often when they already have a feel for who another student really is.
One specific idea would be to help students create content on their own unique culture. These details of their daily life can give others a window into their experiences beyond the classroom. You can create a well-rounded classroom that’s tolerant of various lifestyles, as well as giving students an opportunity to create meaningful friendships.
Make a group page.
What’s one of the best ways to give students a class to connect directly with others online? Create a group Facebook page where students can ask questions, have discussions with another, and offer academic support to each other. This page can assist students in learning the names of their peers and give them a creative outlet to continue discussing topics covered in class. It’s a great way to encourage student-driven education while you simply moderate topics to ensure they are appropriate and respectful.
Helping your students develop relationships with their peers is essential to a well-rounded academic experience. Teachers can sometimes have a difficult time forcing children out of their comfort zone and into interactions with their classmates. However, the development of edtech is continuously providing new opportunities for students to bond with each other. Take a few of these suggestions to help you come up with creative strategies for helping your students bond.
This article was originally published on Thetechedvocate
By Matthew Lynch
