BigBlueButton as a digital classroom for elementary school students

Someone who has done homeschooling with elementary school children for several weeks wishes for only one thing - for school to start again soon, or for the teachers to create a proper online class.

The pressure on elementary school teachers increases as the lockdown continues. However, the problem that the teachers also face in the traditional classroom is growing exponentially. The limited ability and concentration span of younger children, the high distraction, inability to self-study and being overwhelmed by the technical issues make the digital classroom in elementary school an incredible challenge.

To motivate younger children to learn from a distance, the teacher needs even more endurance and creativity."

  • Ensure that the technology is working properly for yourself (Wi-Fi, microphone, camera...).

  • Familiarize yourself with the features of the chosen tool in advance - e.g. How does the chat work? How can I mute individual participants if necessary? How does the whiteboard work, and how can I save it if I want to keep edited information?

  • Involve the parents of all students in the preparation. Write a letter that informs the parents about your plans in detail and also asks them to prepare accordingly. Motivate the parents to make this investment of time and mention the long-term benefits and the subsequent time savings when the children can work relatively autonomously.

  • Your letter should include a small handout that describes things like the login information, how to operate the camera, microphone, chat function, etc. in brief steps and with images. The parents should go through this handout with the children and give it to them, so that they can help themselves later if necessary.

  • A few days before the first lesson, have a small test run with the students/parents and ask them to reflect any difficulties back to you. Solve these in advance. This ensures that you do not waste time with technical problems on the day of the actual lesson.

  • Plan the content of a school hour precisely and always leave a small buffer in the schedule.

  • Consider (depending on the grade you are teaching) whether several short learning units during the week are more appropriate than one or two long ones. A certain routine - for example, a daily hour at 10 a.m. - has paid off for many teachers and led to higher motivation/concentration and better learning outcomes for the children, rather than cramming a lot of learning content into a few relatively long lessons.

  • Set rules for virtual learning and communicate them at the beginning of each hour. In the digital classroom, the children should not simply leave the lesson to go to the bathroom or interrupt someone else. Discuss at the beginning of the first hour what the chat may be used for (no fun comments!).

  • Plan interactive elements in the lesson for relaxation. For example, at the end of a lesson, use the poll tool of your video conferencing platform for small knowledge checks. Announce this at the beginning of the hour. This could bring you greater attention from the students during the hour.

  • If you meet with your class online daily, consider dedicating one hour a
    week (e.g. always on Fridays) for the children to share their
    experiences and strengthen the class community. During this hour, you
    could offer a common activity, such as a short workout, a quiz, or a
    round of skribbl.io. If the children know that they can communicate one
    day a week and have fun activities with their classmates, they are
    likely to be more willing to focus during the other days.

  • Before ending a lesson, save the whiteboard if necessary.

  • In your closing remarks, think about a brief summary and clearly state expectations for homework/preparations for the next lesson.

  • Finally, remember to provide the children with the necessary learning material for the week/next lesson via the agreed-upon method.