Greeting students at the ‘virtual’ door
Increasing student engagement online.
A 2018 study found that greeting students at the door had increased student engagement by 20% and lowered classroom disruption by 9 percentage points. Many teachers have adopted this proactive classroom management strategy at their own classroom doors.
Can we greet students online?
Yes. Distance learning teachers may also be interested in developing strategies for greeting their students at the ‘virtual’ door of their online learning website, program, or video software. Let’s take a look at 3 ways teachers greet students at the door, and how we can create online strategies for our virtual doorways. But first, why does it work?
Why does it work?
Greeting students at the door works so well in increasing student engagement and lowering classroom disruption because it meets students emotional needs. You may see this technique abbreviated to PGD, which means positive greetings at the door. Some form of greeting ritual is engrained in every culture, and there is a reason for that. Greeting is a proactive and trust building activity.
So just say "hello"?
Well, it’s a start. Greeting at the door isn’t just saying hello to the entire class however. There are strategies that we can use to make our greetings more effective. Here are 3 strategies that in-person teachers use, and how we can use them in our online classrooms.
#1
Saying students names
Make a point of using students names in your PGD strategy. Not only will this help you learn the students names at the beginning of the school-year, but it will have a dramatic impact on engaging the students in your classroom. No matter your students’ experiences outside of your classroom, it’s a sure bet that you will have their attention when you use their name in a positive way. Dale Carnegie is famous for saying “Remember that a person’s name is to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language”.
I'm afraid I'll pronounce it wrong.
Take the time to learn how to pronounce the students name properly. A common experience of students with ‘foreign’ names is the anglicisation of their names by those in positions of authority. When in doubt, ask the student how they pronounce their name and make the attempt to pronounce it as they do. As soon as you have your name roster for the school-year you can take the proactive step of using a website like pronouncenames.com to hear common pronunciations of names that you are unfamiliar with. Be open to correction, and remember the words of Dale Carnegie.
Saying students names online
Difficulties with synchronistic learning in online classrooms can make saying students names at the ‘virtual’ door seem difficult. Neglecting to utilize greeting rituals in an online classroom can make a student feel that their presence is not appreciated. They may feel that they aren’t truly ‘in’ the classroom. Under these circumstances, a student may not vocally participate in classroom discussion. Think of it this way; would you feel comfortable walking up to a group of people uninvited and sharing your opinion?
During synchronistic learning
A solution to this, when using video software such as ‘Zoom’ or it’s alternatives is to greet students by name as they enter the video call. For example “Hello Joshua, *hand wave* thank you for being punctual” As we know, distance learning is not always synchronistic. What can we do in these situations to meet our students emotional needs?
During asynchronistic learning
In cases where you are uploading a video for the class to watch make a point of greeting the class at the beginning of your video before diving into subject matter. For example “Hello Joshua, Naomi, Issabella, George, ect. Lets begin our lesson” This will make students feel that the lesson was designed for them, and that they should pay attention to what is going to be shared. If you have multiple classes, and basic editing knowledge, you can create one content video and attach your individual class greetings to the beginning of each lesson.
#2
Nonverbal Greetings
The 2018 study also investigated the value of nonverbal greetings. Pair the students name with a nonverbal greeting. Nonverbal greetings can include high-fives, handshakes, thumbs up, or any number of creative alternatives. Some teachers have developed individualized handshakes with each of their students that they use at the door each day. One viral example of this can be found here reported by ABC news. Other teachers use a uniform nonverbal greeting. Make sure that your students have an option for the nonverbal greeting which is comfortable and engaging for them to participate in.
Nonverbal Greetings Online
If you are delivering a lesson via a live broadcast, or through a pre-recorded video you can still use nonverbal greetings. If you begin your in-person classes with a thumbs up, or a high-five, go ahead and incorporate this into your videos lessons. During live broadcasts, ask the students to all thumbs up, or high-five through their cameras at the beginning of class with you. If you are using a pre-recorded video, include physical movement such as high-fives and thumbs up in your introduction when you are staying student names. This will help make your online class feel less impersonal.
#3
Precorrective Statements
In addition to using students names, and nonverbal greetings, teachers who use PGD also use precorrective statements at the door. Precorrective statements may be responsible for the studies finding of lowered classroom disruption.
Examples of Precorrective Statements
An example of a precorrective statement for use at the door is “for the next five minutes, review your vocabulary notecards with your buddy”. You may also take this time to deliver positive statements to students. If for example a child was talking out of turn the day before you might say “I look forward to hearing from you when you raise your hand today”, instead of “Don’t speak out of turn like yesterday or I’ll call home”.
Precorrective Statements Online
Using precorrective statements online may be even more important than using them in-person. The reason for this is the isolating nature of attending an online classroom. Students may come to feel that their presence on the classroom, and the work that they submit through the online program is not valued. This can be true even if you utilize student names and nonverbal greetings.
Recognizing students presence and work
Make a point of recognizing the students presence in your online classroom by using pre corrective statements such as “I look forward to reading the short stories you wrote, submit them if you haven’t already”. You may also include positive statements. If for example a student was not logged in the day prior you might say “I’m so glad that you are with us today!” as opposed to “You are behind from missing class yesterday.”
In Conclusion
Distance learning can be an isolating experience. Often times, low class engagement or disruptive behavior online can be attributed to the students emotional needs not being met. We have established that greeting students at the door increases student engagement and reduces disruptive behavior. We have identified 3 strategies that teachers use for ‘PGD’ positive greetings at the door, and how we can use them in our online classrooms; they are using students names, using nonverbal greetings, and using precorrective statements.
Recognizing the importance of students emotional needs has been transformative for many educators. One program that may assist you in developing students social emotional skills is the free Sanford Harmony program. I wrote an article on setting up a Sanford Harmony account that you can read here.
