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We all hope that we do not have to experience the situation of longer school closures like in spring 2020 again. But if that happens, we can be better prepared and benefit from the experience we have gained!
Here are 5 tips for a successful video conference, regardless of the platform you use.
These tips are inspired by documents created by schools, the experiences of parents at home with their children and organizing our own online training courses (more than 30 in May and June 2020 alone!). They can be expanded with your own recommendations or specifics related to your communication platform. (See also the infographic further down on this page.)
- Explain the rules for video conferencing in advance and remind them at the beginning of the session (when to open the microphone, raise your hand, etc.).
- Give short and clear instructions.
- Aim for maximum sustained attention of 20 to 40 minutes.
- Remember that a video conference course cannot be an implementation of a traditional course!
- Favor small groups to encourage interaction and the development of emotional bonds.
And we allow ourselves to develop this last piece of advice a little further…
Favor smaller groups, even if it means repeating the session.
Situations experienced:
- 3e primary school year45 little “commies” who don’t necessarily know each other on screen… Many spend more time looking at how others are dressed, what room they are in, or who they are than listening to the teacher.
- In secondary school, young people are afraid of their image and their self-esteem is sometimes fragile. Instead of insisting that the camera stay on, why not focus on the expected engagement outcome at the end of the session or prepare interactive questions using an application like WooClap (wooclap.com) or Mentimeter (mentimeter.com)?
- In teacher training, 32 participants in a session designed to help them create their first video capsule… While some are trying to untangle themselves between apps and video platforms by slowing down the group's progress, others are ready to launch their YouTube channel ! Unfortunately, the trainer cannot answer everyone and many remain dissatisfied…
To support this assumption of the need for smaller groups, a study was published in the International Journal of Online Pedagogy and Course Design in 2019 concludes that 12 is the ideal maximum number of people an online post-secondary course should have. It is difficult to say why it should be more with our youngest, especially considering that an online course cannot be a direct implementation of a face-to-face course.
To further organize all of this, we can look at the principle of the flipped classroom.