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Too long
This usually sounds like this: "We will now divide into teams to complete the task. After completing the work, we will return to the common room to discuss the results. Then I will ask you..."
My experience and that of my colleagues show that students can pay attention to instructions for about 30 seconds. During this time, only a small fragment of the prepared text can be read out loud. The longer the instructor talks about the essence of the upcoming task, the more similar questions will arise. These repetitive requests take up time that could be devoted to practice, especially if the class has a large number of participants. By providing a more concise and structured presentation of information, you can improve the effectiveness of the training and reduce the number of questions, leaving more time for practical tasks.
Simplify the information. Instructors and webinar presenters sometimes focus on the same points, over-explaining the material and adding inappropriate stories. Eliminate unnecessary details to maintain the essence of the lesson. This will not only make it more dynamic but also allow participants to better focus on the main points. Clear and concise presentation of information promotes deeper engagement in the learning process.
Divide information into small chunks, avoiding redundancy. Follow the "a spoon is good for dinner" principle: provide only the part of the instructions necessary to complete the next step. The parts of the instructions for each subsequent step should be presented immediately before it begins. This will allow you to better absorb the material and increase the efficiency of completing tasks.
Imagine that Your task is to have the team develop new ideas for a business product, calculate a budget, and create a prototype. The first part of the assignment will be: "Your team has five minutes to work in the webinar room. Your goal is to come up with five new product ideas and write them down on the online whiteboard during this time." Only after the participants return with completed ideas can you move on to the second part of the assignment—discussing the budget, and then asking them to develop a prototype.
Telling Instead of Demonstrating
The process typically goes like this: the first team collects customer complaints, and then the second team categorizes them using the DISC typology. It's important to remember that D stands for dominance, which helps identify key customer issues and needs. This framework not only helps organize information but also effectively respond to requests, improving service quality and increasing customer satisfaction.
When you speak, participants become passive listeners. Even if you explain the details of the task in detail, this can lead to boredom among the listeners. They will have a hard time staying focused, especially when it comes to complex games with multiple roles. The more conditions and nuances there are, the more difficult it is to perceive the information. To avoid this, it is important to make your explanation more interactive and engaging, which will help hold the participants' attention and facilitate understanding of the task.
Don't just inform, but demonstrate and involve participants in completing the task. Allow one person or group to begin working on the assigned task immediately, with or without your support. This not only promotes participant engagement, as observing the process is much more interesting than simply listening to a lecture, but also gives you, as the instructor, the opportunity to see the task from a beginner's perspective. This will help you identify shortcomings or difficulties in the instructions and promptly make any necessary adjustments.
Prepare several demonstration tasks. Questions or misunderstandings may arise during the process, in which case you can offer a similar task to improve understanding. This will prevent the main task, intended for independent work by the participants, from being used solely as a demonstration. Evaluating trial versions of demonstration tasks is not advisable, except for simple comments such as "yes, that's correct" or "no, some minor adjustments are needed here," so as not to cause unnecessary stress for the participants. The main goal is to ensure that participants understand how to complete the task correctly.
Problems Due to Unpreparedness
You'll often hear: "Just a second, I'll open the program. It's loading. While it's loading, copy the link from the chat into your browser... Wait, that's the wrong link, I'll send you a new one! Something froze again..." Such situations often arise due to slow internet or software issues. To avoid such inconveniences, it's worth checking the stability of the connection in advance and making sure all necessary links are up to date. This will help speed up the process and minimize delays.
Teachers are sometimes tempted to save time and Efforts are often wasted, believing that experience in conducting online classes allows for the lack of thorough preparation. However, the risk of technical problems always exists. While the instructor is troubleshooting, the students' attention is distracted by more interesting things. As a result, before you've even started briefing the participants, you've already lost their interest. Preparation for online classes is critical to maintaining engagement and learning effectiveness.
To ensure a successful explanation, prepare all necessary materials in advance. Make sure the instruction or explanation is accessible, and all important links, tabs, and programs are open and tested. It is recommended to rehearse the process, preferably with a test group, to take into account any nuances. It is also helpful to develop a lesson script and have it on hand throughout the process. This will help structure the information and increase the effectiveness of the explanation.
Untimely Sending Links
I will send the link to the Miro board in the chat, and now let's discuss how to organize the work in groups.
The phrase "Open the link in the chat" is often used by teachers, but it can be difficult. When you send a link to an external resource, such as an online whiteboard, participants are more likely to click it immediately. While you are trying to convey the key points of the task, the audience will be distracted by studying the contents of the board and the sticky notes placed on it, which leads to the loss of new information. To avoid this, it is important to explain in advance when and how to use links to keep students' attention on the main topic.
Send the link only after providing all the necessary instructions. This will help avoid misunderstandings and ensure more effective interaction. The correct sequence of actions contributes to better understanding and completion of the assigned tasks.
The question "Is everything clear to you?"
Friends, you have received all the necessary instructions. Do you have any questions or is there anything left that is unclear?
Often, when the question "Is everything clear?" is asked, participants tend to confirm that they understand everything, even if this is not the case. The wording of the question sets the tone for agreement, and some may be embarrassed to ask a clarifying question. Others may simply miss important points in the explanation, which ultimately leads to confusion. As a result, a significant portion of the time allotted for completing the task is spent clarifying exactly what is required of participants. This highlights the importance of clear communication and the need to create an atmosphere in which participants feel comfortable asking questions and clarifying their doubts.
At the end of your explanation, ask specific questions that will help participants recall the instructions they received. These can be either closed-ended questions with yes or no answers, or open-ended questions that can be answered briefly and simply. For example: "Where are we going to move the sticky notes now?" - "In Miro."
Questions of this kind promote better assimilation of the material and engage participants in the process. Make sure your questions are clearly formulated and related to the topic of discussion.
By asking three key questions, you can check how much the information has been learned by the participants. If you already know your audience, it's helpful to consider their previous experience and ask questions with unexpected elements. For example, if your group previously worked with a specific Miro board via a permanent link, and now the link has changed, most participants will likely follow a familiar path. In this case, at the end of the session, you could ask, "Which Miro board will we be working on now?" Be sure to send the new link to participants after you've explained the first step of the instruction. This approach will help you more effectively check their understanding and adapt future work.
What a Good Assignment Explanation Looks Like
An effective explanation script includes several key elements. First, you need to clearly define the main idea you want to convey to your audience. Second, it's important to use simple and clear examples to help illustrate your point. Additionally, you should consider the audience's level of experience to ensure the information is accessible and understandable. Finally, the conclusion should include a brief summary of the main points to reinforce the knowledge gained. This approach ensures that your explanation will be received with interest and understanding.
The teacher begins the lesson by informing the students about the first part of the assignment. They say: “You will be entering a webinar room with your team. Your goal is to complete a specific task. You have five minutes to complete it. Don’t forget to record your results on the Miro board. The link will be available in the room chat.”
Step 2: The teacher asks questions to stimulate discussion and check the assimilation of the material. These questions are aimed at deepening understanding of the topic and stimulating critical thinking in students. Well-formulated questions help to determine the level of knowledge and engagement of students, creating an opportunity for further study of the material. This approach promotes a deeper understanding of the topics and develops argumentation and discussion skills.
- How much time do you have for the assignment? (Five minutes).
- What should be done during this time? (The essence of the assignment).
- Where should the result be recorded? (On the board).
- On which board? (On the board via the link).
When the participants return after five minutes, the instructor presents them with a more challenging portion of the assignment. For a visual explanation, he or she engages one of the teams, demonstrating the process. If any difficulties or misunderstandings arise during the demonstration, the instructor promptly makes adjustments, clarifying the terms of the assignment. After ensuring that all groups understand the essence of the assignment, he or she sends them to their rooms to complete it.
Read also:
- Synchronous or Asynchronous? Which Format to Choose for Your Course
- The Role of the Instructor in a Synchronous Online Class: How Scientists See It
- How Online Learning Experience Has Changed Traditional Offline Classes
- How to Create a Great Assignment for Online Students