I am an intern as well and this is an issue I faced at the beginning of the school year as well. We started off the school year by discussing classroom norms and expectations with students. If students stray away from these norms, we revisit them and have another, shorter, discussion on classroom expectations. My Cooperating Teacher and I also started a point system, where we give the virtual students points for participation and those who have earned enough by Friday get to watch a video. The reward system works very well for our 3rd graders, but might not work as well with older students.

This seems to be a problem with a lot of virtual classes. I am interning at a middle school (virtually) this semester and the teachers I work with have been starting grade participation points. Sometimes they will ask all the students to type a letter or word in the chat, and if a student does not do that task, they will loose participation points. Since they have started this, the participation has increased. I am not sure how this will work with elementary students, but middle school students usually do not want their grade to go down. It could be worth a shot!

I would propose that you could offer students rewards for participating virtually. If they turn their camera and/or microphone on, they can receive extra points or some sort of reward.

This is a huge issue for me too! I have students that just DO NOT want to participate and it's hard for me because I want to make sure they are understanding the issues were working on. I have no idea if they are struggling until I get to their graded work and I want to always make sure my students understand the work before they get to the work so that they are able to succeed. I have decided to set up a point system for participation in both online and in-person students. Points add up to rewards like a homework pass, pop quiz pass, extra credit points for an assignment, quiz, or tests. They can choose to hold onto their points longer for the higher rewards like quiz pass. Participation has gone up dramatically and lots of homework passes have been given out.

Applying points or grades for participation seems appropriate. If participation is mentioned within the syllabus, I would lean on that as your traction. Engagement with peers is something that is noted for early grades and it doesn't stop there.

This is a big issues for a lot of teachers. I think something that helps is a rewards system that is based off of participation. If the students consistently answer questions or give their feedback, they can earn points or some sort of fun reward. You could keep track and do something special and the end of a couple of weeks or a month. I think that the more fun you can make it, the more the students will want to participate. Sometimes they need an incentive.

I was virtual in my internship last semester and I faced this issue with some students. When it comes to the younger classes I think a reward system would be great so that students may get to play games or watch videos during free time. For the older students you may need to explain to them that participation will be part of their grade and lack of participation could lower their overall grade.

I think one way you and the teacher can get their attention and to participate is by hosting live NearPod lessons with activities such as draw it boards in real-time or pins its tools or even time to climb games and activities that you can track online their progress and activity and submissions. This was a great tool for me to use during my first internship as I was teaching in-person and virtually. The kids loved the Nearpods and they were in first grade and they always participated. It helps that Nearpod can be accessed in the car or at home or even at a center. They just need the device and wifi and they can complete the lesson. Try this!

Reward systems can always come to play, especially when it is Virtual. You have to be engaging towards the class, and a lot of students might be side-tracked or doing other things since there's no camera on. Whether it be being a group game or calling out students to answer- much like in a classroom setting; can be changes.

This has been a huge issue with all of the virtual classes I have been involved with as well. A reward or point system seemed to be a promising solution.

I would have a reward system for students who are involved in the class. I would make sure to give a great reward to students who interacts during class to get the whole classroom going.

I interned in a virtual school last semester and because all of the students were online as opposed to some being in a classroom as well, my CT and I always had at least some participation even without having to cold-call. One way I think we achieved this is by expecting students to participate and making that known before each lesson. They were even required to show or submit their work online afterwards for credit. Another way we achieved this is by offering students various means of demonstrating their learning, for example by typing in the chat instead of unmuting their mic and speaking. This is how we got some of the more quiet students to participate. We also involved students in their own learning by having them assess themselves before and after each lesson. Additionally, I found that students enjoyed engaging strategies such as reader's theatre in which each student had their own role. Finally, in addition to making the learning engaging, we also made it relevant by asking questions that prompted students to make connections to themselves and their own experiences and allowing them to share these.

This is certainly a tough situation. Most schools require students to at least keep cameras on throughout the school day to hold them accountable. I would say that you should initiate a participation grade for students. That way, students who are participating and doing a great job are getting extra points toward their grade and those who are not are not receiving points and will quickly see how it will affect their grade. If this did not work, I would say that a reward could be put in place for students who participate. They could either come to the school to pick up their prize (something small like a pencil or a sticker or a small toy) or the teacher could drop it off at the home or mail it if needed.

I am also an intern and have faced this issue. You could try and give incentives so that the students have something to look forward to and work towards. This will help motivate them to participate in class discussions.

I am a student online and as an adult, I can't imagine being in primary school. The only solutions I can think of would be to make the lessons super interactive with songs and try to work with the parents.

This has proved to be a difficult situation this year and more so for middle or high school. I also am in a elementary school internship but my class is thankfully all online and we also require their cameras to be on and if they aren't they get a note or phone call home. I really don't understand why it is not required for every grade to have their cameras on, I mean if we were in person there was never any exception for not going to class or having our hoodie over our heads the entire day. I hope that in the next coming semester or school year this can all be fixed and we can find a better solution.

I would share with students your concerns about their participation, as well as expectations for online learning. I would then share with students and parents that failure to participate and engage in the lessons could effect participation points, as well. Lastly, students might feel uncomfortable participating orally for a number of reasons, so I would also provide multiple means of participation such as discussion boards, chat rooms, Kahoot!, etc.

I think getting students to participate boils down to knowing your students and going above and beyond to cater to them. What I mean is to identify each students learning style and what interests them the most. Researching online resources that include these things and build upon the lessons you teach can encourage and maintain student engagement.

I would try and have the students have a more hands on approach. Have many activities where the students are doing something.