Here are some ways to engage learners during your session, just click on any of the videos to see them in action! You can also click here to schedule a quick brainstorming call to discuss ideas for your particular session.
STRUCTURE YOUR TIME It typically works well to break down your 30-45 minute session into these 3 parts:
USE VISUALS Show students your world - they may never have seen your type of workspace, snow, etc. before!
Introduce Your Environment: Share tools, equipment, etc. or even walk around.
Demonstrate a Process: Let students see step-by-step how you do something.
Share Your Screen: Show websites, photos, slides, memes, or use the Zoom whiteboard to draw.
SPEAK ON STUDENTS’ LEVEL Be mindful that students' knowledge and vocabularies will vary by factors such as their age.
Provide Context/Examples: Share background info, experiences, pop culture references, etc.
Connect Learning to the Real World: Highlight how classroom learning ties into real careers.
Simplify Language: Consider students' vocabulary levels and background knowledge
Keep it Short: Share small chunks of info at a time, and for younger students brevity is best.
BE INTERACTIVE Whether student responses are verbal or typed in, you can still make it more of a conversation:
Ask Questions: “What do you think of ___?” or “Do you agree or disagree about ____?”
Poll Participants: “Raise your hand if ___" or "Type 'y' if yes, you think ___."
Get Input: Ask participants for predictions or ideas as you demonstrate how to do something.
Put Students to Work: Assign a small, relevant task (e.g. "sketch a ____”) and share out.
Make a Sequence: List the steps of something out of order and have students help sequence correctly.
Expand Engagement: Be brief when answering questions so more students can participate.
Turn & Talk: “Turn to a peer and spend a minute discussing ___” and then share out. (If school in-person)
GET THE TECH RIGHT These simple but important tech tips will help it be a great connection.
Check Your Tech: Follow these stepsbefore your session.
Speak Up: If there are tech issues (e.g. you can’t hear students), stop and let us know.
Think About Participants’ Experience: Speak loudly and move slowly if walking around.
Share Your Desktop: If you share your screen, this makes toggling smoother.
ALSO REMEMBER..
Complete Your Profile: Include a few sentences about yourself and a profile pic here so classes have a little background before your session.
Mention Salary Ranges: Students are often curious about earnings for different professions, so if applicable offer a general range for the field you're discussing.
Share Selectively: Avoid sharing anything overtly sales-oriented, and if necessary, make sure you get your HR department's permission to share content with students.
Steer Away from Some Topics: Unless the session is specifically about religion or politics, it's generally best to avoid them.
Do not share any contact information on slides, chat or verbally. All communication with students must go through the requesting educator.
