How can I build relationships with younger students online?

[HellyDouglas]

Distance learning shouldn’t feel distant, but it easily can. The screen can get in the way of the relationships we want to build with young students.

It sounds obvious but greet each child by name as they join. Show them how happy you are to see them. This is easily forgotten when you’re focused on the technology. Some may feel nervous; you’ll need to show them how confident you are that it will go well.

To make every child feel connected to you, try:
- Giving them a chance to speak about things that matter to them (like teeth falling out!) at the beginning of the lesson.
- Making sure they all get chosen to do something (use a class list)
- Praise everyone during the lesson
- Experiment with teaching smaller groups if possible combined with independent tasks (e.g. 3 classes of 10 students for 15 minutes, rather than one class of 30 for an hour)
-Find other ways to communicate - emails, phone calls, postcards, recorded shout-out messages etc

If we prioritise these important relationships, we have happier learners.