Connections Part 2: Other Learners

Brick and mortar classrooms are hotbeds for student connection. Just stand in an elementary or middle school hallway and listen to the chatter as students head to lunch or out to buses. That's the unmistakable sound of connecting. High school hallways? Slamming lockers and the rise and fall of laughter and taunts equal the adolescent form of connections. On college campuses the connection happens in the dining hall, the student union building, on the grassy or snowy commons area between buildings, and between dorm rooms. And, of course, all ages use the classroom as the academic connection place.

Switch to the growing trend to online education. People know how to connect outside of academic venues with text messaging being primary. But what about that all-important in-class connection? How is that made at all and more important, made in a meaningful way?

The answer? Well-crafted discussion areas. Some are built into learning management platforms and populated with course content by publishers and course designers. Others are the result of forward-thinking educators who have studied what is needed to engage students online and who have added grade level-appropriate discussion areas for interaction. The first order of business for students who are separated by distance is to introduce themselves. The teacher sets the tone with an initial posting and guidelines, and the students jump in. After all, the wise teacher has made this discussion worth participation credit and who wouldn't want credit for talking about himself?

In order to work together, students need to know with whom they are studying and with subsequent conversations, what others bring to the classroom. Online discussion transcends the in-person classroom because when truly virtual, students bring no preconceived ideas about each other to the table. The older the student, the more sophisticated the interaction, but even the youngest participants quickly learn that joining in is fun, acceptable, and non-threatening.

In tomorrow's post, we'll take a look at how the learning environment affects student connection. I hope you will stop back.

Check out "Mastering Online Discussion Boards" from Edutopia for a strong document on best practices and visit the website "ClassChatter" for a free tool for use in blended learning classrooms.