While Reflex can certainly be fun on its own, students need guidance and encouragement to get the full benefit of the program. Bulletin boards, in-class rewards and parties … those have all proven to be great tools to get your students excited to work hard and succeed with Reflex. But for many teachers, those tools aren’t available, at least as we’ve always known them, as school years begin remotely all over the world.
Here are several ways to get your students excited about and motivated to use—and keep progressing in—Reflex remotely.
Emphasize in-game rewards and give praise
While your students might not be able to get another star, baseball, or animal on a bulletin board this semester, don’t forget that Reflex offers its own rewards! The further students get on the games, the more tokens they earn to customize their avatar and decorate their Progress Tree. Challenge your students to earn enough tokens to buy some sunglasses or a panther, then make sure they let you know so you can mark and celebrate their progress.
Set goals
Goals are an important component of remote learning and let students know exactly what they need to do and by when. Set your students’ goals as closely to their in-classroom goals as possible, helping to maintain the structure your students need and keeping their learning on track. Whether it’s X Green Lights per week, mastering their x7s or ÷ 9s, or just getting on Reflex a certain amount of time, specific, attainable goals keep students engaged and accountable.
Give meaningful feedback to parents and students
It’s often easier to give detailed feedback online, rather than in-person. Whether you’re addressing students or parents, use the advantages of time and privacy to provide thoughtful feedback and help. You can also take this opportunity to attach helpful documents or links to additional online resources.
Reflex provides a powerful reporting system that helps you monitor students’ usage, track their progress, and reward their achievements, including:
- Individual Reports that provide detail on an individual student
- Class Reports that provide summary data on a class
- Parent Reports that make it easy for parents to monitor their child’s progress
Along with providing information on each student, these reports also offer a chance to really connect with students and parents on their progress. Make sure your parents know how to create accounts, and use this available, shared information to communicate with and encourage parents and students.
Keep the class connected
Not seeing their friends and classmates every day can make students feel isolated and unmotivated. Be sure to build a sense of community in your online learning environment by taking time via video sessions to ask kids about their days, hobbies, other classes … anything they’d like. Coordinate activities that students can do online as a group. And those bulletin boards and in-class contests? Develop virtual versions—whether it’s just taking time out of every class to call out students who have hit a milestone or reached a goal, or creating contests with online rewards. And make sure your kids know that some day you will be together again!