In the times when Education is adapting to technology and classrooms are transforming to virtual spaces, it is important that students’ minds adapt well to the virtual classroom and develop critical thinking skills in the new environment. Here are a few ways how critical skills can be developed among students in a virtual environment.
1.Staying tuned in –
It is important to keep the students engaged in the syllabus. As the gear shifts to online mode, we see students getting distracted by home environments. As lines between leisure and studies blur, it isn’t easy for a student to focus completely as he used to do in an exclusive classroom environment. Therefore, there is a greater need for creating engaging educational content and course of study for the students to sit through hours of online lectures.
2. Polling in the class-
After a lesson is completed, the teacher should conduct a poll in the class to assess if it is understood by everyone or is it still incomplete in some aspects. Polling in the class keeps you informed regarding the progress in assimilation of knowledge by the students.
3. Defending answers
A student’s critical thinking skills can be developed by asking him the logic and explanation behind the answers and developing an outlook of addressing a solution- driven approach to any question.
4. Immediate feedback
Comprehensive and interactive online education platforms have well laid out end-of- —the-lesson quizzes which measure the retention of knowledge and understanding by the students.
5. Class Debates
Debating on relevant topics in the classroom can sharpen critical thinking in a student’s mind. It helps boost the confidence of a student and engages him in a productive manner that helps the mind of a student develop.
Plan out a lesson keeping these things in mind to develop critical thinking skills in students so that they progress in a holistic way in the class.
