The rise of online education has certainly presented positive changes to students the world over. However, recent studies claim that many students don’t find themselves benefitting from these new mediums as much as they could be. There are some ways in which teachers can help their students overcome this obstacle and then ensure they are not overwhelmed or confused by materials learned through recording videos or other multimedia resources.
Use Real-life Objects to Illustrate Concepts
Students often have a hard time with abstract concepts being introduced for the first time. If your curriculum is introducing something like equations for dimensional analysis, using everyday objects to illustrate might help the student better visualize what is being shown. For example, if you were teaching someone about pouring liquid in a cylindrical vessel, you might place water in two different beakers and show them the difference.
Ditch Powerpoint for Handouts or Interactive Whiteboards
We’ve all sat through slide-heavy presentations that are chock full of text that we cannot process fast enough to glean any meaningful information. These types of presentations can overwhelm students who are new to the material. Instead, try using an interactive whiteboard (a large screen with an overhead projector attached). This will allow student questions to be answered immediately, which is hugely beneficial when working with new learners. To make it even more effective, distribute handouts after class has ended (thereby allowing students time to reflect on their notes).
Give Assignments that Require Independent Exploration
If your new learners are being given straightforward questions to answer, they may feel overwhelmed by the task of figuring out how to answer them. By giving them an assignment that requires independent reflection on the topic of discussion, students might be able to better understand and contextualize what was discussed in class (provided there is the time between when you teach something and then assess students). Some possible ideas for this type of assignment include written responses or creative projects such as painting or sculpting.
Learn to Read Videos Effectively, perhaps the most important tip for learning with multimedia is to learn to read videos effectively. If you feel like an instructor’s pace is far too fast, pause and take notes; write down any words that you don’t know or cannot pronounce (this will be incredibly helpful when it comes to memorizing them). Asking questions in class can also help clarify what is being taught and/or let the instructor know if he/she is going too fast. Stay motivated and try not to get overwhelmed by all of the foreign information coming your way! Your efforts will pay off in the long run.