Adventures in Tutoring Daily Challenge – Day 27

Here’s another “why I chose virtual tutoring over in-person tutoring. And, it’s in line with the subject matter we’ve been discussing over the last couple of days . . . incentivizing children to do challenging things or things outside of their comfort zone or things they just don’t prefer to do. I believe we’re on #4.

So, without further ado . . .

Reason #4 – Online Incentives are Numerous and Well Received

I’m not much of a techie type of person. So, I can do without a lot of the bells and whistles that might entice people who are more in tune with this Technological Age we live in. But, when it comes to educating children online, I’ve become somewhat of an excitedly giddy student of educational tech and resources to use in delivering teaching instruction.

I’m a willing researcher, seeking more Intel on the creative avenues tech has developed to help capture the attention of my tutees. I’m constantly keeping an eye out for ed tech that provides enjoyable and engaging moments of learning and/or acts as a catalyst to help get my tutees in the mode and mood to receive and interact with educational instruction.

One thing I’ve learned is that there are SO MANY different ways that tech can be used to help instruct students. I mean . . . even students receiving in-person instruction use tech for learning.

But specifically speaking on tutoring, I think there are just so many fun elements you can bring into a session through virtual means that may not translate as well in an in-person setting where the instruction is face-to-face and less centered around electronic gadgets and software. And because children today are wired to be technologically savvy at a young age, sometimes they prefer to deal with the online/screen time version of incentives when it comes to learning.

Here are some examples of ways I’ve been able to (as an online tutor) incentivize children to participate in activities and GET WORK DONE!:

1. Use celebration prompts (like fireworks and imogis) to reinforce certain behaviors I want children to display or to reward children for a “job well done.”
2. Play interactive online learning games that teach children educational concepts in a gamefied way that is fun and conducive to cooperation and teamwork.
3. Let children set up virtual playgrounds and classrooms, creating their own little world, using various online tools (mixed with their creative flair) to reason and problem solve.
4. Use community and platform chats to communicate with students through written words, strengthening the literacy component of “writing” through such forms of online communication.
5. Interact (back and forth) with children by displaying whiteboards that can be used for writing, drawing, posting images, typing, and the like. All the tools to do all of the activities just named are found in one centralized area. Not to mention the erase feature that allows you to start a whiteboard activity over again with no fuss.
6. Access all types of digital downloads of fun and educational templates and worksheets, such as word searches, mazes, matching games, and crossword puzzles. I tend to use these resources to reward the children for a “job well done” after completing certain reading activities. Work first, play later. (Oh, and paper waste is cut down on both ends because all materials can be virtual.)
7. Use colorful and interactive digital forms and videos I’ve created in Canva to practice reading skills with the children. And then, upload the forms and videos to the whiteboard or virtual classroom in the videoconferencing platform I’m using with the children. (Again, paper waste is cut down on both ends because all materials can be virtual.) 
8. Access all types of websites for fun and educational activities, such as ice breakers, jokes and riddles, tongue twisters, optical illusions, virtual field trips, and inspirational videos about subject matter and skill sets children are newly learning and/or learning to develop within. I tend to use these resources to reward the children for a “job well done” after completing certain reading activities. Work first, play later. 
9. Read all kinds of ebooks together with no shortage of options. If I’m not having the child I serve read from free books and reading passages I’ve been able to access by PDF form off the Internet or from a blogger’s or author’s website, I can go to platforms like education.com, IXL, the public library through OverDrive, Prime Reading, and the Kindle Store to find an assortment of book selections for young readers. (I try to pick books on topics and stories that will be enjoyable to and hold the interest of the children.)

So, the reasons continue to stack up for why I prefer to be an online tutor instead of an in-person tutor. Stay on the look out for possibly one . . . more . . . reason . . . to . . . come.