Bringing Virtual Learning to Life

[Greg Varner]

 

Connect. Engage. Motivate.

Co-Founders of iGrowco, Annabel Zicker and Joy Marchese, provided an inspiring interactive webinar on their 3 pillars. They demonstrated how to avoid Room or Zoom fatigue through their structured approach to increase learning and retention:

• connect students at a deeper level
• maintain personal engagement
• increase participation in the class

“We don’t learn from the neck up. We learn from the feet up.” is a quote that summarizes the inspiration of iGrowco to include physical movement for effective teaching. Annabel and Joy demonstrated this firsthand:

• kick-off the session with a mental and physical warm-up activity to prepare for learning. This helps to ensure a connection before correction.
• put on speaker view when on Zoom (video call) so students see the speaker talking
• engage the class by having them answer multiple choice questions through their actions like A is lift foot, B is jumping jacks, C is squats and D is twisting
• provide “brain breaks” to keep engagement such as asking “if you have ever … then do ….” This creates connection, trust and a sense of community / belonging within the classroom. 
• maintain focus of the class by providing new stimuli as the brain responds to novelty

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn” is a quote from Benjamin Franklin. Joy used this to underline that learning requires involvement not just from the shoulders up but from the feet up.