I begin my online classes by greeting each student individually because I wanna break the ice and see how they are doing. Also, this is my way to check whether their cameras and microphones are working. 

Some students say they are fine. Some smile and ask me how I am doing, too. Sometimes there’s this one student whose mic is kinda on, but you can’t hear them. Their camera is off so you don’t know if they are even present. What’s going on with this student? Why are they like that? Well, I’ve had about 2 years to think about it. Below is what I’ve learnt about why some of our students don’t want to be seen or heard online.

Fatigue

Do you remember being a teenager? It’s physically challenging. The only other period in life that can compare to puberty in terms of how dramatic the changes are that the human body is going through is infancy. However, unlike babies, teenagers have to study and do chores. Yes, your secondary students are constantly exhausted. What to do about it? Try direct messaging. Ask if they are feeling tired. Try not to get frustrated if you don’t receive an answer. Try again next time. Gauge your expectations and let that student know what you expect of them. If they know exactly what and when you will ask them, it will be easier for them to meet your expectations. Tell them it’s okay to let you know if they are exhausted or aren’t feeling well.

Laziness

We aren’t lazy for no reason. We’re lazy because we fear failure or have no motivation to go on. If you figured out that your black-screen student is lazy, try to find out what they are interested in. They definitely have at least one passion, and you’ll find it sooner or later. Then, try to incorporate elements of that student’s interest in your instruction. You will definitely notice more activity!

Wrong placement

Your class might be too challenging for a student because the placement test has put them in the wrong level. They keep quiet because their language command doesn’t allow them to follow the lesson. If you ask me, this problem might be the hardest to detect. One way to find out is to ask the student to read something off the screen. Very few students would refuse to do it. From how they read, you will be able to make at least vague conclusions regarding their language command. If you suspect that the student is too weak for the level, it might be a good idea to talk to the parents. The best solution can be then discussed: the student can be moved to a more comfortable level or you might differentiate your instruction to cater for them.

Fear of being judged

Fear of being judged because they are different. My experience of teaching in the pandemic shows that in about 80% of the cases the student who is unresponsive is different from the rest in a visible or invisible way. “Different” can mean a lot of things: the student is or looks, or sounds much younger or older than the rest of the class; they think they are ugly; they are much smarter or more mature than the rest, or maybe less mature, the list goes on. Start the class with a reminder to your students that each and every one of them looks great and you are happy to see all their faces. Also – smile, as obvious as it sounds. Listen to them if they say at least something and acknowledge their contribution.

Too much in the background

Too much is going on in the background. This problem is usually the easiest to detect, but, unfortunately, the most difficult to solve. The student might not be able to turn on their microphone and camera because their entire family is in the room, everyone is talking, the baby sibling is crying, another sibling is having an online class as well, etc, etc.

Tech failure

Slow connection, outdated software and hardware cause more inconvenience than meets the eye. We don’t know what quality of sound and image the students receive. Those who appear unresponsive might be failing to keep up because their video and/or audio are lagging, and by the time they get teacher’s instructions, everyone else has already moved on. You can imagine how frustrating that is. To help with this issue and issue no.5, train your learners to inform you about technical problems and background noise or other disruptions via chat. This is not a perfect solution, but it’ll help lessen frustration. 

And what other reasons could you add to this list? How do you deal with “ghosting” in your virtual classroom?

Written by Anna Morgachova