Joining a virtual meeting always gives me a little bit of jitters. It’s the unknown. The awkward silence. The repeated directions. The waiting. It can be agitating. And I want to be calm, ready to learn when I join a meeting. While attending an online summer class, one instructor gave me a few ideas that I immediately knew I was going to use with my students. First, a template page with written welcome and directions. Second, a task to reflect on current feelings. Third, music. The name of the course was “Brain-based Learning,” go figure . . . she was using brain research from the moment we joined the call.

From day one, I put up a welcome page for students to see as they entered my meeting. I also had my Amazon Music “Mrs. Foley’s Playlist” on. Part of the reason for music is to give the brain something nice to listen to, but also it gave the kids an chance to check/adjust their sound. My page gave reminders about materials needed. In the chat I asked students to share a weekend highlight, describe how they are feeling in 2 words, set a daily goal, review a skill from a previous lesson (type a multiple of 9 fact with the product), etc.

This gave me time to take silent attendance and assist students with tech issues. The others weren’t bored or annoyed (hopefully) during this time. Instead, they were preparing their work space and selves for learning. Plus, it was a daily opportunity for community building because many times the chat questions were personal. The entire “welcome and prep” time is the five minutes before the official start time, so no time is lost, but A LOT of time is gained. We begin right at 9:00 (or 9:01) and have a smooth ride!