When teachers and students are separated, it can be challenging to foster a positive sense of community. Maintaining a sense of community in the digital classroom relies on strategies that are similar to those used in the classroom. Here, we are sharing a list of five strategies in the hopes of improving the well-being of virtual learning worlds and fostering a strong feeling of community.

1. First, Secure Your Safety Belt

While many blogs put self-care at the end of a long list of tips and considerations for teachers, we've made it a top priority. After all, learning is an experience where quality counts. Whatever your self-care routine may include - mindfulness meditation, stretching, reflective practice, or a few deep breaths after a long day - it makes a difference.

2. Include Connection In Your Program

Ensure that each synchronous session begins with an activity that helps people connect. You may exercise together, listen to music, or take three deep breaths at once. You may conduct a variety of grounding connection exercises. Then, as a connection check-in, utilise an icebreaker, which is a narrative activity. This prepares the group to share valuable information. It's all about building relationship trust and creating a virtual community that's like a tree: firmly planted, anchored, and flexible in its branches, allowing you to adapt to changing circumstances.

3. Allow Everyone To Play A Part

Setting up groups in which everyone has a position of authority allows you to sustain a flow without everyone working at the same time. Students have the opportunity to switch lines of work from time to time in order to get experience in various areas.

When you set up learning in this way, you're sending a message: everyone matters, and everyone can help create and enhance the learning environment.

4. Be Open To Questions

Meaningful learning isn't based on memorising facts and giving the same answers over and over again. The questions are frequently more significant and instructive than the answers.

Students will be more enthusiastic about being on an investigation journey with you. While you, the mentor, will certainly play a role in informative considerations and resources, students will be far more enthusiastic if they are participating and discovering something new.

This sort of connection promotes social and emotional learning abilities as well as trust, both of which are beneficial to interactive, insightful learning.

5. Improve Your Listening Skills

Active listening is a mindfulness exercise that focuses our attention and awareness on the speaker and their goal rather than on what we're about to say next. Encourage everyone to start each session by eliminating distractions and putting away other devices. When doing a group sharing activity, start with smaller breakout groups to make sure everyone participates. You may also try pair sharing with a "mirroring" activity, in which students take turns listening to one another's narrative or reflection.