Last week in class, there was the most awkward breakout room conversation. We all looked at the same black screens in silence until we were able to return back to class. Every group member did the work individually without asking one question, only looking forward to the moment when the blue “return back to main session” button pops up onto the screen.

In the new age of remote learning, everyone including students and teachers have had to make significant changes to how learning in virtual classrooms will take place. There have been many new tools introduced throughout the year however the most popular option is the use of zoom breakout rooms. This function on zoom allows students to interact in small groups just as you would in the classroom.

While initially this seems like a great resource, there have been many downfalls that teachers aren’t aware of. Many students believe that zoom breakout rooms aren’t nearly as effective as teachers think because the layout poses a very awkward environment and majority of the time everyone has their screen off or doesn’t feel like participating. This leads to everyone just sitting there and staring at a black screen wasting valuable class time.

A junior at DGS shared many frustrations when it comes to zoom breakout rooms. He explained how he is often the only one putting in effort to converse and it just leads to an awkward experience. Over the year, there have been small improvements made, however there is still a long way to go in order to be an effective tool throughout the school day.

Similar frustrations were expressed by many other students throughout the school. Teachers and staff members at DGS felt the same way, but they explained how there are some benefits. Many staff members that shared their input stated how the concept is good, however they feel it is awkward to discuss with people you aren’t familiar with in a remote setting.

To combat this problem, the solution is to keep students in the same breakout rooms for a number of weeks at a time. This will allow students to get comfortable with each other as they interact on a consistent basis while still meeting new classmates. This method, along with explaining the benefits of breakout rooms and encouraging interaction since everyone is in the same boat is a great start to slowly improving the impact zoom breakout rooms have moving into second semester.

Even though there are many frustrations with zoom breakout rooms, they offer a unique ability to interact in a small group setting during remote schooling. As we continue to change with the times, and new solutions are found, zoom breakout rooms will improve, but until then it’s in everyone’s best interest to participate in breakout rooms and continue to push yourself because in the end they’ll only be better for it.

With increased efforts on the students’ part along with added encouragement and check-ins by teachers and staff, zoom breakout rooms can become a great tool to enhance the student experience during remote learning. Doing so will take a lot of added work by both parties however the end result will be well worth it in the end.