Luma Connection #30: Tips for Polls

Collaboration and connection are important for our social-emotional well-being. Importantly, Luma has conducted research and published the benefits for creating learning communities remotely. This year, Luma will provide specific strategies you can implement to connect learners remotely. We are calling these strategies our Luma Connections.

Teaching Tool: LumaLive®
Nugget the MascotThis is Luma’s synchronous or same time meeting tool. This online tool allows learners to interact with each other to explore a topic and to discuss key concepts, share experiences, interact with each other, and to ask questions in real time. Interactions are in real-time and can be mentor-learner, learner-to-content, learner-to-self, and learner-to-learner.

Tip: Make review polls a game by turning them into friendly competitions. Most answers correct wins!

How can I increase engagement in my live online class? Polls are a great tool to have in your tool box.

Here are some tips for using polls in synchronous discussions:

  • Create an ice breaker poll. Ask a novel or funny poll question at the beginning of a session to decrease tension and build interest and trust.
  • Create a thought provoking poll. Use this to introduce the lesson and peak interest. Pose novel thought provoking poll questions that get learners thinking about the topic.
  • Create an opinion poll. Encourage friendly debate by posing statements and having learners agree or disagree in a poll. Then, conduct a friendly debate by having learners share reasons and evidence.
  • Create a rate your understanding poll. Use this to have learners gauge their own understanding. Then, have learners identify remaining questions about the topic and facilitate a Q&A discussion. Have other learners act as instructors and answer the posed questions.
  • Create a review poll. Ask closed and open ended questions to review key concepts. Pose each question one at a time and review questions based on how the majority of learners respond.
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