My pupil won't use their microphone or camera

Sometimes you'll find that school pupils don’t want to, or aren’t able to, use their microphones or cameras during a lesson. Sometimes this is for tech reasons, and sometimes it’s a personal preference

So what should you do when a pupil isn’t using their mic or camera?

• Tech reasons: if a pupil doesn’t have access to a webcam, this is fine. Just continue to teach them as usual and always keep your own webcam turned on to help keep them engaged. 

If a pupil reports that they don’t have access to a microphone, ask them to check with their teacher or IT technician if they can have a headset. Drop us an email at schools@mytutor.co.uk to let us know so that we can follow up with the school to check that their pupils have access to microphones.

• Personal preference: if a pupil would prefer not to use their webcam, this is fine! Just continue to teach them with your own webcam turned on. Many pupils are nervous about using their webcams, especially at the start.

If a pupil would prefer not to use their microphone, make sure they can still hear you so that you can still talk to them. If they can hear you, it’s okay if they choose to reply using the chat box, however, it would be a good idea to gently encourage them to try chatting to you as sessions progress.

By building up a relationship with your pupil over time, you may find that the pupil gains confidence. Hopefully, the pupil will then start to engage fully with the tech.