4 Must-Have Engagement Tools for Beauty and Wellness Educators

By Ayo Bamgbose ACIM, Assoc CIPD, MA, MSc, BSc

Are you a new teacher looking to keep your students more engaged, whether in person or online?

It’s something every educator faces, especially when you’re just starting out. You might have great content, but if your students aren’t interacting with it, the learning experience can fall flat. The good news? There are some fantastic tools out there that make engagement easy and fun. Whether you’re teaching in a spa training program, beauty therapy course, or wellness workshop, these tools can help you connect with your students and create a more interactive learning environment.

Let’s take a look at five of the best engagement tools that you can start using today.

1. Zoom

Who it’s for: Teachers, trainers, and students needing virtual classes or meetings.

What it does: A video conferencing tool that supports webinars, meetings, and virtual classrooms. It offers screen sharing, recording, and breakout rooms for group activities.

Zoom has quickly become the go-to platform for virtual classrooms, but it's not just for video conferencing.

With features like:

  • Breakout rooms for group discussions

  • Screen sharing and annotation

  • Recording options for lessons

  • Polls and Q&A for real-time interaction

  • Virtual backgrounds and immersive view

You can make even the most straightforward lectures more dynamic. Imagine running a skincare theory session and then splitting students into breakout rooms for a group activity, where they can discuss real-life treatment case studies or product formulations. This way, they can actively engage rather than passively listen.

  • Pros: Reliable, offers high-quality video and audio, supports breakout rooms for small group discussions.

  • Cons: It requires a strong internet connection; the free version limits group meetings to forty minutes.

  • Free plan: Yes, with limitations. Paid plans start at around £/$11.99 per month.

2. Kahoot!

Who it’s for: Teachers and trainers looking for interactive learning.

What it does: A game-based learning platform, perfect for quizzes and learning games.

With features like:

  • Interactive, game-based quizzes

  • Customizable quiz templates

  • Leaderboards for fun competition

  • Real-time feedback on answers

  • Integrates with Google Classroom

If you're teaching anatomy or physiology, Kahoot! is a perfect way to quiz students on things like muscle groups or the layers of the skin. The competition aspect makes it fun and helps information stick long after the session is over.

  • Pros: Engages students with interactive, fun quizzes; works well for all ages.

  • Cons: Some advanced features are locked behind a paywall.

  • Free plan: Yes, but paid plans start at around £/$3 per month for additional features.

3. Padlet

Who it’s for? Educators and students collaborating on group projects or sharing ideas and having discussions.

What it does: Need a creative way for students to brainstorm ideas or share content? Padlet is an easy-to-use digital board where users can post notes, images, and files in real-time.

With features like:

  • Real-time collaboration on visual boards

  • Ability to post text, images, and videos

  • Customisable board layouts

  • Easy drag-and-drop interface

  • Export options for saving work

For beauty and spa educators, you could use Padlet to have students collaborate on treatment plans or share client consultation notes. Students can post notes, images, and even videos, all in real-time. It’s great for encouraging collaboration, and it provides a visual way to discuss treatments or techniques.

  • Pros: Highly interactive, great for brainstorming or sharing ideas visually.

  • Cons: Free version limits the number of boards you can create.

  • Free plan: Yes, but paid plans start at around £/$8.25 per month.

4. Nearpod

Who it’s for? Teachers looking to create interactive lessons and presentations.

What it does: Combines multimedia, quizzes, and interactive elements into a single lesson platform.

With features like:

  • Add interactive quizzes and polls to slides

  • Virtual field trips using VR

  • Real-time student progress tracking

  • Ability to add multimedia content

  • Integrates with Google Slides and PowerPoint

For example, you could add a virtual field trip to a wellness retreat or a high-end spa to show students how different treatments are implemented in various settings. Plus, you get real-time feedback on how well students understand the material, allowing you to adjust on the fly.

  • Pros: Supports various activities like quizzes, polls, VR field trips.

  • Cons: Some advanced features are locked behind a paywall.

  • Free plan available: Yes, with limitations. Paid plans start at £/$10 per month.