In 2020, a challenging profession i.e. teaching became a bit more challenging overnight. Last March, a major change took place in the lives of teachers and their workdays became very different. Some of the challenges they used to face daily no longer existed and were replaced by new challenges. Teachers now have shifted to teaching online in some form. If we look on the positive side, there has been perseverance, there has been growth, and there has been dedication among the many positive aspects. Ninis tutors from Lahore academy are a great example of how teachers can succeed in online teaching as well. Read more. Here are some tips that teachers can apply as they reflect and plan future lessons in education.
TIPS FOR TEACHING ONLINE
VARY YOUR TYPES OF LESSONS
When teaching from home, your lessons should be a blend of both asynchronous (self-paced and unscheduled) and synchronous (happening in real-time). Synchronous teaching through video lessons, phone calls, or live chats gives the students a chance to build relationships by asking questions to you and each other. Asynchronous activities, like recorded lectures or discussion boards, give your students a chance to complete assignments at their own pace and time. Both ways have their advantages and are essential in their ways.
COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY
Work out a schedule for communicating with your students and their parents and when they can get in contact with you, with questions, or simply for reassurance. Your communications should be clear and how this looks will depend on the age of your students. Parents and your students must know what’s expected of them and what and by when they can expect from you. For students in the early learning phase, the desired learning will reflect holistic learning and be more open-ended. Older students may benefit from any resources they will need and a syllabus outline which includes the topic(s) being covered.
ADD DISCUSSIONS
Flipgrid is an unbeatable tool for asynchronous discussions in teaching online. When you post questions, students can record themselves answering instead of typing. They can view and respond to each other’s videos, as well. For reluctant writers, it is a great option and a strong way to promote active learning and boost engagement. Google Classroom is a great tool for written discussions. You simply post the instructions for assignments/quizzes, let students post their responses, and then they can read and respond to others. Chat rooms like YO Teach allow students to message back and forth in real-time and can be helpful in synchronous discussions.
FIND YOUR POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
When teaching online, it is just as important to reward students to reinforce their positive behavior. You can practice public shout-outs by recognizing star students in your emails. Along with that, you can practice private shout-outs as well by sending individual messages to the students and their families when they’ve done a great job. You can motivate your students by allowing them to make even seemingly small choices. E.g. ask them to choose a fun image for your virtual Zoom background.
