“Vermin aren’t pets! Oh god! Have you gone mad?”
Amit’s grandmother could neither believe her ears nor contain her shock.
Her grandson, who’d recently moved to Delhi with his first job, had – excitedly and without preamble – broken the news of his buying a new mouse for the laptop, from his own money.
Mrs. Mittal was a septuagenarian, who had once had a distinguished, English-teaching career in several reputed schools. However, all technology-facilitated things – like virtual teaching – were her Achilles heel. In fact, Amit had forgotten how her wrinkly brow furrowed further at the mere mention of computers.
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” – Albert Einstein
Technology and modern education are synergistic. Moreover, thanks to the world’s recent, unsolicited and undeserved gift from China, online teaching is here to stay. So, let’s get with it.
We’ll help you take to online teaching as a fish takes to water; what’s more, we’ll supercharge the sessions!
For your tryst with virtual-learning superstardom, do these:
Techniques to Supercharge Your Online Teaching
Get Ready
Just like in classroom teaching, failing to plan = planning to fail. It’s especially important for those new to digital teaching. A virtual environment necessitates specific thought and preparation of the lesson’s delivery.
Place-ment
Picture a TV playing in the background with noisy children present and a dog running around while barking – does this make for an ideal education emanation-pad? Act accordingly and pick a quiet, distraction-free place.
Tech Check
This is a no-brainer. Checking the internet connection, your device’s and teaching materials’ smoothness of operation are paramount before showtime.
Smarten Up
It’s strongly recommended that you use a laptop/desktop to teach. However, your pupils may use smartphones and tablets to attend the class. Hence, ensure the slides/lesson materials are readable on handheld devices.
Also Check – Top Reasons Why You Should Totally Choose Online Teaching
Look Closely
A picture is worth a thousand words! Given most youngsters’ goldfish-like attention spans, the grabbing and sustenance thereof are facilitated best by visuals like pictures, videos, flowcharts, diagrams, info-graphics etc. Use text frugally.
Face It
Students must be able to see your face at the start and intermittently during the session. Humans – probably most mammals too – have this primal, instinctive need to observe the facial expressions of whoever they’re communicating with.
Hands-On
Research has established the importance and efficacy of using hand gestures in any type of public speaking. Apparently, it helps build trust with the speaker.
Objectify
Set out clear, lesson objectives at the outset.
Rule Over
Ground rules on involvement, asking and answering questions, peer discussions etc. must be set before the lesson.
Succinct-ify
In Hamlet, William Shakespeare observed, “brevity is the soul of wit.” Short and concise descriptions and explanations work best in online courses
Recycle
Simply tailor the existing, teaching material for online delivery – this would require some contextual creativity. Minimal changes can get the job done. There’s no need to re-invent the wheel.
Check, Then Share
Links to online resources, if any, must only be shared after verifying their availability. Also, please ensure the information is open source.
Involve All
Use the sword of interactivity to slay the demon of boredom. Make sure you keep everyone engaged, attentive and involved.
Love thy LMS
Learn to – and use – learning management systems, such as Moodle, Edmodo and Blackboard to create interactive learning activities such as quizzes, marking attendance and scoring assignments
Lend Support
Some students may be afraid to ask a question publicly for fear of being considered stupid. Encourage everyone to privately message you their questions. You could then answer them publicly without naming the questioner.
feedback is a great way to lend support when it comes to online mode. There are many ways to give a constructive feedback which is more about correction and not offence.
Emote
Positive emotions create energy. Hence, ditch the stiff upper lip and be a little playful
Let Them Be
Strike a balance between controlling the class, moderating discussions and handing a measure of control over to the learners through activities and exercises.
Classwork
Exercises and activities are the most effective when they’re learner-centric – something that requires little teacher involvement.
Be Touchy
Students love a word of encouragement or acknowledgment in the building corridors. It’s easy for such individual touch-points to become casualties in virtual teaching. Use the private-chat feature to accomplish this online.
Shut Up; Listen
Keep your TTT low! For those new to conducting classes on the internet, the feeling that you’re not being able to explain the concept as clearly as you’d like is a constant bugbear. Counter-intuitively, the solution isn’t increasing the teacher talk-time – that’s a slippery slope serving only to confuse all parties concerned, further. Planning the explanation in advance and using creative visuals like diagrams, flowcharts etc. have a higher success rate. Lastly, routinely solicit feedback at the end of sessions and modify your teaching accordingly.
Remember, delivering an engaging learning experience takes time and the patience of a person driving a car with severe diarrhea, stuck in a traffic jam. If you’re new to online teaching be gentle and set yourself realistic expectations.
Observing skilled virtual teachers go about their business is a great idea – seek out such learning opportunities.
All the best!
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