It may seem as though distance learning has just materialised out of thin air since COVID-19 has transformed our physical classrooms into virtual ones very immediately. However, the fact is that even before this epidemic, education had been progressively moving toward online learning. And it will remain.
Why Online Education Is Here to Stay
Nothing is perfect, and online education isn’t a panacea for every issue a school faces. However, it does it in a way that traditional, on-campus classrooms cannot, serving the requirements of both students and school systems.
Since many years ago, fully virtual schools have popped up all over the states, and their acceptance is only increasing (Zweig & Stafford, 2020). While some families have come to the conclusion that full-time online education is not compatible with their personal lifestyles, for others it is necessary. Students with physical or mental illnesses, competitive student-athletes with demanding training regimens, and families that just value flexibility in their schedules are a few examples.
Even conventional institutions are offering their in-person students entirely virtual courses (BAW, 2022). Consider a scenario where a district wishes to provide a cinema studies course to its students but lacks the resources or enrolment to support a full-time film instructor in each building. Instead, this district will engage one instructor to deliver the course digitally using a learning management system like Moodle or Canvas. This online course is now available to students throughout the district at any time of the day in the computer lab of their school.
We observe districts making investments in broadband, practice software, digital subscriptions, and virtual tools. The importance of including digital citizenship lessons in the school curriculum is growing.
It can be challenging for educators who are new to distance learning to know which online teaching strategies are most effective or even where to start. In this in-depth article, we cover practical online teaching techniques, practical advice, and a wide range of open resources.
The 3 Essentials for Successful Online Course Teaching
While every educator has a somewhat distinct teaching approach, all effective online teachers adhere to the same best practices. All of the most effective online learning techniques are built on these five straightforward concepts.
1. Clear contact with the parents of your pupils.
Families expect frequent and consistent communication from you. Parents and children may find it simple to begin to feel distant from one another. Their “virtual door” is always open, so reassure them of this and provide your email and phone number early and frequently in various locations. Building relationships and a sense of community in the classroom requires clear, respectful communication.
2. Variate the lessons you teach.
Your instruction has to be a combination of synchronous (taking place in real-time) and asynchronous methods (unscheduled and self-paced). Students can ask questions and develop relationships with you and other students during synchronous instruction via phone calls, videos, or live chats. Discussion boards and taped lectures are examples of asynchronous activities that let your students do tasks at their own leisure. Both approaches have advantages and are required in different ways.
3. Pick the appropriate resources for your class.
The Learning Management System (LMS) at your school will probably be your main tool for direct communication and uploading assignments. Get familiar with it as soon as possible, and don’t be afraid to ask your more tech-savvy co-workers questions. Additionally, you’ll want a different program, such as Google Voice or Zoom, for phone conversations, live classes, and video conferencing.
There is a wide range of educational technology tools available that may alter your teaching and interest your students in addition to these fundamentals. The enjoyable part is now! Use the advice and strategies listed below to learn about, play with, and introduce new tools into your classroom.
What are the Most Popular Distance Education Strategies?
In any environment, it may be difficult to promote student involvement while ensuring that they understand the course material. We offer helpful suggestions for online instruction on how to make your sessions more engaging and promote active learning. In this post, we go into further depth about the top five distance learning strategies:
1. Make your classes web-friendly.
With lively discussions, screen recordings, and interactive technology, transform your in-person classes for an online setting. So your students would not go and hire Pay Someone To Write Your Assignment because they find your class boring.
2. Be very explicit about what is expected of students and families.
To set up kids and families for a successful year, communicate your objectives and deadlines early and frequently.
3. Create a vibrant online community for the classroom.
In a virtual setting, building community in the classroom is just as important, and video chats, focused downtime, and message boards may help with that.
4. Maintain contact with and include your parents.
Keep parents engaged regularly throughout the school year with frequent and interesting communications like weekly newsletters and individual phone conversations.
5. Choose the appropriate EdTech for your requirements and use it.
To select and use the finest resources for your classroom, collaborate with other educators and pinpoint particular requirements.
How to Adapt Your Lesson Plans to Different Types of Learners: Strategies for Online Teaching
We are aware that you have already spent many hours modifying and polishing your lesson ideas. Don’t feel as though your efforts were in vain. There are many various online learning approaches you may use to modify your in-person lesson plans for the virtual setting. It only needs the correct equipment and a little ingenuity.
1. Include debates to improve comprehension and involvement.
There are software that can be unequaled tools for asynchronous conversations. Students can answer your submitted questions by recording themselves rather than typing. Additionally, they may watch and comment on each other’s videos. This is an excellent choice for reluctant writers, a powerful strategy to increase engagement, and a means to support active learning.
Google Classroom is a useful tool for talks that are written down. Students can read and reply to others’ responses after posting their own answers to the assignment guidelines.
2. Use screen recordings to record your classes and yourself beforehand.
You may record your presentation on-screen while you talk and navigate through your slides using screen recording tools, such as Loom or Screencast, for the PowerPoints you’ve previously made. You may even choose to have a little window with your face on it so that your pupils can still see you. You may download or share web links to these videos.
For pupils who learn best when being instructed, you may also videotape yourself outlining homework instructions in addition to courses.
3. Make learning fun and participatory.
You know that students these days are easily Paying For University Assignments? Because teachers are unable to make class interesting. You can use tools to increase interaction in online classrooms. With those interactive applications, students may follow along and take part in your courses using their own devices. You should first import any PowerPoints or PDFs from previous lectures. Then, you may include areas for student participation, such as comment sections, drawing assignments, tests, polls, collaborative boards, and more. For various student demands, you can distinguish the kind and level of tasks.
In conclusion, keep these points in mind when teaching online.
Numerous online teaching methods and concepts have been discussed. Here are three main ideas to apply in your online classroom as a conclusion:
1. Maintain open lines of communication
by outlining your standards for conduct frequently. Maintain open channels of contact by employing various technologies, including emails, Remind 101, phone calls, and discussion boards in courses. Weekly newsletters are a fantastic tool to engage families in community building. Use the courses you’ve previously produced and adapt them to the online environment using various ed tech tools.
2. Constantly update your classroom.
Utilize the courses you’ve previously written and modify them using various ed tech tools for the online setting. Use the fantastic resources that are currently available instead of inventing the wheel.
3. Use a range of synchronous and asynchronous activities to keep learning engaging
Keep your students interested by using a range of synchronous and asynchronous activities to satisfy their varying learning demands. To promote strong student relationships, schedule intentional community-building events like Show and Tell and open talk periods.
This ultimate guide for teachers is intended to be useful. Recall that one of the best resources available to educators is one another! In your virtual classroom, what are you doing? Comment below with your favorite instructional advice and student online learning techniques.
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