During the past 2 years, many things have changed, including our lifestyle and education system. The coronavirus outbreak led to the closing of departmental stores, schools, colleges, and other educational institutes. The concept of online learning came as a blessing in corona times for school-going children as it gave them away to continue their studies.
Online learning being a new platform, it has gained popularity in no time and has become the first choice for everyone. But! It is not possible to adjust to a new learning platform in very little time. Teachers should understand that it’s high time, and they should upgrade themselves.
Make sure tech, software, and work environment are set- For the smooth running of online classes, the most important thing to do is set technical appliances, Software Required like LMS, ERP, and work environment according to online classes. A hassle-free work environment is critical in online learning. Make sure the working area is away from all the distractions, and lightning should be proper.
Communication is Vital- Communication is the key to all things. Talking about online learning, communication is everything because students and teachers are not under one roof, unlike traditional ways of learning.
To maintain good communication, it is essential to share your syllabus and materials. As materials are everything in an online classroom, make sure your material should be exciting and encouraging. A better material consists of things like a flowchart, diagrams, maps, animations, etc.
Also, avoid taking long classes, as it might create boredom and is of no use. Give a break so that children get time to absorb things. You can also set an online meeting to clear doubts. Speak softly and try to resolve or answer each student.
Experiment with different methods- It’s good to change your way of teaching. It not only helps to establish a better learning environment but also encourages students to attend classes. There is no set pattern for this, and it might differ from teacher to teacher. Here I am listing some methods which you can go with!
Filipe courses- To better understand the topics and chapters, teachers pre-record their class and send it to the students or provide content based on the topics. It will help students to go through the topic and understand it. Also, you can create a chat room through LMS portals where students can share their views about their learning.
Peer to Peer Instruction- To make your class more interactive, you need to take a back chair. Give a chance to students to take your place and deliver lectures. It will make a better classroom environment. You can also divide the topic to different students to speak on, giving a chance to every student to participate.
Engage Students- Engaging students in a traditional classroom was very easy, but it isn’t easy to engage students online in an online classroom. It requires a lot of effort to make students engage with each other. But make sure your effort should not match that of a traditional class. Here are a few things you can do-
You can create an online forum using any social media platform or messaging platform and open it to all for discussing the topics. Ask students to drop their doubts, comments, or any other queries and try to answer every doubt.
Another way of engaging students is to engage them in group projects. Assign different topics to different groups and ask them to present them. It will make students interact with other students and encourage their teamwork spirit.
Conclusion
Online teaching platforms have many advantages and are growing day by day with promising career development opportunities. This article focuses on problems teachers face during online lectures and some tips they can use while teaching online.