Did you know that teachers are turning to online courses in droves? It’s true! And while the web offers an endless wealth of ready-made lesson plans and materials, many teachers lack the inspiration to develop their own. If you teach online courses, it’s important to keep your front door open and be willing to answer questions about your classes. If you’re unsure where else to start, we’ve got some tips for teachers to find creative topics for their online courses.
First, try choosing a subject that other people are already talking about. For example, if you teach a course on social media marketing and the word “fake news” has been recently in the news, this might be an ideal topic choice.
So, if you’re a teacher looking for some creative ways to find topics for your online courses, take a look at this list of tips!
8 Tips for Teachers to Find Creative Topics For Their Online Courses
1. Use your passion
If you’re not a natural-born writer, this can be tough, but it’s important to remember that teachers are also people, and people have a wide range of interests and hobbies. If you’ve a passion for something, chances are your students do well! For example, have you always wanted to write about your favorite science fiction series or video game?
Maybe you love cooking or gardening – why not share some of your expertise with your students? If there’s something you love doing and teaching about, chances are there will be other people in the class who share that interest with you. Use it!
2. Paint pictures with words
One great way to teach is by telling stories. Everyone loves to hear a good story, and you have one in your life! Use your experiences to illustrate a point, teach a lesson, or give context to the situation.
3. Tap into pop culture
Students will be aware of popular culture – they’re living in it! It’s inescapable. But teachers can also use pop culture to get students more interested in their class. First, of course, you’ll have to do a little pre-work to find out what your students are into, but once you have that sorted, you can use songs, TV shows, and movies as springboards for discussion!
4. Go with a theme
If you’re feeling stuck for ideas, try picking out something about which there is already a lot of material available – teach on the same topic from your unique perspective. This could mean choosing a movie or novel with a particular theme that resonates with you and exploring that theme in more depth.
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Or you might pick a topic that’s not currently covered in class. For example, if you’re teaching about a particular figure, consider using that person’s life story as the basis for an interesting class.
5. Be creative about your assignments for your online courses
There are some standard assignments that you’ll be doing as part of your online course – there shouldn’t be too much wiggle room with assignments such as reading and testing, critical thinking, and writing. For the rest of your course, there should be plenty of room for new and creative ways to assign tasks tailored to suit your style and lesson planning goals.
6. Play with the format
This is the most fun tip on my list, but it’s also certainly one of the more complicated! This is because so many online courses use video and audio as a means of teaching – and in some ways, that’s a great way to teach!
However, getting students involved in text-based courses can be difficult when they’ve never been exposed to an interactive format. So instead of changing everything about your course all at once, try changing just one thing at a time.
Try switching out your assignments for blog posts or forum posts instead of tests. Try recording your lectures and posting them on your class website. Just try something new – you never know what your students will respond to!
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7. Play the game!
If you’re interested in using games to teach, one option is to create your own. It’s a huge time commitment, but it’s also a lot of fun for you and students who like role-playing or game based assignments or activities.
8. Get advice
I hope this list is helpful to teachers who are looking for creative topics for their online courses! I’ll add that a great way to come up with ideas for your course is to talk with others in the teaching field. Ask around at your school, through email, or through social media – you may be surprised what other people come up with!
Conclusion
These tips for teachers to find creative topics for their online courses are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg – there are so many more out there that teachers can use to spice up their courses, add new dimensions, and bring creative new ideas to the fore.
If you’re an educator looking for a way to change up your online course, or if you’re a student looking for something new and exciting, look no further – try one of these tips to find your inspiration today!
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