Basics points to keep in mind when you teach Online

We are in an era where teachers and students gradually started to adapt to online learning, especially after covid-19. Education remains the same whether it is an offline or online learning platform. However, it is not the same when it comes to teaching. Teaching in a traditional classroom differs a lot from online teaching. It requires some more effort from the teachers to make online learning fruitful for their students. We will look at some effective tips that help in successful online teaching.

Tips to make Online Teaching Effective

1. Recorded lectures over live sessions

Conducting live sessions regularly would be effective to interact with your students. However, there are some possibilities where students can miss them because of technical glitches. So apart from having live sessions, always record your teaching videos and make them available permanently for your students.

2. Opt for shorter videos

A recent study shows that most students stay focused on videos that are 10 to 20 minutes long. By creating videos of shorter length, you can prevent your students from getting bored and going diverted. Aim to create short and crisp videos covering only the information that is related to a specific topic. If a topic is too long, create multiple videos and upload them.

3. Interact with your students

Like in a traditional classroom, always try to interact with every student in the online class also. Call them by their names specifically in live sessions to avoid losing their focus and encourage them to speak up. Switching of your video is not recommended, as students may feel that they are simply looking at a screen and hearing your voice. Instead, show your face and record the videos so the students would get a feel of interacting with their teacher.

4. Learn more about technology

Since you are not a teacher who teaches only in the traditional classroom anymore, be aware of the technologies that are available today to make your online teaching thrive. You have to teach tools and technologies to the students who are new to online education. In online learning, you have different technologies and platforms to conduct assessments, make presentations, save result data, etc. You also need to know about various online learning management systems. So as an online teacher, you have to be tech-savvy apart from being skilled in your area of expertise.

5. Creativity stands out!

In a traditional classroom, you can simply use a textbook and blackboard to teach your students. But when it comes to online education, keeping your students engaged requires more effort. Sitting for longer hours before the screen would make the students feel exhausted. So teaching requires more creativity to make them listen attentively. Instead of just using the words, add some interesting pictures, video clips, real-world examples, funny audio clips, etc to make them watch your videos interestingly. Teachers who are more creative stand unique in online teaching.

6. Be open to communicate

During online classes, always be open to communicating with your students. Arrange some quick sessions at the end of every weekend to have a chill conversation with them. This helps your students to feel more comfortable with you and they find it easy to approach you whenever they need help. 

7. Be available 

Students who study offline will get a chance to solve their queries immediately as the teacher is standing and teaching right in front of them. But how could that be possible when teaching in a classroom online? Students would have a bunch of doubts to clarify after listening to lecture videos. Make sure that you are always available during your working hours and be open to solving their queries. Try to address your students’ queries every week so you can avoid every student coming up with loads of doubts at the last. 

8. Be understanding and passionate

Since teaching is your profession, you have met different kinds of students every year. You would have well adapted to children from different backgrounds and have different behaviors. Since online learning may seem new to some of the students, they may feel uncomfortable speaking up before everyone on a screen. Students may feel shy at first and they would find it comfortable once they are used to it. Be understanding at those times and be kind enough to encourage them to come out of their hesitation. Always be enthusiastic while teaching classes and inspire your students to learn more. 

Teaching online requires some extra effort but is not a hectic thing to deal with. Following some suggestions for online classes for teachers mentioned above would help you excel in online teaching. Keepings these basic points in mind, will help you to create a wonderful online learning experience for your students. Classplus is one of India’s online learning management platforms that helps you create and manage your online classes.