Virtual classrooms like virtual sinc are oftentimes a bit more challenging to manage than traditional ones. Here are 10 practical tips to help you avoid some common pitfalls and become influential in your classroom.
1) Know your audience.
Who is in your virtual classroom? What do they need, when and how? You already know how to provide good face-to-face instruction, so make sure you apply those same guidelines to your virtual classroom as well.
Do you want students to participate in class discussions? Provide them with an opportunity to discuss the topics you’re covering (i.e., at the end of each section). We all tend to gravitate towards people we enjoy spending time with, so if you’re going to gather a group of learners who normally wouldn’t interact with each other, make sure that you’ll have enough positive energy flowing around in order for them to bond and communicate effectively.
2) Put students in charge.
When creating your classroom, you have total control over every aspect of it (including creating assignments), but when students use their own computers, they are in charge of their learning.
Students may not be as well-versed about websites or technology tools compared to many teachers, so make sure you give them the chance to learn these things on their own. Let them design the way they want to engage with the course material and study materials. Make sure you give them as much freedom as possible.
3) Don’t be afraid to use group work and collaboration.
For some reason or another, teachers tend to view group work as less valuable than individual work . Students are often placed in groups of three or four with a question, and asked to produce the same answer. And there are a few reasons for this.
First, it’s easier to grade. Answering one question from the entire group is much easier than grading each answer from every student in the group.
Secondly, teachers want to ensure that students aren’t copying off each other. For example, if you have a group of four students and they’re answering a question about the French
Thirdly, teachers are afraid of losing control. They may be worried that their students will finish assignments early and won’t know what to do in class (I’ve been there).
Fourthly, teachers think that sitting with a partner for 45 minutes is boring.
4) Don’t be afraid to make mistakes (or ask for help).
It’s really easy for teachers to be so focused on preparing their lessons that they forget about the students and their needs . If you’re used to going over your lesson plan in your head, you may not realize how much time you’re wasting by focusing on grading everything instead of simply engaging with your students.
Allow yourself a few minutes in the morning or at night to talk about how the day will go. Start making mistakes now, so that when you do need help, there are people who can assist you without worrying about missing class.
5) Meet with colleagues before you meet with students.
It’s really easy to get caught up in the preparation of your courses and expecting students to feel the same way you do about it. For example, I’ve seen teachers who have meetings scheduled with their students every single day . What we need to realize is that students are not as interested in class as we are.
They don’t necessarily look forward to spending 3-4 hours after school everyday without any breaks, so avoid making them feel pressured into attending class just because you’re excited about it.
If you’re starting a new course, try meeting with your colleagues beforehand (even if they’re not part of your online class). Have them give you feedback on the course outline, and ask questions regarding things you still may not understand.
6) Plan your course strategies well in advance.
When you’re planning your course, it’s important to think about the strategies that you’ll need in order to gain student engagement, guide the learning process, interact with students in a meaningful way and most importantly retain student motivation throughout the entire class.
For example, maybe you don’t want to give homework for every single section in your course. In this case, plan on asking students to do something related to their learning after each question/problem is answered.
7) Be honest and transparent.
Online students don’t want to be lied to and they won’t appreciate it if you’re too strict or don’t act like a normal human being. If you’re sick, be sick (or better yet, just not teach that day). If you need a few minutes to finish a problem in class or check one of your emails, don’t be afraid to ask for a few minutes of silence.
If you’re late to class, don’t try to make excuses (like me). Just say that there was unexpected traffic on the way or that your printer broke down. You’ll appear more trustworthy and it’ll decrease students’ anxiety levels as well.
8) Get involved in discussions.
If you’re not involved in class discussions, then students won’t want to be either. I’ve had teachers who would just sit there reading the paper or talking to each other during class and I’ve never known a student who enjoyed it.
Here’s how you can make a difference: listen to students when they speak, ask questions and try to figure out why they’ve made certain comments (or if they have any questions). If you do this, it’ll also help you clarify your own thoughts about the subject matter as well.
9) Make use of online tools.
Online tools are extremely valuable in education. Some of my favorite ones include:
Google Docs: allows students to work together on a document online. It’s an extremely valuable tool and works best if used as a group work tool.
10) Be a teacher to students- not the other way around.
We often think that students are there to serve us and they’ll do everything we tell them to do. We don’t realize that they need our guidance and help as well.
They may not be as knowledgeable about computers as you are, so don’t make them feel stupid for asking questions about things you’re unfamiliar with. If you give your online students too much power, then they might feel obligated to interact with you on a really personal level , which will make it really hard for them to separate your class from real life .
Conclusion of this article:
In conclusion, I just wanted to say that teaching online is one of the greatest things I’ve ever done . It’s a challenge and can be frustrating at times, but it’s also extremely rewarding. There are so many courses out there and the demand for online teachers is increasing every day.
If you’re currently teaching online or thinking about doing it in the future , then you should definitely take all of these tips into consideration.
