Of late, especially during the times of Covid-19, online teaching has become the most important and only mode of education as far as students of all ages are concerned.
Though a shift from the traditional classroom setting to online teaching can pose some initial challenges regarding adjustment, with a little research and practice, handling a large group of students online and teaching them won’t be such a bigger issue.
The following are few tricks to make your online teaching process more engaging (most teachers from national online teacher training would follow the same):
Do planning for your classes:
In any online format of teaching, planning plays a key role. The thinking and the needs of online students and the physical ones aren’t the same. Ensure you have the prospectus and materials ready before class begins. This will offer students a chance to check whether your classroom (the cutoff times, materials, and different prerequisites) are suitable for them.
Be ready with sound technology:
One of the most critical needs for online teaching is to have the appropriate hardware and software. You must have a dependable PC, strong internet connectivity, and the ideal platform for teaching. You can find numerous options. Research thoroughly and find out what suits you the best. This way, you can genuinely impart the best education online up to your full potential.
Ensure you have an excellent working environment:
First and foremost, setting up a workspace is vital. Ensure the place you have opted for is only used for teaching. This space must be amicable and welcoming, yet it should also empower productivity as far as online teaching is concerned. Ensure your workplace is free from distractions like the TV, other relatives, or family errands. Normal lighting and an ergonomic seat can also be an excellent addition to your workspace and environment.
Encourage discussions (and improve):
In the online classroom, student involvement is quite crucial. Involving students (planned discussions in-depth, for instance) brings more motivation amongst students, and they’re more energetic. Thus, a student can deliver more in the class, something more than a good score.
Routine communication:
Ensure your students know the best times to get in touch with you. This is important in an online setting. Not having a teacher physically before them can make some students anxious. Try and address this issue by responding to questions in an ideal way and giving a lot of guidance and feedback.
Student’s motivation:
Everybody adapts differently – and motivation has a major influence on the process of learning. A few students don’t need to be motivated to learn something new, while some students would. As online teacher training courses suggest…consider approaches to inspire/encourage all your students to make online teaching successful. This way, you’ll see that the students are benefitting the most even without a physical presence.
Conclusion:
By and large, online teaching is the way to go in modern times, and hence numerous aspiring teachers are taking up online teaching courses today. Online teaching ensures you reach out to the students in a way that would never have been possible in a physical classroom. However, this form of teaching isn’t something that you should jump into straightaway and succeed, and on the other hand, it isn’t that difficult either. Therefore, before you opt for this teaching method, research properly, plan your strategy to teach. Online teaching is a new phenomenon, so there isn’t a fixed or a definite approach made for it. A little research and preparation can fetch you great results as a teacher.