Best Online Teaching Practices You Should Know

Introduction

According to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have been shut down since March 2020. The school stakeholders are showing their concerns regarding this academic year, i.e., 2020 – 21. Observing the severity of the pandemics and considering the timeline, schools decided to close physically and opt for online teaching mode. Though, never before in the past, such a mode of learning online is witnessed either by teachers or by students. 

This has to be admitted that schools, along with children and parents, are making matchless efforts. In imbibing online learning, it takes more effort in terms of managing students, holding children’s attention for so long. But our teachers are managing the mode of online learning in an appreciating manner. 

If your kid has never taken any course over the internet till date, you may be wondering how to succeed in an online class. Wonder no more! Here are a few virtual teaching tips that can help your child prepare for the unique learning environment of online classes.

Some of the Online Teaching Practices You Need to Know

Ensure Participation In Online Learning

The very first essential thing in online teaching is to ensure student’s participation regularly. Like in offline or regular mode of teaching, schools insist on attendance likewise here in this mode as well teachers need to ensure children’s participation first. Other than this, convenience in terms of logistics and timing can be taken under consideration. Teachers can also organize some interesting activities to engage students on a regular basis while virtual teaching.

Auditory to Visual Mode of the Teaching-Learning Process

Schools, considering the pandemic situation, have shifted the teaching-learning process mode drastically to more visual than that of auditory mode. Now in accordance with the shift, a teacher needs to facilitate her teaching and lesson plan. The teaching plan or online workshop now essentially needs to be more visual, keeping all the pedagogical aspects in mind.

Short And Simple Presentation During Online Teaching

The content which is to be facilitated or presented to students should be short and crisp. The slides which are covered almost by the content may not seek children’s attention. This would be fair enough and would seek children’s attention if the slide covers only the bullet points. Bullet points further need to be elaborated by the teacher.

Context setting

Before commencing any topic/content, it is always meaningful strategically to seek children’s attention and build their interest pertaining to the respective content. Context setting also contributes to engaging children with the content and the teaching-learning process. Context setting could be among the stellar virtual teaching strategies and can be done quickly either through a short story or through questioning that ignites curiosity in children. Examples from the real world can also be stated in setting the relevant context.

Talk to children

While doing online teaching, children are present to you virtually, not physically. So it becomes a little harder to make a deep connection with them. It becomes quite vital to have casual talks or talk regarding what is all happening around them, how are they feeling, is there something they want to share.

Likewise, some words can be exchanged in a general manner with students. But this general or casual talk would have an extreme impact on children’s consciousness. This simple talk with them would connect more, make them more attentive, and feel comfortable. Also, having a chat could be one of those activities to engage students in the process of teaching and learning with more enthusiasm.

Activity-Based Online Teaching

The recent studies in the field of education state some paradigm shifts like from teacher-centric to child-centric paradigm. Likewise, studies based on education also draw the conclusion that activity-based virtual teaching, in contrast to lecture-based teaching, is more impacting and fruitful. In the online learning process, educators must incorporate an applicable set of activities. There are various activities that can be incorporated in the facilitation to make the teaching-learning process more praiseworthy. Some activities can be forming groups, role play, citing real life examples, read aloud, designing activities

Nature of Assignment & Assessment In Online Teaching

An assignment where a child makes efforts after a concept is facilitated is crucial for the child as well as for the teacher. This is an assessment of both. So the nature of the assignment should be conceptual rather than factual. The assignment should be of child context, which means she should be of her world where she could relate the concept with herself and assess the practical implications of that very concept. This practice would lead to greater conceptual understanding.

Discussion/Feedback With Children During Online Teaching

In designing a classroom, specifically in online mode, it becomes equally important to incorporate children’s concerns and suggestions. Asking for and incorporating feedback is a sign of a healthy and democratic process. In designing classrooms, if there is a space for children’s concerns and feedback, then it could be a model classroom. This would undoubtedly enhance children’s participation and engagement in attending online classes.

Conclusion

The above line is to make children’s interest, curiosity, participation, and inclination consistent, a teacher needs to go beyond the textbooks. Saying ‘beyond the textbooks’ simply meant that in the span of a presentation, something should be there other than curriculum material. This could be about life skills, could be about how to handle our emotions? It could be about the ongoing trend running in the country, could be a general questioning and sharing so on and so forth. This would contribute to building a good rapport with children, contributing to understanding the children to the next level, and contributing to shaping pedagogical strategies.

Happy Teaching!