For educators new to distance learning, it can be difficult to know what online teaching techniques work best, or even where to begin. Ashleigh: For younger students, number one, find activities that you feel will be interesting for them. Families and students will be capable of handling this complexity at some point, if you build them up to it. You can adjust Padlet’s settings so that all messages have to be approved by you before posting. Instead of typing, students record themselves answering your posted questions. Clear, respectful communication is the key to building relationships and classroom community. Synchronous teaching through phone calls, video lessons, or live chats allows students to ask questions and build relationships with you and each other. For example, if assigning an essay, set a due date for the outline, the rough draft, and the final essay. Even though you won’t be physically seeing your students every day, read on for 5 effective online teaching strategies to hold them accountable. It's the idea of shifting your thought process to Natasha's point about small chunks of content that is an anticipatory set or a thought producer and then giving students the ability to come back and demonstrate and model. allows you to record your presentation on-screen as you speak and click through your slides. Talk to your district about what the expectations are, and make sure that you’re working within them. You can leave messages for your students with discussion prompts, and they can return the message with their response. Nearpodis one way to make online classes more interactive. Tell your students, "Look, we're in a different environment. Set due dates for everything, and send frequent reminders. I’ve been hearing about Seesaw and Facebook’s Messenger Kids lately. The threat of COVID-19 will lead to significant changes in the practices of staff, teachers, and students alike. We discuss these five most common strategies in distance education in more detail throughout this article: Revamp your in-person lessons to the online environment with engaging discussions, screen recordings, and interactive tech tools. shows the importance of teachers and parents developing relationships based on trust, respect, and solid communication. For the Powerpoints you’ve already created, screen recording software likeLoomor Screencastifyallows you to record your presentation on-screen as you speak and click through your slides. Start with contacting your administrators or technology team to make sure that you understand what kind of reporting features are available in your platform. Teaching includes inspiring one’s students. In the short term, understand that you will forget things and make mistakes during this transition, and that's OK—give yourself grace. Create A Supportive Learning Environment. Both styles have their benefits and are necessary in their own ways. Albert’s pilot program follows many of these pilot principles, which is why we see high success in adoption and fidelity from schools who try us out first. offers a number of different, free templates to choose from. Best Practices in Teaching Writing 1 Write in the Middle Best Practices in Teaching Writing Charles Whitaker, Ph.D. But online, these rewards don’t translate. Keep lines of communication open, using different tools like emails, Remind 101, phone calls, and class message boards. Talk to your leaders about what the end goals are, and think about the long term. Set due dates for everything, and send frequent reminders. Keep parents involved consistently with frequent and engaging communications like weekly newsletters and personal phone calls throughout the school year. An unbeatable tool for asynchronous discussions is Flipgrid. This district will instead hire one teacher to virtually run the course through an online Learning Management System, like Canvas or Moodle. My students used to love cleaning the whiteboard, or getting small pieces of candy. While everyone’s teaching style is a bit different, successful educators all follow the same best practices in online teaching. The teaching of writing happens — or should — within a deep field of practice, theory, and research. It gives you information to know how to encourage them. What can you do to make sure that you and your students continue to maintain that social connection that is such a huge part of the classroom? Adding to the challenge, many educators navigating this transition don’t know if online learning will be a short-term situation or the solution for the remainder of the school year. Checking their child’s due dates and what they’ve submitted each day, Checking the posted grades for each class, Reading and responding to teacher emails and calls, Reaching out with any questions or challenges, With so many different tools out there, it can be overwhelming to find the one that’s best for you and your students. How can you differentiate for your students who are working at different levels, especially as that relates to different reading levels? Lucidpressoffers a number of different, free templates to choose from. These videos can be downloaded or shared via weblink. How can teachers overcome the challenges related to communication, collaboration, and creativity, and still maintain the art of teaching while working online? We recommend including pictures and highlighting student achievements to keep parents engaged all school year. Ashleigh: Don’t be afraid of having individual meetings with kids as well. I think you can get creative with the low-tech piece, and then bring it back to the idea of giving yourself grace. But no matter what tool you use, it’s about building that culture of community and really allowing multiple ways for kids to share their ideas. We have to think about our environment and what our expectations are. Support social skills practice. Natasha: I recommend chunking concepts into small recordings or mini lessons. For example, if it’s a discussion board, have students’ first posts be about their family pet or what they did for fun that weekend. So don't think that by opening up the opportunity to have individual time that you're going to be doing that all day, every day. But, that’s okay! If you're an educator interested in trying Albert, click the button below to learn about our pilot program. Padletis a great tool for creating a collaborative class message board. The good news is that online teaching and learning are not new approaches. In your first synchronous lesson, spend time discussing with your students what you as a class want your “Online Classroom Norms” to be. Natasha: If there's any opportunity where you can take a screenshot of something that's going to help the students with a big project or certain foundational skills, that can be really helpful. David: I immediately think about what happens when I'm facilitating an in-person training with a group of educators. Even though you’re not seeing your coworkers in the hallway every day, they’re still one of the most valuable resources you can find. . Do you check Facebook? You’ll probably find even the quieter students feel more bold typing in the chat- which is great when it’s positive conversations, but not-so-great when it gets off topic or inappropriate. The 3 Keys to Teaching Online Classes Effectively. Here are some of the most common. Reach out to your kids that you know would benefit from having just you talking to them for a couple minutes to get them going, and you're going to save them and yourself a lot of frustration. Usually, these are very short and simple. Accessibility to students via electronic communication as well as face-to-face. Some ideas include: Many students struggle with time management. Teacher burnout is real. Many students struggle with time management. Build in purposeful community-building activities like Show and Tell and time for free chat to foster strong student relationships. That’s where the creativity comes in. Tips for teaching English online using Albert include varying our leveled readings in STEM and across topics to generate interest among different students. Share the hours you’re available with your families, and stick to them. It’s even tougher when you have students and families reaching out to you at all hours of the evening. Even traditional schools are utilizing fully virtual courses for their in-person populations. I put an example in a PowerPoint presentation, and I use options in that program to write on the screen as I’m presenting the concept. Then, follow up afterwards with a phone call home to discuss the situation. ... but mistaken ideas about online learning persist. Strategies for Teaching Online: How to Adapt Your Lesson Plans to Different Types of Learners, Strategies for Teaching Online: How to Set Clear Expectations with Students, Strategies for Teaching Online: How to Build Rapport and Community with Students, Strategies for Teaching Online: How to Connect with Parents, Strategies for Teaching Online: How to Find the Right EdTech Tools and Curricula Supports, Common Mistakes Teachers Make When First Teaching Online, Wrapping Things Up: Things to Remember When Teaching Online. However, it does meet a variety of both students’ and school districts’ needs that traditional, brick and mortar classrooms can’t. The graphic presented here lists seven best practices for teaching online. 2. the ability for … How can teachers keep students engaged when they’re working online? Get Ready for Canvas to be Your Best … For written discussions, Google Classroom is a great tool. Competitive student athletes with rigorous training schedules, students with mental or physical ailments, and families who just want the flexibility in their day, to name a few. We know that parent involvement strongly impacts student performance in school. Families want to hear from you often and regularly. Best Practices for Teachers Making the Switch to Virtual Instruction: Q&A with Online Education Experts Wednesday, March 25, 2020 Educators around the United States and the world are facing a huge level of uncertainty as local governments respond to the fast-evolving COVID-19 pandemic. 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