Since the spring of 2020, almost 93% of households with school-age kids have used distance learning.
It’s been a big change for students, but an even bigger one for teachers. All across the country, teachers had to learn to adapt to virtual teaching to keep their students safe at home.
While students can always lean on their parents and teachers, who does a struggling teacher ask for help?
Luckily, we’ve gathered some tips for making online learning more productive. Read on to get some teaching tips that will help both you and your students.
Table of Contents
Set Up a Home Office and Perfect Your Video Setup
The ideal office space is a room with a door but if that’s not possible, set up your workspace in a quiet part of your home. It will help you focus and prevent interruptions.
You’ll also need to think about how you’ll appear on camera. Consider the lighting, your surroundings, and your camera placement. The better your students can see you, the easier it will be to engage with them.
If you’re using a laptop, set it on a stand at eye level so you’re not looking down at your webcam. For lighting, angle a desk lamp towards your face or sit facing a window. You can even invest in a selfie ring light for great lighting.
Record Your Lessons for Students Who Can’t Attend
While you’ll probably have some form of a live video check-in each day, you can record some of your lessons. Some students might need to share a computer with their siblings, so they can only do online learning at certain times throughout the day.
That’s why it’s helpful to make your most important lessons available to watch any time. Plus, if they’re struggling, they can rewatch the lesson for help. You can also rewatch the lesson to see what you can improve on.
Post the video on the online interface for your class or on YouTube. The easier it is to find, the more likely they’ll be to engage with it.
Plan Lessons Around Shorter Attention Spans
For most students, staring at a computer screen won’t be as engaging as an in-person lesson. If you’re an elementary education K-6 educator, your students’ attention spans will be even shorter.
When you’re teaching math virtually, think about how you could shorten the experience. Is there a way to make the lesson more compact without losing any important information?
You could supplement that shorter lesson with a related hands-on activity. If you just did a 20-minute lesson on subtraction, give them a sample problem to solve. Ask them to give the answer in the form of jumping jacks.
It will help them remember the lesson and they’ll love the chance to jump around.
Improve Your Virtual Teaching Skills Today
Virtual teaching has been around for years, but it’s become an everyday necessity since the pandemic hit. That said, there’s still a learning curve even for the most tech-savvy teacher.
If you’re still struggling to adjust to the new format, give yourself a break. Be as patient with yourself as you are with your students and you’ll be a pro in no time.
To get more tips on education and technology, keep scrolling our blog.
