- Repeat important instructions
Students might be more distracted at home than at school, which could cause them to lose material. Be sure to keep this in mind; you might also wish to write up the directions for some exercises.
- Thorough planning
In a classroom setting, you have access to all of your resources at your disposal, making it far simpler to create an effective lesson with little advance planning. Online, however, your every step is being watched, so it is very clear if you are not well prepared. It is not a good idea to fumble around online “live” in front of students. Keep in mind that parents can be watching and making judgments as well.
- Utilize technology as little as feasible
Online students already have a lot to manage without you adding three extra website tabs to the mix that also demand account creation.
- Educate pupils
You could be aware that over the next two weeks, you’ll visit three separate websites. Therefore, before the actual teaching begins, why not spend a class having pupils logged in and comfortable with these websites. In the long run, it might ease matters.
- Arrange study areas
Students should have a designated location where they may study online, just as you should have your own classroom space from which you can stream your lessons. In particular, they should be kept away from parents who might barge in and start poking their noses in unnecessarily, as well as from tranquil areas where they are unlikely to be bothered.
- Share the goals for the lesson
As this makes it evident to pupils precisely what you are learning to do, I advise sharing these with them. This can help with motivation when things are not quite going as intended.
- Share and evaluate
Permit students to share their work with their peers for added encouragement and inspiration, as well as with you, of course, so you can make sure they are on track and provide them comments.
Our school employs the well-liked Tapestry Journal as a tool to monitor pupils’ progress. As proof of what they are learning, parents or kids can simply share images or videos of their assignments. Just be careful not to demand too much effort when it comes to uploading, especially if a parent is doing it for a younger student. It can get a bit much and, dare I say, frustrating for a parent who may already be quite busy to have to keep continually posting material.
- Control of the microphone
Nobody wants to hear a pupil breathing during a lesson or fumbling with a bag of chips. Therefore, advise students to turn off or muffle their microphones and, if necessary, ask questions in the chat box. groups of younger kids, who have significantly less selfcontrol than older students, who can remain still without making faces at the camera and singing random tunes, have a major problem with this.
- Activate students
Online learning makes it simple for pupils to hide and lose interest, therefore it pays to be a little more outgoing when you are instructing. Increase the volume of your voice and your overall persona. Additionally, to keep students interested, use some of the internet resources suggested earlier in this essay.
- Be upbeat, joyful, and smiling.
Even though you may be feeling gloomy, you should nonetheless smile. Online ESL learners typically can’t wait to log in and meet their tutor. It’s exciting for them since it might be the only English they use all week. Be hospitable and give them a warm grin!
You are the product, therefore whatever you do, don’t cover your face! Parents in particular will want to watch it on television.
- Give specific examples
You must present examples of the work you anticipate pupils producing in the classroom, just as you would in the real world. These can be your own examples or ones you take from various groups, but without them, students may not understand what you are asking of them, which will make everyone’s lives more challenging.
- Establish a hotline
What will pupils do if they are truly stuck? If there is a technical problem, who and how should they contact? What should they do if they don’t understand your lesson? Can they receive private assistance as opposed to having to ask in front of the class?
Online learning can quickly disintegrate if you don’t plan how you’re going to handle each of these circumstances and make sure students know what to do in each one as well.
- Being a professional
Being on time, dressing appropriately, using language that is appropriate, keeping track of student attendance, evaluating students’ progress on a regular basis, marking work on a regular basis, providing reports for parents when necessary, and supporting your students as best you can should go without saying. Even though you are teaching online, you still have a significant influence that must be respected.
- Avoid overloading
It is tempting to prepare courses in excess and assign pupils excessive amounts of homework. Avoid this at all costs since not only might it lead to pupils becoming confused about what to do and in what order, but it could also result in lower-quality work as they rush to the next assignment.
- Parental guidance
If you are aware that parents will be present to assist smaller students, make sure you can provide them with clear instructions so they will know how to assist. However, keep in mind that not every kid will have parental support, so you cannot rely on it; instead, your instructions and activities must be sufficient in and of themselves to lead the students through the learning process.
- Get comments
Find out what your students are interested in and/or having trouble with, then try to address those problems and incorporate more of the same teaching strategies that they are already enjoying.
