Online teaching is gaining momentum, and it will probably continue. Technology-challenged teachers may have to raise their game to keep up. As a remote teacher, you need creative ideas to keep your students engaged and a different mindset than you would have in a traditional classroom.
So, would you like to know how to make your online lessons engaging for your students? If so, then you’re in the right place. Find out how to make your online classes unforgettable by reading this post. Let’s get started.
Break Lessons Into Manageable Understandable Chunks
The timing of online lessons will differ from what it would be if you taught the same thing in a classroom. The general rule of thumb is to keep the pace fast and break the information into small, digestible chunks. Keep your explanations and slides short, simple, and to the point rather than using a lot of texts and lengthy explanations.
It is essential to provide students with additional explanations wherever possible to navigate the lesson independently. Incorporate videos, music, pairing-up activities, or games into your classes to make them more engaging.
Take Advantage of Technology
You may face challenges teaching online, but you can also access many excellent tools. You can use the technology you have to keep your students engaged and to add variety to your lessons through whiteboards, pointers, virtual games, text editors, drawing tools, file editors, breakout rooms, or screen-sharing tools.
The first step is to become familiar with these virtual tools and then explain them to your students, so they feel comfortable using them. You can then use them to make your lessons more engaging. To motivate students, you could offer fun rewards. Besides these, you could consider online tools like Studocu. It’ll give you depth in your lessons and access to lecture notes, which can be helpful to your students.
Adapt Planned Tasks to Online Learning
A typical class schedule includes quiet reflection time for students to work alone, read texts, and work in groups. Unfortunately, this kind of activity doesn’t work well online. Reading long texts on a screen is complex, and long silences allow students’ attention to drift. As a result, it’s best to avoid this in an online setting, where it would be hard to notice and correct the student.
You need to speak every three minutes. Plan activities that keep your students active throughout the lesson by having them click, type, or talk. Asking lots of questions, playing games, and physically making learners type dialogue boxes can help.
Give Your Students a Sense of Value
Studying in an online classroom can be very isolating, making students feel demotivated. Missing a class may seem unimportant, or they may feel too tired to attend or think there will be no one to notice.
Creating a classroom environment in which students feel valued is the best way to remedy this problem.
The following suggestions may help:
- Keep the student’s name in mind during the lesson and make sure they remember yours as well
- Keep students informed about what you’re doing so they know you’re paying attention to what they’re learning
- Consider your student’s interests when planning lessons and incorporate them whenever possible
- Regularly provide feedback to your students
- Positivity, encouragement, and presence are key
Set Clear Objectives For Your Lesson
Setting goals and keeping track of progress can help online learners stay focused on their learning. Adding a clear outline and an objective to your online lessons is a simple way to introduce short-term goals.
When students finish tasks or do their best during a lesson, think about how to reward them. You can give positive feedback, award badges, points, and certificates, celebrate online, or play games.
Image is Important
Keeping your classroom presentation organized and confident when you are remote teaching will inspire the same respect from your students as if you were teaching in person. Use a webcam if your students can see you and ensure your location also looks presentable.
There are now a lot of online platforms that allow users to use virtual backgrounds, which is excellent! You can still keep your location presentable and tidy even if you don’t have access to such a feature. Engaging them in your lesson will motivate them if you show interest and excitement about what they are saying.
Conclusion
Online learning has snowballed these days. Therefore, teachers must deliver creativity and fun techniques to administer their lessons to remain relevant. It will ensure that students learn and retain information as they would in a traditional classroom. With The TEFL Academy’s online TEFL courses, the general rule of thumb is to keep the pace fast and break the information into small, digestible chunks. Keep your explanations and slides short, simple, and to the point rather than using a lot of text and lengthy explanations.