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As a teacher, you’re always looking for ways to improve your classroom experience and make learning more engaging for your students. One of the best ways to do this is by incorporating technology and remote learning into your lessons. Virtual learning has many benefits for both students and teachers. But no matter if you’re transitioning due to policy changes or by your own choice, switching from in-person learning to remote (or taking a hybrid approach) can be a challenge for everyone involved.
That’s why we’ve created this guide specifically for remote teachers who want to learn how to transition their traditional classrooms into virtual ones. We’ve compiled our best strategies, online teaching tips, and virtual classroom software recommendations to help make transitioning from an in-person environment to a virtual one easier than ever before! Check out the complete guide to get started.
There’s no right or wrong way to switch to remote learning. But with the online teaching tips below, you can make your transition a bit less stressful for everyone. We suggest:
Read more about these online teaching tips below.
Teaching virtually can be needlessly tricky without the right virtual classroom software. Here are a few ideas to get started on the right foot.
When it comes to organizing your physical space at home, there are a few essentials you’ll need:
Having a separate office space can be very helpful in minimizing distractions and noise interference. But no matter where in your home you choose to work, make sure your workspace is comfortable and well organized.
As a teacher, you’re likely already accustomed to preparing lesson plans well in advance. But with virtual classroom software, the process can be a little different. You may have included the materials and resources you will use in your lesson plan, but don’t forget to think about how you will use them. How long will it take for students to complete each part of their work? What type of feedback do they need from you when they’re done with a task? How long does it take for students to respond to one another’s comments online versus face-to-face? These are all questions that should be answered before starting any new lessons.
Planning ahead also means thinking about how much time is needed—and not just in terms of hours or days on paper, but mentally as well. There are many different pieces involved in preparing virtual classes:
These things can be tedious tasks if you don’t do them ahead of time, but they’re essential to ensure that there aren’t surprises during class time.
Establish a clear set of classroom rules and procedures. You will have to create your own set of guidelines, but keep in mind that the same rules must apply whether you are in the room or not. The following should be addressed:
You can let students contact you through email or phone, depending on the situation. You can also give them the contact information for your school so that they’ll be able to reach out if necessary. If parents have concerns about their child’s performance in class, it’s best to give them your email address and phone number so they can reach out directly as well.
Now that you have a better idea of how to prepare your virtual classroom, you can start thinking about practical teaching techniques that’ll make your class a success. We recommend using strategies like:
Get more details on these online teaching tips below.
Testing your virtual classroom software, equipment, and tools before you begin is essential to ensuring a successful transition. If you don’t, you could waste valuable time figuring out what isn’t working or how to use it.
Here’s the list of things that we suggest testing in your classroom before launching the virtual class:
If you appear nervous or uncomfortable on camera, your students will pick up on it immediately. Your discomfort may cause them to lose focus or have less confidence in the material you’re teaching them. Whenever you’re leading class, try to exude confidence and energy. In general, you should:
One of the best ways to keep students engaged is by checking in frequently with them:
The key to successfully transitioning your classroom to a virtual setting is keeping an open mind, being flexible, and preparing for the unexpected. If you expect everything to go perfectly, then nothing will be perfect.
Having a plan in place is essential so that when things don’t go as planned, you can think on your feet and make adjustments quickly. This will keep both the students and yourself from getting upset or frustrated when something unexpected happens because everyone will know what to do next.
Don’t get mad at students if they need more time than expected; transitioning to a virtual learning environment may be challenging for them. Instead, ask what strategies would work best for them. Help them feel confident about their abilities before moving forward into new material (or simply acknowledge how hard it must be). Please don’t get mad at technology either; sometimes bad connections happen due to network issues outside of our control, but there are steps we can take to avoid losing momentum. This includes ensuring everyone has access before diving into lessons and, if necessary, installing additional software/hardware.
Whether you’re pre-recording videos to support the day’s lesson or prepping review materials for an upcoming exam, a screen recorder and video editor can be powerful tools to have at your disposal. This type of virtual classroom software allows you to record your desktop (or any other area of your computer screen) in real-time. You can play back videos of yourself demonstrating how to complete a task and then upload them directly onto YouTube or Vimeo for students to view at their own pace.
Some of the advantages of using a screen recorder include:
If you’re going to be a successful teacher with a classroom fully immersed in the world of digital learning, you’ll need to find ways of engaging your students. Keeping the focus of a whole classroom full of students can always be a challenge, but it can be even more so in a virtual environment. Several methods can help you achieve this goal; check out these four online teaching tips to keep your students focused and attentive.
Give students plenty of opportunities to take a more active role in class. It can be difficult to pay attention when you’re just sitting and staring at a computer screen for hours. But, by encouraging class-wide discussions, group projects, and chances to participate, you can keep your students active and engaged each day.
Games like icebreakers or virtual trivia can help your students get to know each other and build a sense of community. Games are also a great way to teach concepts through play. For example, if you want your students to learn about different types of poetry, have them play a game where they must use rhyme schemes for their answers. This will help them understand how poetry works and what makes it unique from other forms of writing.
Games can also teach students critical thinking skills. Creating a memorable learning experience may help them absorb the material better. Finally, games are excellent ways for kids to develop essential social skills. Try to look for virtual classroom software that makes it easy to create and play games during lessons.
Screen recording tools are great for creating videos, and they’re easy to use. With a screen recorder and video editor, you can create engaging videos that can break up the monotony of lectures and keep your students attention. This allows you to create videos about anything ranging from science experiments to art projects. Get creative with your screen-recorded videos. For example, if you’re learning about ancient Egypt, you can use a screen recorder and Google Maps to film a virtual field trip to the Great Pyramid of Giza. You will be able to create fantastic videos without being a professional videographer.
The most important thing you can do to keep your students interested is to have fun!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of starting an online class, don’t worry. It will take some time to adjust to this new way of teaching and learning. But, with the online teaching tips above, it can be a rewarding experience for both you and your students. The most important thing is to remember that you don’t need every tool or resource at once! You may start with just a few tools and slowly add more as your needs grow. Remember that plenty of resources are available online for free if you want them—and remember, too, that many great tools come from within your creativity and imagination!
A screen recorder and video editor can be a powerful virtual classroom software. Visit us to learn more about the helpful features FlashBack Screen Recorder has for teachers.
