Online tutoring has become the new norm, now more than ever. The pandemic has caused many to shift towards the virtual mode education and though students (being the typical millennials), are able to adapt to the drastic changes, teachers find it comparatively challenging to switch from a whiteboard to computer screen.
So, here are 6 best strategies for teachers to improve their online teaching effectively!
#1: LIVE STREAMING
Tutors should record their lessons instead of live streaming it. Students who are sick or may have not understood the lesson will not be able to catch up to others if they are unable to re-watch the lessons. Many people think that online teaching is worse than face to face teaching and regardless of whether that is true or not, it is important to capitalise on the benefits that it provides.
Source: Neamb
Recording face to face lessons might be a hassle while it is relatively simple for online lessons. Allowing students to re-watch the lessons in their own free time will thus make it easier for both the students and the teachers since students can clarify their doubts by just re-watching the lessons which also reduces the number of consultations that the teacher has to give.
#2: THE INTERACTION
Teachers should include a webcam in their online lessons. Simply displaying slides and talking over it is barely different from students reading textbooks by themselves, sometimes even more confusing.
Being able to see their teacher’s face during the lesson will allow students to be more immersed in the lesson, pay more attention and be more disciplined. It may also subconsciously affect how effective the lesson is and there have been studies trying to prove this effect. Simply put, just the addition of a webcam can go a long way.
#3: QUIZZES
Teachers should include interactive exercises in the middle of their lessons. This can include things like mini online quizzes, mentimeter and Kahoot quizzes.
Source: Jotform
Not only will this make the lesson much less monotonous and give something for students to look forward to, it will also allow them to have a competitive spirit which will inevitably gather much more attention than a normal lesson without these additional exercises.
#4: FEEDBACK
Online teachers should ask feedback from students after lessons to improve for future lessons. Usually, no matter how creative teachers may be, it may be impossible to think of a good idea that can help to make lessons more interesting.
Source: Hrdailyadvisor
Students, however, may have much better and more creative ideas that can help improve both the teaching and learning experience. It is important to have these feedback sessions or feedback forms be organised as frequently as possible since improving the quality of the lessons earlier will be very beneficial.
#5: BEING PREPARED
Teachers must be very well prepared before every lesson. Spending unnecessary time during lessons trying to find files, links and browser tabs will cause stress and anxiety for both teachers and students and also waste precious lesson time. Teachers can prepare by either knowing exactly where all their teaching materials are or by practicing the flow of the lesson right before it so that they prevent any major mistakes from happening during the lesson itself.
#6: TECHNOLOGY
Teachers must try to make sure that the equipment that they have for online teaching is up to standard. Nothing will be more annoying than a webcam microphone that hurts everyone’s ears. Teachers should try getting a computer with a stable internet connection and get a relatively high-quality microphone. This will make the learning experience much less painful and troublesome for the students.
BOTTOM LINE
Online teaching may seem to be a new phenomenon for many teachers these days but education and teaching style is moving in a new direction and is evolving in many dimensions. It is hence essential for private tutors to follow the best strategies possible to provide the best tuition sessions for students!