From experience, most teaching professionals know that teaching English online is much different from teaching in an offline classroom. The online English teaching industry is booming, with many teaching professionals moving to the virtual realm or a hybrid (mix of offline and online classes) teaching mode.
Online classes of teaching need methods and skills different from those required in a physical classroom. There are lots of benefits to teaching English online. It is sustainable, cost-effective, and travel-saving and reduces the need for printed material, thus protecting the environment. It also helps gain flexibility for teaching students on the go, even if you are away from the classroom. You can train to be online teachers with TESOL online courses.
Hence, if you are new to remote classes and are not sure how to excel in this arena, follow these tips for success as an online teaching professional:
Share Concrete Expectations with Students at The Start
Whether your students are small kids with experience in virtual classrooms or older adults attempting something new, online teaching of English is yet a comparatively unique method that needs clear expectations and standards to be effective.
So, it is always good that on the first day of virtual class, you must share a verbal contract and syllabus with your students, which provides your class with the same objectives, rules and structure that can be expected from an in-person traditional classroom.
This can include the following points:
- An attendance policy that prevents students from treating online classes casually and loosely.
- A policy of participation that encourages student participation through various media in the virtual classroom.
- Definition of learning objectives and detailed agenda for each lesson.
- Milestones for each course, including assignments to be achieved by the conclusion of the course.
For setting class milestones and objectives, one must be both flexible as well as specific and clear.
Find The Right Technology
In order to become an excellent online teacher of English, one of the first things to do is to find a reliable online platform or LMS (Learning Management System) for communicating well with students. The best part is that there are many free online tools for the same. Examples are Google Hangouts, Skype, Zoom, etc. In the case of Google Hangouts, it is easy to share files, screen, compose messages and communicate on video. Skype is a free tool for group calls. Zoom has capacities for video conferencing.
Communicate With the Total Class
In online classes, there is a tendency for outgoing students to rule and control discussions while shy and quiet ones fade into the background. For several students, speaking to the screens of computers can feel like an unnatural and foreign experience. But, permitting such students to disappear during online classes is a waste when considering the many opportunities presented by virtual learning to modern-day learners.
Good online teaching practices for English include honest, frequent and open communication. Online students of English have access to every mode of human communication. If they find it tough to engage in video calls, encourage them to make up by participating in the chat, via class discussion boards, e-mail and even interactive games. In the ideal scenario, students must be encouraged to leave their comfort zone and conduct practice of English in all its forms-reading, listening, writing and speaking.
Get Prepared
The virtual classroom is much more challenging than a classroom with a teacher as a leader in a room with a closed door. The reason is that kids will get diverted in attention when the teacher refers to their lesson plan, videos and links. They tend to play games, browse social media and check their online messages till you get back on track with the lesson. Do not encourage such tendencies by being disorganized. Protect the students from falling into the abyss of the Internet. Take the help of training in classroom management in Cert IV TESOL.
Encourage Rapport With Students
When done without care, online learning has the potential to be a highly impersonal experience. But as per its nature, language learning must not be impersonal. It is a mode to learn a new way to communicate with each other and experience a fresh outlook on life.
For building rapport with students:
- Get familiar with typical challenges faced by ESL students so as to overcome such struggles.
- Allocate some time at the start of the lesson to welcome all and invite them to converse.
- Set aside office hours when students can interact with you in person.
- Create a Facebook group where students and teachers can interact to express their concerns.
Give Chance to Students To Speak
A nightmare for an online teacher is an awkward silence. Overcome the urge to stare at students during such breaks. There is much to be processed in a class for language learning, and silent time for thinking is crucial for students to digest the lessons and form thoughtful responses. Ensure that STT (Student Talking Time) is more than TTT (Teacher Talking Time).
This task is more challenging when the group of students tend to be inexpressive. In this case, it is good to provide many opportunities for taking part. For instance, ask frequent questions.
Manage Time With Care
It is quite easy to stuff your schedule with online classes only to feel overloaded and headed towards burnout. The start may seem easy when you find you can avoid travelling to classrooms. But, you must provide yourself with enough time to prepare for every class and also free time to relax between classes.
Tie-Up With Other Teachers
Several online teachers of English feel that they are isolated. So, it is good to join online communities and local meetings. Thus, it is possible to share tips, interact with other teachers and gain a staff-room experience online.
Gain Feedback from Parents/ Students
To stay as an effective teacher in this dynamic and competitive industry of online English teaching, one critical best practice is to solicit feedback. On one hand, feedback can help you know what students find boring or confusing rather than effective and enjoyable. On the other hand, feedback from parents can help you know what their children find exciting and interesting.
In sum, the above tips can help you make complete use of the advantages of online teaching of English. By always being ready with an arsenal of tools for language teaching, you will be able to design an effective and engaging learning experience for online students.
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