How to Master the Art of Online Teaching in 2021?

The shift from traditional teaching to online teaching took no time after the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic. Online education was rising in the education sector for the past few years however the pandemic brought this form of education to the limelight quite early. Students started to gain education through online learning platforms and teachers started to teach them on those platforms. While the sudden shift to online teaching can be overwhelming, teachers are trying their best to cope up with this new form of teaching.

With no background experience in online teaching and no technical proficiency, it becomes a daunting task to teach online. However, if you are a teacher who wishes to excel in your online teaching and master this approach then look no further. Through this article, we will help you master the art of online teaching and become a pro in it.

How to Master Online Teaching?

Planning is Important

Before you start with your online teaching, it is necessary that you plan things out. Set a teaching schedule and allot the timings that you wish to dedicate to your teaching on a daily basis. Collect all the teaching materials and syllabus before the class so that you don’t have to waste time searching for these things. If you are teaching on an online teaching platform then create your courses and study materials before the online class. You must know that a traditional teaching environment is completely different as compared to an online environment. So, it is advisable to plan your class before starting to teach online.

Practice Teaching Beforehand

Most of the teachers might be unsure as to how things work online or how to teach students in a real-time environment. To clear any confusion, you must practice teaching beforehand. Note down the chapters/topics that you wish to teach your students before and then practice them. There are many online teaching platforms with the help of which you can practice your teaching.

Check and get well acquainted with Technology

To ensure that your online class is conducted smoothly, you need to check all the technical requirements before tuning into your actual class. Check your background, lighting, audio, video, etc and along with that get well acquainted with your online teaching platforms. Getting to know your platform should be your priority as that will help you to conduct your online classes without any hassle.

Choose a good Online teaching platform

When it comes to online teaching, you must know that choosing the correct online teaching platform is very necessary. The platform will accompany you throughout your teaching by not only allowing you to teach but also letting you connect with your potential learners. So, it is important that you choose your platform with utmost care.

How to choose a good Online Teaching platform?

Compare various platforms and weigh their pros and cons before selecting the right platform for you. Ideally, a platform should possess the following things

1.  Connect and collaborate with your learners.
2. Possess tools to create various study materials.
3.  Options to conduct live classes & interact with your learners.
4.  Various tools & techniques to engage your learners.
5. Should be budget-friendly.
6. Provide complete data security. 
7. Should allow you to make good money.

Communicate with your Learners Frequently

Communication is the key when it comes to online teaching and learning. Teachers must set clear learning expectations from their learners and walk them through their curriculum at the start of their online class. Communicate with them frequently as each learner is different and their learning style might be different. Lastly, do not bombard them with assignments or with surprise tests as that might led them to disengage and get sidetracked with their learning.

Motivate your Learners

Let’s face it, an online environment can be quite overwhelming for learners too. Some of them may be shy or some of them may simply get distracted while learning online. So to keep your learners on their toes, it is necessary to motivate them. You can teach them with the help of games, quizzes, flashcards, etc and provide them interactive study materials. There is social learning network that have proved helpful for engaging students in their learning. These networks make use of various techniques to help students stay focused and engaged in their online classes. Hence, teachers can make use of these networks too.

Ask for Feedback from your learners

Providing feedback to your learners and getting feedback from them should be a two-way thing. You must ask learners to provide you feedback for your teaching as that will help you to know your teaching progress and work on your weaknesses.

To conclude, online teaching has become the need of the hour in 2021. With all the major educational institutions shifting to online education overnight, it becomes necessary to ace the online teaching approach. Teachers must take the above-mentioned tips into consideration and implement the same daily to master online teaching. Last but not least choose a good online teaching platform that will help you make the most of your teaching.

All the best!