Online teaching has become the only primary option for all the educational institutes due to the nationwide lockdown imposed. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all the educational institutes to be shut until further notice. In these difficult times, online education has been adopted globally to ensure the smooth functioning of the education sector. 

The lockdown imposed along with a sudden change in the education system had initially left teachers and students to a state of confusion. There are many challenges that are faced by both teachers and students while conducting and attending an online class. Especially for teachers who do not have technical knowledge are going through more problems. In this article, we will discuss some common mistakes made by teachers while teaching online and how to avoid them. 

Lack of initial Planning and Organizing

Planning and Organizing is a very crucial step when conducting an online class. Many teachers do not plan and organize their classes, mediums of teaching, or the study materials to be used. Instead, they should primarily set an objective and determine what they want to establish from that. Test and run the online platform before using it to teach. Plan and organize what to teach prior to the class. Work on the course creation from the beginning so there is no hassle while teaching to the students.

Choosing the wrong Online teaching Platform

A teaching platform is a second biggest aspect to consider as the whole teaching depends on it. There are still many teachers who are unaware of the technology. Lack of technical knowledge can be a bigger problem as teachers can choose the wrong online teaching platform.

Before choosing a good platform, teachers should consider the following things:-

1. The platform should be budget-friendly or free. 
2. The platform should offer security.
3. The platform should provide a technical team if required. 
4. The platform should be extremely easy to use. 
5. The platform should provide various tools to create and share study materials. 

Not conducting Live Classes

Live classes are an effective way to connect with students face to face. Although, most of the teachers do not conduct live classes. They just keep on talking and explaining things without actually coming online. This is a wrong approach as students miss their teachers just like their traditional classroom approach. The sudden change in the teaching could be a disaster for many students as not all of them can adapt quickly with the changes. To avoid this, teachers should conduct live classes and make the class more engaging. Discussing and interacting about the topics live is a good way to engage them and to let them know that teachers are always reachable

No Change in Teaching Method

This is one of the biggest mistakes made by teachers. They often misunderstand online teaching to be exactly similar to traditional teaching. In reality, it is the exact opposite as an online environment is a lot different than that of a traditional teaching environment. Teachers should understand that they should change their teaching methods like conduct live classes, create innovative study materials, create tests and quizzes, etc.

Interpreting the wrong things about Students

Teachers often expect students for 100% attendance and assume that they are going to complete their homework on time. Also, they assume that all students have the access to the internet and computer/laptop to join the online class. While this doesn’t hold true in every case. Students might take some time to adjust to virtual learning. Also, not all of them might have a computer and internet. It is best to understand them and then find proper solutions to their problems.

Not asking for Feedback

Feedbacks are very important while teaching online. Many teachers make the mistake of not taking feedbacks frequently. As the online environment is very different teachers should ask the students for proper feedback after every class. This was they can ensure that they are teaching the right way and can continue to contribute more value to the students.

The major problem here is most of the teachers do not know how to use online teaching platform for online teaching. The only solution for this is either to provide training to them or teachers should dedicate some time daily on their own to learn about the platform.

Apart from this, the above mentioned are the mistakes teachers make but there is also a solution for that. Try to implement these solutions for conducting a great online class.