Recently, many schools in the UK and the globe have moved to digital learning. Thousands of teachers and lecturers had to adapt to the change and this has been quite challenging. Many teachers share their first digital teaching experiences at reviewsbird.co.uk, and they are not entirely exciting.
However, online classes must be effective and must have the quality of physical classes. If not more. Many reviews online show that the principles applied to the traditional classroom setting are almost the same as virtual schools’. Since there is a convergence to digital platforms for learning, there has been an increase in academic audiences and students’ objectives.
This makes it important for teachers to consider some basic principles. These principles allow effective teaching and also improve students’ concentration and performance:
· Test your Visuals and Appear on Your Videos:
Students will be engaged in class through different devices. Some may use desktop computers, laptops, tablets or mobile phones. As a teacher, you must ascertain that visuals are achieved on these devices. You can even ask your students if they can see you. Appearing in your videos during online classes attracts the attention of students. They become engaged in the class and it provides a better lecturing experience.
· Interact with Students:
An online class isn’t an avenue to dish out contents without allowing students’ contribution. Since it isn’t a teacher-only class, permitting interactions will keep the students engaged. You can keep your classes engaging and interesting by giving short quizzes or taking questions in the middle of the class. You can create an engaging content that keeps them glued to their screen.
· Repeat yourself in Classes and Record the Class for Maximum Flexibility:
As a teacher, the most important thing is ensuring the class goes on as planned. You’ll need to adjust along the way but you need to be consistent. Students will miss a word, or a sentence when you teach. Repeating important points will cultivate their writing and listening culture. However, in cases where the lecture is on a strict end time, recording the class will do a lot of good. While it’s cool to live stream (as it’ll promote interactive sessions), recording the class makes students go over the class again. They tend to correct their notes and enhance their understanding.
· Make Use of Free Resources:
Some students struggle to completely adapt to the online teaching environment. Getting and taking advantage of free resources may enrich them academically. Since there are many providers of educational content online, you can refer them to those sources or share them with your students.
· Break Complicated Sessions into Shorter Modules:
When the class is unnecessarily long, the students can be distracted or become restless. You can create 15 minutes’ videos (especially if it is not a live stream) so that students will have short breaks in between.
There are many digital platforms for virtual schools now. Teachers use Zoom, Hangout, and other video conferencing apps or social sites app. When students and their parents are also provided clear guidelines, it will promote students’ engagement level in class. All these will enhance grades and improve the academic experience.
