What are best practices for teachers who are teaching a class remotely over Zoom?
Some of us took to virtual teaching like ducks to water. Others experienced a learning curve. Whatever your level of comfort with remote instruction, we share some practices we have found to work if you use Zoom or a similar platform to teach:
Establish a routine: Set a regular schedule for virtual meetings and provide clear expectations and guidelines for attendance, behavior, and participation in the online classroom. Once students adapt to this learning mode, they should experience only minimal disruption.
Create a positive learning environment: Design a virtual classroom that is welcoming and engaging using features like virtual backgrounds, polls, and chat features to promote participation and interaction. Reading up on what useful tools Zoom supplies you with is more than worth the effort.
Set clear learning objectives: Clearly communicate learning objectives and ensure each virtual session is structured around specific learning outcomes. In an online environment, it’s easy for a discussion to get derailed unless the teacher keeps a firm hand on the tiller.
Use a variety of instructional methods: Applying several instructional strategies, including lectures, discussions, group projects, and individual activities, promotes engagement and active participation. Students learn differently; innovative teachers cover all these bases to keep everyone progressing at the best rate.
Engage with students: Make sure students feel involved. You may ask open-ended questions, call on individual students by name, and create opportunities for students to collaborate with each other during or after class.
Use screen sharing: Every teacher knows that showing is often more effective than telling. With screen sharing, you can provide visual aids and examples of concepts being taught. These can easily be incorporated into lectures and discussions to help students follow along and gain a deeper understanding of the material.
Encourage participation: Ensure students stay engaged by providing opportunities to ask questions, share their ideas, and provide feedback. These may be conversations with you as their teacher or during group collaboration.
Use breakout rooms: Outside the main virtual lecture space, you can split students into smaller groups for discussions, group activities, peer teaching, or individual work.
Provide clear instructions: Provide clear instructions and guidelines for activities, assignments, and assessments, and communicate these expectations to students distinctly and frequently.
Be flexible and adaptable: Be prepared to adjust instruction based on student needs, encourage feedback, and be responsive to changes in the learning environment.
By following these best practices, teachers can create a positive and engaging learning experience for their students. Working in a remote learning environment has some challenges, but these should not blind us to the many associated opportunities.
