Effective Remote Teaching Best Practices for a Productive Online Classroom

Based on UNICEF reports, the closure of schools across continents to combat COVID-19 spread affected approximately 91% of the world's enrolled students. As a result, stakeholders in the education sector and governments have been exploring ways to implement remote learning methods. By doing so, it is possible for children confined to their homes to continue their education.

Despite this situation highlighting the gaps in the educational system, schools and governments are devising innovative solutions to address these disparities. With the advancement of technology, remote learning, and home-based teaching are now possible. Online lessons and engagement with students have proven successful for many teachers. As a teacher, this article will help you to enhance your remote teaching efforts by providing you with the best practices.

Best Practices for Teaching from Home

The following seven best practices will help make daily online lessons more productive and engaging:

Make it Simple

If you want your students to stay focused during remote learning, you should avoid using too many graphics or links. Using them to demonstrate a key concept or break up the text would be best. It is also helpful to include videos and recorded narration for complex ideas.

You should also organize the lesson content into smaller chunks to avoid distractions. Give your students key concepts each week rather than large projects or research assignments. Research has shown that this is less effective for remote teaching. Rather than completing a lot of work but not understanding key concepts, ensuring students understand the information at each stage is crucial.

Establish Expectations

Your students need to know what to expect from you during remote learning and what they should expect from you. It outlines how much communication they should expect from you, what digital tools and programs you will use, and your expectations for how they should behave during lessons, including finding a suitable location and muting their microphone when necessary. If your lesson plans, resources, and outcomes change due to remote learning, you may need to update your syllabus. Understanding how each lesson relates to the overall picture is essential for students.

Make Yourself Available

The key to successful remote education is being available to your students. Problems may arise that make learning challenging. For instance, they may get caught up with the digital transformation impact that introduces new technology every now and then. Consequently, they may not understand how to use new software or platform or have challenges accessing new study resources.

Be sure to provide your school's contact details, so parents and students can reach you when needed. Nonetheless, it's essential to establish clear boundaries between work and personal life by indicating your availability at certain times. Furthermore, you may consider using a communications platform or social media group to keep in touch with your students outside the classroom. A designated space for questions and feedback will encourage interaction and community building.

Keep in Touch Regularly

Students need regular communication to stay motivated and confident when learning remotely. Besides discussion boards and forums, you can also send announcements and emails to your students. You may consider sending automated email check-ins to students to ask about their progress.

Communicating both in groups and individually is essential. In addition to sharing some information with the entire class, addressing unique concerns and questions is critical. Remember not to give out personal contact details, such as your email address.

Get Feedback From Your Students

Request honest feedback from your students every couple of weeks. Asking for feedback is an excellent way to improve remote teaching efforts. Doing so can give you valuable insights into how your students experience your classes. Additionally, it allows you to identify improvement areas and improve your teaching style accordingly.

You can use online tools like Google Forms or discussion boards to get feedback. Be sure to ask open-ended questions that encourage honest and detailed responses. And remember to take their input seriously and adjust where necessary.

Flexibility is Critical

Being empathetic and considerate of your student's struggles and challenges is crucial as a teacher. Whether it's personal or academic, some students might find it challenging to keep up with remote learning. Therefore, it's essential to be flexible with your students and adapt to their situations to help them learn better. For instance, you could offer alternative ways to complete an assignment or extend a deadline when necessary. At the same time, it's crucial not to lower expectations or standards, as this can harm their education. Strive to find a balance between flexibility and academic rigor.

Conclusion

Globally, educators and students are now using remote learning as a means of teaching and learning. Technology allows teachers and students to communicate virtually, allowing continued education regardless of distance.

However, educators also face unique challenges when it comes to remote teaching. Hopefully, the teaching practices shared above will help you enhance your remote teaching efforts and provide your students with a positive online learning experience.