Online Learning

This week I had the chance to catch up with some of my high school classmates. Most of whom are in their residency year or even first year teachers. It was very interesting to her what they are having to go through when it comes to teaching students online. It is another example as to why teachers have to be ready to adapt to any situation at any time. With what is going on in our world today, I wanted to look into what makes a good teacher be a good teacher online as well.

I found a site with many tips, but I found a few of them to be more important than others. The most important one I found was to be present. Teachers need to let their students know that they are there for them, even if it is not in person. Checking in with them often is important to making sure they are staying on track. With this being said, it is important to make sure you are asking your students for feedback. Since you are not able to see them understand or not understand the content in the classroom, it should be a priority to ask for their feedback. Ask them if items are making sense, or if there is anything that you can do better. It is vital to make sure they still feel that you are there for them. Another important part of making online learning successful is to make sure you are setting expectations for the students. Make sure they know what they are supposed to be doing, and that they are doing these tasks to the expectations you set. It is also important to make sure that there are not too many expectations. Especially in a time like this, it is important that teachers are understanding of personal lives. It is also beneficial to do more discussion posts and group work. With the technology we have access to, it is vital that students are staying connected to one another and still continuing to learn from one another. Teachers still need to remember the relationship aspects of teaching. It is beneficial to check in with students individually to make sure they are okay both personally and with tasks in the classroom.

I then take a few steps back and look at this type of learning from a student’s perspective. It is not easy, nor is it how we wanted to learn, but we need to find a way to continue to learn and grow. With all of our classes going online, and being a future teacher, it makes be acknowledge what professors and teachers are doing for us to still have access to an education. It makes me proud of the profession I am going into, and very excited to be one of the teachers having to adapt in the future. After hearing the thoughts and experiences of my old classmates, and now present teachers, I am certain that I am in the right profession.