If you’re a teacher or have children in school, you know the difficulties that 2020 brought for education. 74 percent of the 100 largest school districts in America opted for remote learning as their only form of instruction. This transition affected over nine million students in these districts.
As other districts followed suit, teachers and students had to adapt fast. Although it can be difficult to teach remotely, it’s not impossible. With this basic guide, you can learn some of the top teaching skills for your digital classroom.
- Focus on Collaboration
Although you may not be able to connect with your students in person, there is still ample opportunity for collaboration. To keep your students engaged and interested, prioritizing collaborative assignments is imperative. This can ensure that no student feels left behind or outcasted when learning remotely.
One way to create more collaboration is to use apps for remote teaching like MURAL. This is a digital workspace whiteboard that allows for visual teamwork between students and teachers. With this free platform, students can organize their thoughts on “sticky notes” in the form of a list, diagram, or flowchart to share with others.
By allowing students to present ideas in real-time, you can create a more involved learning environment.
- Improve Communication
Another important remote teaching tool to focus on is communication. While this may seem obvious, open communication has never been more important. It’s crucial to provide one-on-one opportunities for conversation with students and parents.
Consider reaching out to one or more families per week to discuss their student’s behavior and progress. You might also create a sign-up list where students can make appointments for live video meetings with you. This can provide your students and their families time to ask questions and address any concerns they may have with remote learning.
There are many tools like Google Sheets that can help you with your collaborative communication schedules. Even ten minutes of your undivided attention can help a student better navigate distance learning.
3.Get Creative With Activities
As students spend more time behind a screen, they may become distracted or unmotivated. One way to combat this is to keep activities creative. Consider implementing hands-on tasks that will keep students engaged and interested.
You might ask students to learn a new task within their home that aligns with your curriculum. For example, if you’re teaching about fractions, you might ask them to bake a pie. You could also suggest that they make art, build, or interact with the family.
While each home situation is different, consider allowing students to modify these assignments. Remember, although you may be teaching remotely, you’re not alone. There are a wide variety of resources like this webinar that can help you achieve educational success with unique activities.
Adjust Your Teaching Skills for Success Today
Creating an engaged remote learning environment can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. But with these teaching skills, you can help students achieve success.
For more tips on all things education, be sure to check out the rest of our website.
