What do you do if you're a teacher transitioning from in-person to remote teaching?

One course I found helpful if you are an English language teacher is 'Teaching English Online'. It's provided by Cambridge University on FutureLearn platform. I took it a few years ago; helped me a lot.

First of all make sure that you have a good internet connection and computer. Then familiarise yourself with the conference call software you are using (Zoom, Skype, GoogleMeet). Use a whiteboard to make your lessons interactive along with a graphics table to make writing easier. Present in a variety of ways: directly onto the whiteboard, share a powerpoint presentation, play a game - there are so many options. Remember that technology does fail sometimes, so stay cool and be prepared to do the audio on a WhatsApp call. If you are teaching children, the setting boundaries applies as it does when you work face-to-face.

Willie Elliott is a world class 'class room' teacher. His article about how to move to remote teaching is outstanding. Lucky is anyone who knows and learns from this GREAT TEACHER!

By embracing tech and spend more hours to learn any tools that are available is making lesson planning much more effective and easier, it also opens to a new way of teaching that might more creative and less boring.

Embracing technology in teaching involves setting clear goals for its use, starting with small, manageable steps, and gradually integrating new tools and approaches. Educators should take the time to learn how to use technology effectively through professional development opportunities and collaboration with colleagues. Involving students in the learning process by seeking their feedback and incorporating their ideas can enhance engagement and promote a student-centered approach to technology integration. Regular reflection on the use of technology and its impact on student learning is essential for continuous improvement, along with staying updated on new trends and tools in educational technology.

To plan ahead effectively in teaching, begin by setting clear learning objectives for each lesson or unit, aligning them with students' needs and curriculum standards. Assess students' prior knowledge to tailor your teaching strategies accordingly. Choose a variety of instructional methods and materials to engage students and meet diverse learning styles. Develop detailed lesson plans that outline objectives, strategies, resources, and assessments. Consider differentiation to accommodate different learning needs. Regularly assess student understanding using formative and summative assessments, and adjust your teaching based on feedback.

Plan ahead, yes with notes uploaded into your course site and not having to dictate notes in class, does indeed require one to plan ahead, this will change the pacing of your lesson delivery as well as the attention span of your student. Keeping your Learning Objectives in mind, one needs to make sure one plans well in advance.

To foster engagement in teaching, create a positive and inclusive learning environment where students feel valued and respected. Use active learning techniques, such as group work, discussions, and hands-on activities, to keep students actively involved in the learning process. Personalize learning by considering students' interests, abilities, and learning styles. Incorporate technology to enhance learning and make it more interactive and engaging. Provide timely and constructive feedback to encourage student participation and improvement. Make learning relevant by connecting it to real-world applications and experiences. Encourage collaboration among students to promote teamwork and peer learning.

Teachers can keep students engaged in remote sessions using similar techniques to those adopted in physical classrooms; that is, by personalisation and utilitizing activities and topics that are relevant to learners.

Planning, practice, preparation & more planning! Be extremely familiar with the online systems you will be utilizing. Find allll the little options & details, not just the basics to build your assignments. Make videos! Make sure your voice is excited & not monotone. Make it interesting & mix it up every 15-20mins to keep them engaged. Use break out rooms for some activities. Absolutely follow-up with students & stay in touch so they know you are present. Be flexible! As some students may have slower connections. Ultimately, the more learning styles you can include, the better. Be consistent!

Some special tips: Imagine a person with the attributes of your students: same age, routine, problems, and facilities. It helps you to remember what kind of limitations they could have and helps you to deal better with them. It is about talk in their linguage, about your principal themes, about what kind of things they should have to consider in your subject.

One way I found useful to communicate with my online students after I had a large number of students was to hire a support assistant. They can take care of most of the issues, only updating me on a daily basis and referring critical issues for my decision

Communication is the key to handle most of the things in our life! Even, I was a little sceptical while starting remote work (online teaching) but it eventually works out as you need to be more clear with your doubts and seek help whenever needed. The world is with you ??

In my opinion, online teaching should involve more testing and practice, while relying on students to discover the topic and its components on their own. For this, an effective strategy is to use a flipped classroom. Students need to learn as much as they can before the class starts. However, this strategy doesn't work too well with low motivation students

Lets talk abour failures: Do you know where are your teaching weakness?Do you know the client caracteristic and the context that you are working?, So zoom out your perspectives: where is the impact of you in your students? how your co-workers feedback you practices? Maybe, a faillure could be a results of others practices, rather than your level of actuation in the process. Look out your practices, your students profile and you context of action. Remember the effects of context and suport in the results. What kind of failures are you dealing with? What is about in those failures are reflections of you practices?Search oportunities to improve your skills: read papers, books, watch videos, do some courses or indeed, improve your formation.

Fortunately, interactive tools like Quizizz, Kahoot and Edpuzzle made it possible to conduct continuous assessments during online courses.

First, you celebrate!!! This is a wonderful move that a majority of instructors would prefer. This move shows that you have found your way into the 21st century and have chosen to meet students where they want to learn: virtually, online, asynchronously. Also, celebrate all the benefits that WFH offers...to your wallet and to your health. Finally, complete the process of transitioning from the 19th to the 21st century by packaging your learning objectives into smaller videos/activities that students can complete piecemeal (kind of like how LinkedIn Learning is packaged for professionals!).

1. Master online platforms. 2. Engage students: Break lectures into chunks, use polls, & encourage chat participation. 3. Leverage multimedia: Integrate videos, simulations, & interactive tools to keep students active. ??Overall: 4. Be patient: It's a new skillset. Embrace the learning curve. 5. Connect with colleagues: Share resources & best practices with other remote instructors. 6. Focus on student support: Offer clear communication channels & address tech issues promptly.

Transitioning from in-person to remote teaching involves several key steps: -Ensure you have the appropriate technology and tools for remote teaching, such as a reliable internet connection, webcam, microphone, and video conferencing software. -Learn how to use the platforms and tools necessary for remote instruction, such as learning management systems, video conferencing software (e.g., Zoom, Google Meet), etc. -Clearly communicate expectations for remote learning to students and parents. -Offer support and guidance to students and parents as they navigate remote learning, providing regular check-ins to address any challenges. -Use interactive teaching methods, such as virtual discussions, group projects, and multimedia presentations.

Adapt Instructional Strategies: Adapt your instructional strategies and teaching methods to suit the remote learning environment. Incorporate a mix of synchronous and asynchronous activities, utilize multimedia resources, and provide opportunities for collaboration and interaction among students

Entender la importancia de la comunicación no verbal en el ámbito online resulta fundamental. Otros factores como una mayor tendencia a la distracción o la atención dividida de los estudiantes representan un reto a?adido en el caso de clases virtuales pero aprovechar las potencialidades de la conectividad (enlaces, actividades gamificadas que promueven la interacción, etc.) pueden ayudar a mejorar la conexión y a un aprovechamiento de las sesiones en línea.