How to Teach Weak Students in Online Teaching

Online Teaching Tips for Teaching Academically Challenged- Slow-Learners-Weak Students

“Nobody is superior, nobody is inferior, but nobody is equal either. People are simply unique, incomparable.Osho

Online Teaching is need of time. Students, teachers, school managements and educationists were not ready for online teaching learning process, although a few schools did have online teaching system but they hardly used it before March 2020 especially in India. I started preparing our teachers to take this challenge. It was completely new thing for me. I never did online teaching at mass level before March 2020. We were confined only to online chat, video chat and other online means through different social media platform. I personally conduct online teaching for class 1st students to intermediate level students. I observed more than 100 classes while other teacher was conducting online classes for different subjects. How can we feel the pulse of every student if someone is not in the field to experience the real time challenges?

Students were engaged in the class. Indeed, learning outcomes were at satisfactorily level. Level of learning outcomes might be varied according to teacher’s planning, preparation and practices, however one group of learners were not able to cope with online systems. Below average performers in the class did not enjoy online class at all, because teachers were not able to connect with academically weak performers.

Academically weak performers/weak learners/slow learners were just the part of the group but as aliens. Every day I used to observe those students. They were participants of online teaching learning process but not the active members of learning process. One day, I observed learning spark among academic weak learners when a teacher tried to explain the concept in mother tongue. I also initiated sending small- small video in students’ mother tongue for almost all subjects. When we asked simple questions i.e. true and false or various objective types questions, we received overwhelming response from the students.

Learning happens best when educator activates learners’ mind, body and soul, no matter in which ways or means but activation of mind, body and soul certainly gives good result. It creates space for students’ engagement in the learning process. In fact we know right process leads to right result. I invested more than 100 online teaching hours, 20 hours on conducting teachers training, mentally prepared more than 500 parents for online-teaching learning process and more than 200 actual hours on working on individual teacher’s everyday challenges during online teaching learning process, we find out certain solutions for teaching academically weak performers/weak learners/slow learners. We can certainly bring the best learning result for academically weak performers/weak learners/slow learners in online teaching learning process if wise educators follow these tips and techniques during online teaching.

1. Educator tries to develop connection with academically weak performers/weak learners/slow learners during online teaching
2. Educator tries to talk with academically weak performers/weak learners/slow learners during online teaching
3. Educator tries to listen academically weak performers/weak learners/slow learners during online teaching
4. Educator tries to give proper attention to academically weak performers/weak learners/slow learners during online teaching
5. Educator tries to engage academically weak performers/weak learners/slow learners during online teaching
6. Educator tries to teach in students’ mother tongue during online teaching. It does not matter what subject and in which class you are teaching i.e. math , science, social science, language but using mother tongue gives students a sense of satisfaction, creates a comfort learning zone because their listening interest increased and if students start listening, learning happens then and there. We tried to create small video hardly 60-90 seconds in students’ mother tongue especially to academically weak learners/slow learners but students started responding well in the online class.
7. If educator starts accepting children as they are—it creates magical effect in the class. One day, 2nd class student was keeping the notebooks on his head and tried to sing a song during online teaching. Teacher was feeling embarrassed. She tried to reprimand so many times but student was busy in his task. I asked Rohit to sing that song which he was trying to sing. We clapped for his song (although song was not so good), thereafter he responded teacher’s very well
8. If educator tries little more to develop connection and compassion with students, student will surely respond well. If a teacher talk to academically weak performers/weak learners/slow learners after the class for a few minutes

Online teaching is beyond the human connection, students know that they are connected with mobile/laptop/desktop so there is so much limitation and challenges faced by educator and learners. Online teaching is need of time, space and cosmos. Educator’s planning, preparation and execution can bring massive change even in academically weak performers/weak learners/slow learners’ life too.