Moving to an online learning platform can be intimidating and disconcerting but by applying a few simple guidelines, can be made much less unsettling. Most of us did not set out to be a good online teacher or even an online teacher at all! We have spent many years in classrooms and have developed a certain comfort level . We are not comfortable or experienced with online platforms and have not yet decided what is good or bad or even if online classrooms are needed. Most of us don’t know how to teach online and may not even know how to learn. Online classes aren’t going away and will probably only become more important in the future. Students who seek higher education will most likely encounter online classes and in fact it may give students an avenue to advanced degrees that circumstances in life might not have otherwise afforded. Our students need experience with online learning. Good online lessons and delivery are not necessarily controlled by the platform used for delivery but by the quality of the lessons themselves. Many of the things that make a good online lesson are the same things that make a lesson in the classroom effective but most research show that teachers need to create online lessons that are substantially different from those that they are currently using in class. Just like all learning, online learning must remain student centered. Let’s take a look at some of the things that can make moving to an online platform less daunting while continuing to center on effective student learning.
It's not the online platform that matters; it's the consistent use of a platform.
One of the first questions people ask is, “What software or platform should I use for online learning?” The answer is that there is not necessarily one best platform, but more importantly, it is the consistent use of the chosen platform in lesson delivery. Whether you use a common platform like Google Classroom or Canvas, a school website, or custom designed online software, the most important thing is to choose one and stick with it! While we cannot ignore what a platform can do to meet our needs, a choice must be made and users at every level must become comfortable with it. In order to produce effective online lessons, it is necessary that the platform be secondary. Teachers and students must become familiar with the use of the platform and they must know how to get support when they need it. If use of the platform does not become second nature, lesson delivery, content, and ultimately learning will take a back seat to the use of the technology and learning will be compromised. Pick a platform, learn to use it, teach students to use it, be consistent with its use, and be flexible when something goes wrong.
Online lessons must be compatible with the collaborative process
Online tools that work and don’t work, as well as strategies used must become a part of Professional Learning Community team collaborations. The idea of collaboration should be extended to students as well, with a teacher acting as moderator and assigning roles to students and making students responsible for collaborative sessions. Teachers should even consider creating their own websites. Even with all of that, it is still necessary to identify the big things, break them down into learning targets and present lessons that address those learning targets. Creating concise, online lessons make this process more important then ever. Make it a group effort! Putting technology on top of regular classroom lessons does not work! Technology must be integrated into classroom lessons and this will be done best as part of the collaborative process.
Online lessons must be student oriented
Jamie Littlefield writes that there is one question that we should ask when putting lesson content online. Would a self-directed learner who wanted to know more about this topic want to use your content to find out more and would an expert in the subject recommend your content to an interested bystander? (Littlefield, Jamie. “What Makes a Good Online Course?” ThoughtCo, Feb. 11, 2020, thoughtco.com/what-makes-a-good-online-course-1098017.) Good online lessons will leave plenty of time to work on the big stuff while maintaining assignments to promote engagement in the meantime. Online lessons should encourage, not discourage online research and interaction with other students online but should not rely on the latest technology gadget or flashy software to take the place of good content.
Teachers who rely on long lectures to fill the time in the classroom are going to fail in delivering online lessons where there is no one to monitor engagement. Reading an online textbook and answering fill in the blank questions is not a natural learning method and will not work online either. Students must be actively engaged in their learning. There must be a blend of direct teaching in small chunks (no more than 10 minutes) and active research, collaboration, investigation, etc. Online learning does not mean online lecturing! Try to see your lessons from the students point of view and try to see what they might encounter or how they might respond. You’re not going to be there to experience non-verbal clues so try to anticipate what responses might come from what students are seeing in your post. And, don’t forget visual appeal. Try adding pictures, graphics, color, art, etc. to break up text passages. Students are far more likely to look at content that draws their eyes to a picture or graphic that gets their attention first.
Teachers must be present online!
Teachers must schedule time for online presence and to moderate student discussions. We do it in class. We must do it online! Here’s some ways how:
- Post an announcement or video online to provide an overview of upcoming lessons and to recap previous work.
- Respond regularly to questions posted online by students and encourage students to post general questions so that all can see and learn from them.
- Schedule regular online office hours, collaborative time, and tutorial times. In addition, schedule online tutorials for groups or individuals by appointment.
- Post videos to clarify misconceptions students may have about a topic or assignment.
- Grade and return students’ work in a timely fashion and include comments and clarifications when practical.
- Hold online collaborations with students.
It is important that your online presence represents who you are. Let yourself show in your writings and let your personality show through. Be human and add warmth and personality to your posts. Don’t be afraid to record yourself but instead do it often. Don’t just record a video lecture but record yourself just talking, redirecting, or clarifying. A video introduction as a starting point to a new unit or lesson is a good point to start. Leave the mistakes in. They make you human and besides you can’t take them out in class!
Source referenced: (Darby, Flower. “How to be a Better Online Teacher Advice Guide” The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2020, https://www.chronicle.com/interactives/advice-online-teaching.)
Online lessons should provide multiple information sources
We are used to seeing visuals online such as pictures, videos, and graphics. We are used to interaction and multiple websites that address what we are looking for. Therefore, online lessons should not just be pages of reading material but should include the things we are used to seeing online. All of these things must center around the lesson purpose and the things identified for students to learn. These online lessons must be easy to navigate but make outside sources available but clearly separate from the core topic that must be learned. Attempt to appeal to as many learning styles as possible. Mix it up a little. Don’t follow the same pattern lesson after lesson. (Littlefield, Jamie. “What Makes a Good Online Course?” ThoughtCo, Feb. 11, 2020, thoughtco.com/what-makes-a-good-online-course-1098017.) BUT, mixing it up doesn’t mean changing the structure. Structure is important. Put lesson materials, activities, assessments, etc. in the same place. Add to instead of replacing content. Again, consider building your own website to address this. A simple website is a great way to organize multiple sources, contents, and links by learning target and related content.
Online lessons must lead to feedback that reveals student thinking
Feedback from online lessons needs to be more than just facts-based questions and answers. Feedback needs to find ways to reveal student thinking and understanding. A good starting place might be to tell what you know, what you’ve learned and what you still want to know. Questions and projects can then be developed around the things that students still want to know. Have students write this down or discuss it in an online collaboration session. Students could then submit to the teacher for approval what they will be looking for and how they will present it. Online discussions in person are important with participation required but online groups should be kept small. Teachers must be present at online group discussions and should act as a moderator. If discussion takes place on a classroom feed teachers should respond online to important posts but not every post and allow students to collaborate with each other. If a teacher responds to everything, students tend to direct their posts to teachers and not each other. Students should be encouraged to post for each other and respond to each others’ posts. Teachers should enter the discussion when it gets off-topic or begins to reach incorrect conclusions.
Another way to allow students to reveal their thinking is to have them create online presentations. This can be done in groups using shared presentation software such as Google Slides. Allow students to use multimedia as a way to present their thinking. Many students express themselves better and are better organized when they are able to present their understanding from their own point of view.
Online lessons must allow students to monitor their own learning
Research shows that students are more successful when they are able to self-evaluate their progress. Students need to know at any given time what they know and what they still need to learn. Students should receive regular updates through messages or email that informs them of current learning as a whole and of individual learning. This helps reduce the feeling of isolation. Open online discussions could be very valuable in allowing students to evaluate their own understanding. Scaffolding is important and teachers should step in to fill gaps. Students must be able to build upon learning, lesson by lesson, in small pieces to build confidence at each level that they are understanding the topic. Finally, don’t be afraid to ask students how their learning is going. Students will generally be very open about talking about what they understand as well as what they don’t. A quick online form submitted through something like Google Forms can accomplish this quickly and efficiently. Here are some tips to help students monitor their learning.
- Give students a chance to practice understanding and communicating skills online before giving high-stakes or graded projects
- Use short, formative inquiries to allow students to use what they’ve learned along the way
- Make use of photos from mobile devices to allow students to submit questions, steps, understanding, etc. along the way.
- Ask students! Ask them what they don’t understand. Ask them what they want to know. And, ask them what they feel like they already know.
- Constantly look for ways to break down complex tasks so that students make timely progress and receive feedback on their work while there is still time to adjust their approach if needed.
Teachers must provide a method for direct support to struggling students
Good online support starts with reflection and revision. This might happen through student submission, teacher review and student revision or through an online, collaborative discussion through a platform such as Zoom. Support starts with good examples and lots of them. Examples could come from the teacher or from other online sources. Multiple sources in different formats are always better and could be made optional for those who already demonstrate understanding of the topic but available for those who need more. Examples are great but are not enough for many. Opportunities should be set up to do online collaboration with the teacher and a method for feedback to written questions should be created. Be available! Online learning will never replace direct support from the teacher in reaching all students.
Online lessons must be assessed in a way that proves student mastery
Just as it should be in a classroom, online assessment must follow a pattern of constant assessment and adjustment. All of the small assignments, collaboration sessions and student questions and response should indicate where a student is in learning. Ultimately, if a grade is to be assigned to the student, assessment must be done that will be graded. This doesn’t always mean tests and it for the most part should not be a facts based, fill-in the blank or multiple choice test. Resist the urge to take advantage of these test for automatic grading to save time as they will reveal little about student learning. Try to assess through research presentations, projects, recorded video, or written work that will look for students’ knowledge of a topic.
Most online assignments and assessments will require a grading rubric. This will define for students up front how they will be graded. Research shows that students perform better when they know what they will be graded bases on. Like most online learning, bad assessment in class will not translate to good assessment online. Look for ways to assess that will allow students to demonstrate true mastery and understanding.
Teachers should review and revise their online lessons
It is extremely important that teachers keep notes on what worked and what didn’t work online and collaborate with their team on these. Teachers should ask students what they liked and what they didn’t as well. A teacher’s journal is a good idea that some may find helpful in adjusting lessons. Commit to continuous improvement and build on successes! There is a perception that online classrooms do not work or that students do not learn online as effectively. There is research evidence that says that this is not the case. In fact, the self-paced effect of learning online can accelerate learning for some while providing support for others that may not have felt supported before. It can add depth of learning and extension to advanced students while teaching mastery of a solid core to all students. Online classrooms can build in the differentiation that we all strive for every day in teaching. Just like a regular classroom, teaching in an online environment requires commitment and skill from the teacher and the teacher team that is achieved by working to continuously improve by reviewing what has been done and revising it to make it better.
Teaching online is a challenge but it is a challenge made easier by following sound educational practices in general. No matter the technology platform, lessons that provide organization, a variety of quality content, opportunities to demonstrate understanding, peer-to-peer collaboration, and quality assessment and response will lead to successful online learning and student success. Those who are willing to create these lessons and are then willing to revise and improve them will see student success and a higher level of learning as a result.