Effective Online Teaching Methods To Be The Best Tutor

These days online teaching and tutoring have become a trend amongst the masses. Online education is on the rise and the majority of the country’s population has easy access to the internet. Thus, this makes online teaching and learning a more viable option for the students of the country. Well, not just for students, even for the teacher’s online education has turned out to be a complete boon. Not only is online teaching a safe and healthy option for the teachers, but it is equally flexible and convenient.

As per research conducted by the Washington Post, the last 5 years have witnessed significant growth in online education for a multitude of reasons such as easier access to online resources and greater flexibility.

With online teaching becoming the “new normal”, there are certain effective online teaching methods that can be adopted by online tutors and they can give a twist to their regular teaching practice. This will not only improvise their teaching methodologies but will also make them a pro in online teaching. Shifting from classroom to online teaching has been one of the most significant adjustments, but with little in-depth knowledge and research, you can gain more flexibility and a better avenue for growth.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the popular and effective online teaching methods that will not only make you the best online teacher but will also redefine your teaching methods.

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Effective Online Teaching Methods That Will Make You a Pro in Online Learning

1. Plan Your Classes Well

Your students are not present in front of you. It is quite possible that they might not be online, especially when you are online. Today, it has become even more important to plan for your online classes. This is because virtual students are different when compared to students in a traditional classroom setup. Similarly, their needs are different from their physical counterparts. As a responsible online teacher, make sure that you have your syllabus prepared and study materials laid out clearly before the class starts. This will also allow the students to see and analyze how well they can strike a balance between their lives and your online classes.

One of the most important things that you should remember is to “avoid surprises”. It simply means that you should avoid saying anything like- “ Surprise Test” or “Surprise Quiz”. You need to give time to the students so that they can learn at their own pace.

2. Befriend Technology

Online teaching is different from your traditional classroom teaching. To be an effective online teacher, it is important to have a basic understanding of technology. To be a good online tutor, you need to invest in the right resources particularly hardware and software. Secondly, you need to have a good laptop, a stable internet connection, and the best platform so that you can easily connect with your students. You can choose from an end number of options such as Google Teams. Google Teams has been ranked as one of the best online learning platforms that will allow you to lean towards the social and adaptable side of education efficiently.

It is advisable to properly research and carefully play around with your final choice. By having a basic understanding of your online classroom platform, you can present yourself better and it will also improve the pattern of communication between you and your students.

3. Carefully Set-Up Your Working Environment

Working remotely has not only transformed your working environment but has also been a challenge to some extent. Without the right and perfect working environment and a good amount of professional self-discipline, online teaching can become a tedious task. Hence, there is a need for you to properly plan the design of your online teaching at home. As a first and foremost step, you need to set up a workspace. And if possible, try to utilize your workstation only when you are teaching kids.
Once you have decided to convert a corner of your home into your workspace, you need to make it inviting and friendly. This will, in turn, pave the way for productive work behavior.

Make sure that you set up your workspace in a place that is free from distractions such as television, other family members, and your usual household chores. Natural lighting and an ergonomic chair will take your online teaching set-up to a whole new level.

4. Initiate Online Classroom Discussions

As already mentioned, online classrooms work differently when compared to the conventional offline classroom setup. To make online learning a success, you need to take certain initiatives, and encouraging online discussions is one of the best ways to start this process. Online discussions will enable your students to openly discuss their thoughts and how they feel about you and your class. As a teacher, you need to ensure that your class actively participates in the online discussions.

There are different ways by which you can encourage participation and this can range from discussions to posting lessons, to assigning reading resources, and monitoring the overall progress of the class. Rather than turning to assignments, you need to ensure that your students are involved every week. Active passage of communication between you and your students will help you in understanding your students better and you will be able to cater to their needs efficiently.

5. Communication is the Key

Even communication turns out to be different when you are teaching students in an online setup. You need to maintain a regular and more consistent pattern of communication between your students. And this can be easily achieved by strengthening your online presence. Communication is an essential component of the online classroom. You can start this by introducing yourself and give your students an opportunity so that they can also introduce themselves. Your overall aim is to bring a sense of warmth and love into your class. You also need to ensure that your students should not feel reluctant to call you or communicate with you. There is also a possibility that some of your students may feel nervous since you are not physically present.

As a responsible online tutor, you have to try your best to erase this by answering and clarifying all their questions and doubts promptly. You can also create a provision for feedback that will enable the introverts of your class to communicate with less hesitation.

6. Encourage Your Students

Every student learns at their own pace, and motivation plays an important role in the learning process. Hence, it is one of the most effective online teaching methods. While some students of your class may feel self-motivated in learning something new, some students might need some motivation from your end. You should think of different and creative ways by which you can encourage your students to participate in the class. This may consist of giving extra grades for online discussions or optional assignments and projects.

Deadlines will enable the unmotivated students of your class to participate actively. After all, your ultimate goal is to look for different ways using which you can discover the hidden potential of your students and make your online classroom a much better place.