Teaching tips to thrive online

I survived the first lockdown (and still feel very proud of myself for this!) but I didn’t thrive. This time around I really wanted to nail my teaching so I bought and read Doug Lemov’s book ‘Teaching in the Online Classroom’. I thought it was really useful so I’ve tried to summarise the best bits to help other teachers ‘thrive in the new normal’ or at least pick up some easy tips to improve their lessons.  A friend said that everything in here is just common sense… true perhaps but it helps to be reminded sometimes! I’ve certainly found some of these tips helpful to improve my online teaching. 

My key takeaways: 

1. Try to keep consistency between old world (teaching in classroom) & new world (teaching online). Do what you did before where possible!
2. Get off to a fast start. Have them doing something straight away (first 3 mins is the rule) or they will sink into a passive role. Like we all do when we join online meetings. If we know we are going to have to do something we pay attention!
3. Keep things simple. Don’t waste time trying to create the perfect whiz-bang lesson. Focus on what works. Spend time making your activities or content work really well rather than flashy things that just work ok
4. Have clear instructions for what you want them to do
5. Have a clear focus e.g. one key takeaway from the lesson 

3 simple example ideas I have used:

1. Break out rooms

• I split one of my Year 11 classes into groups of 4 in break out rooms and gave them each a discussion question to plan on a collaboration page on OneNote. There were 5 groups and 5 questions. 
• They then wrote an essay in the next lesson on a question they hadn’t planned, using the notes of a different group. The idea being to expose them to a selection of questions and topics
• Big benefit was that I could speak to each group & see the ideas they had generated, giving real-time feedback & explain misunderstandings
• The best answers for each question I have shared with them so that they have a model answer alongside their planning notes

2. Chat boxes

• I frequently use the chat box & get them to write any thoughts about a topic at the beginning of a lesson & go through each point raised explaining whether it is accurate to what we will be learning.
• I usually follow this up with a cold call to a quieter student, who might not have contributed, and ask them to write in the chat box as opposed to speaking outloud as they seem more comfortable expressing themselves like this. It’s a good way of maximising participation.

3. Thumbs up polling  

• In this lesson I shared the worksheet they will need for the lesson & used two statements as a starter in which they liked the one they agreed with the most to generate discussion & lead into the content of the lesson – Natural Law theory. 
• Benefit of this is it is simple & you can see who has liked each statement to ‘cold call’ a student and ask why they liked the statement they did to generate further discussion
• I referred to their discussion points when explaining the theory so they know their contribution is recognised

Live vs recorded lessons 

I discovered that this is known as synchronous learning (live) vs asynchronous learning (recorded/ self-study/ preproduced materials) and it doesn’t have to be a versus as a great lesson might include both! A live interaction with a video to watch at their own pace and then ensure they really understand a topic in a live meeting.

Here is a summary of ideas for both:

Self-study/ Asynchronous Learning

• Scalable: one teacher can tape a lesson/ explanation that multiple teachers & students can use. Particularly good if the students all know the teacher in question e.g. the HOD
• Complex ideas: allows more time to understand ideas/tasks & a more reflective approach, as they can stop/pause/rewind 
• Revision: a quick recap on a topic before a test or to help with a study/homework. 
• For explaining regular errors 
• Pace: allows learners to work at different pace to others

Things to think about:

• Need some assessment/ online check in to gauge understanding. Or else you have no idea if your video has been watched 
• Shorter videos easier to access. Anything too long can lose interest
• Have key tasks within the learning for the students to complete
• Showcase/ Feature key work of students in next lesson or video as incentive to complete
• Flipped classroom. Why not make everything asynchronous & use synchronous (live) to check understanding/ work completed/ level of mastery

Why do it?

• People will be consuming lessons in different settings… on a shared table… on the go… on the loo… in a room where their parents are also working… so good asynchronous content can be really useful
• Too much screen time can increase fatigue & decrease attention. Can be good to consume in own time when focused

Why make own specific resources? 

• Connection. Kids more likely to listen when they see their teacher. Even if your video is a bit budget!
• Make the learning / video personal to your class to build engagement
• BIG difference between purpose created resource vs recording lesson & asking to watch back. Ideally want it short & to the point!

Live / Synchronous Learning 

• Engagement. This is the big plus! It’s live - never underestimate the draw of FOMO! Think back to when we didn’t have Netflix & everything recorded everywhere. You made an effort not to miss that show!
• Cold call students. Ensure they know you will ask them questions to keep them on their toes
• Chat. Use the chat functionality as a quick way of checking understanding. You could make an easy poll e.g. Like this comment if it is correct/ you agree / you understand this topic  
• Use private chat (send directly to me) to engage quieter students & give them a chance to air their views in a private setting, in the way you could before by kneeling down & speaking quietly to them
• Give time limits – 30 seconds to share an idea for example
• Have managed turns so they know they will have to speak
• Use Polls to help with gauging their opinions and gaining participation. Thumbs up or down if you disagree with a comment or perhaps using the “hands up” function on Teams
• Screens on! At beginning & end of lessons is better for everyone. I allow screens off when presenting/ explaining but ask them to be on when discussing ideas

Things to think about:

• Pace. Real time assessment can slow down pace of lesson but lagging assessment means you can miss understanding. Mixing it up is a good idea

Ideas to achieve the key takeaways: 

1. Try to keep consistency between old world (teaching in classroom) & new world (teaching online). Do what you did before where possible!

Ideas to do this (basically normal things you do in your lessons!):

• Build connection through familiarity and lift as much as possible from physical classroom into online classroom. Even talking about material / prompts in your classroom brings a sense of togetherness. I often refer to the wall of Philosophers I have in my classroom in the same way I would in the classroom.
• Dress like you would’ve offline to keep this consistency. Stand to teach if you want. I wear a tie for each lesson, and this helps me keep work and play separate (plus means my shirts & ties don’t gather too much dust!)
• Avoid a noisy backdrop (use headphones) and busy background (be careful what is in the background as well…)
• Write things by hand / do handwritten worksheets / let them make notes by hand
• Read out loud as they would normally, telling them which bits to highlight (perhaps even sharing screen to make it easier to follow)
• Acknowledge effort & those exceeding expectations; some find remote harder than others for a host of reasons. 
• Don’t overpraise as it dilutes the power of true praise!
• Present exemplar work & get students to check work against the model
• Provide timely feedback on work in the lesson
• Allow mistakes to happen! Perhaps even turn off recording for those parts where they might make mistakes & don’t want this recorded for posterity 
• Use break out rooms to build face to face and more intimate connections. In smaller settings learners are much more likely to contribute (& turn on their screens!)
• Flip the classroom, let them plan their answers making the most of all tools e.g. collaboration page in one note / wikis
• Anticipate what they will do wrong…
• Organised workspace… not in your direct control as a teacher but want them to create an ideal online learning space, free of phones / distraction. Tricky when many are working in shared workspaces / bedrooms however!

2. Get off to a fast start… 
3. Keep things simple… 
4. Clear instructions 
5. Clear focus 

Ideas to do these:

• Fast start depends on clear focus & instructions:
• You will need X textbook, pencil etc 
• Clear directions as you guide them through the lesson
• Clear expectations (e.g. cameras on at beginning)
• Get students doing something straight away (even something small e.g. poll). 
• “3-minute rule” of engagement for online learning. They must be doing something within first 3 minutes or you will lose them
• Have clear visual aids to maintain engagement & clarity with a balance of text & imagery
• Daisy Christoloudou’s research shows that if we show images & text, working memory is better able to connect them, contributing to better understanding. Think about online meetings you’ve attended where you’ve just been talked at
• Redundancy principle = just have what is essential on screen to avoid strain on working memory
• Vary types of tasks to keep them engaged e.g. submit a piece of work you struggled with / are proud of
• Can families get involved with study/work (in a fun way) to make it more engaging?
• Thank learners for comments in chat etc to encourage participation 
• Pause often to actively engage & check understanding. STOP & check
• Use “hands up” e.g. when you’ve got to question 3 to generate pace
• Raise your hand if you think X is correct or you agree with Y 
• Develop another pupils ideas posted in the chat or get the students to debate or reflect on it
• Have a series of answers & get them to vote for right one. Ask someone who voted for the right answer & get them to explain it to class
• Give opportunities for students to compare their work to exemplar work 
• Watch yourself back to see how you come across & learn from mistakes

Overall, there are lots of ideas to use here. The most important one for me is to keep it simple. Practical is always better than fancy.

My last point is not to be afraid to give them time-back. I often do a teaching lesson and then a note making lesson (with no live element) to reduce their screen fatigue. I have also found it effective to send students off after explaining the task but say anyone can stay on who has a question. Quite often some students will stay on and ask me to explain a concept. One student couldn’t hear my explanation before for example (due to road works) so had a condensed summary to themselves!

I hope you find this useful and if you want more ideas, buy Doug Lemov’s book! 

Best of luck! 

Chris