Making Online Learning Work for You: Tips for Success
- Miss Marilena
- Jan 25, 2024
- 5 min read
How to make sure that online learning will work for you and your child. Even if you are teacher these will be your ideal guide to become the best online teacher ever!
Don't let online learning scare you anymore, go for it and skip all the driving back and forth. You can thank me later!
Online learning has become increasingly popular since COVID. However, making it work effectively can be quite challenging for both teachers and students. Here are some tips for both parties on how to make online learning work.
But first let me introduce you to my back story and tell you a bit about me.
At the beginning of 2020 when the first lockdowns hit the world, I was pretty much lost as a teacher. I am embarrassed to say that it took me a while to figure everything out. Teaching online was different than teaching in person. Needless to say whatever I was doing was not working. Until one day I just tried something new, something different.
I focused on games and interactive videos. I sat down and learned everything I could about the platforms I was using (such as ZOOM, Microsoft Teams, VIBER, etc.). And let me tell you it was life changing. I went from an average online teacher to the best teacher my kids had during that difficult times. I'm telling you mums were calling me, thanking me for making their kids look forward to our lessons!
After online teaching was not a necessity anymore and we all went back to work I had my little baby and stopped teaching soon after. But that didn't stop mums that had experienced my work and by now knew how successful online learning could be to switch over from their traditional class learning to online learning with me!
Without attempting to boast or praise my own self but I strongly believe that the work I put in during those two years is paying off in buckets now. And that's how it should be right? You only need the desire to learn and passion for what you do and you can become the best in your field. Now I feel more than qualified to help you make sure online learning is working for you! Even if you are a parent or a teacher, this list is for you! Read it, follow it and I promise it will help you a lot! Make sure to register in my email list so you never miss a post from me again. And with that let's get to it!
Tip #1 - Make it fun
Learning English should never be boring. I have been saying this for years now. On the contrary, when learning English kids should have fun, that's the only way to make anything stick. Make it fun and they will remember it.
Make sure the teacher you choose to teach your child online is as playful and goofy as they get! Trust me. Talking loudly, making faces and telling jokes is the only way to keep a kid's attention on the screen for a whole hour. It takes a lot out of us, as teachers, it can become really tiring but that's why we get well paid.
Bonus Tip: Kids love to look at themselves on the screen. So make sure when they are joining you online through ZOOM, to enable the setting camera view and have everyone look at everyone, even when you share your screen.
Tip #2 - Use online resources
Don't just stick to the books you are teaching. As a teacher you can choose to slow down and incorporate more online games and videos to your teaching. The children are already sitting in front of the computer so use it in your advantage. Download apps on your pc and use them. I always download the Tech it Easy apps and the I like Junior apps even when I'm not using the books. And for God's sake please learn how to use your online teaching platform. ZOOM is free, download it and learn how to use it. It's easy, I promise you will love it.
The children are already sitting in front of the computer so use it in your advantage.
Bonus Tip: This one is for the teachers. If possible have two cameras on you. You might connect from your mobile as well, not just your laptop. I guarantee that it will make a huge difference. Now children can not only see your face but your body movements as well. It's key for teaching younger ages.
Tip #3 - Feedback is key
Try to keep communication between teacher and parent as regular as possible. It does wonder to the child's progress when these two parties just get on the same page. Even if it as simple as letting the parent now how they did that day or as big as behavioral issues. Parents should always know as soon as possible as they are the only ones who can do something about it.
Personally I have always informed the parents weekly such as he is doing great or she needs to be more focused and every three times I give them a big review, such as things that still need work and things that have been accomplished so far.
Parents please take this as an opportunity to make sure learning is going as best as it can go. Even if the teacher tells you something you might not like, they will also possibly (they should actually) give you a solution too. So listen to your teachers and always ask for feedback.
Tip #4 - Set goals
Don't let the word 'online' before learning fool you! This is still learning and as such it should have clear goals and expectations set by the teacher and the parent. An example could be a final exam at the end of the year or a speaking goal for a trip. Whatever the big or small goals student should have, a teacher should always have a rough schedule of when each unit from the book should end.
Make a schedule and try to stick to it. Now if you can't do everything in your curriculum as long as your student is learning and progressing that is fine. And remember to always leave 8 to 12 lessons at the end for exam preparation.
Tip #5 - Have a designated room
This is the last but in my opinion the most important tip in my list. There should be a designated room for online learning even that is a whole room or a spot in a room, you should have it.
During the lockdown and the early online learning I learned pretty quickly that if just one student's mum was trying to cook somewhere in the background we would all just tune in to hear her mixing and clunking her pots. No one was paying attention to the teacher, not even the teacher herself. 😂
Too much noise can make a lesson impossible, so please for the good of the students but also for the sanity of the teachers keep the online learning in a quite room with all the gadgets the student might need.
That's all folks!
That's all you need to keep in mind as a parent or a teacher to make online learning successful. Remember online learning can be used anytime anywhere as long as the teacher is passionate enough to pull it off and the parents are collaborating with them successfully.
Don't let online learning scare you anymore, go for it and skip all the driving back and forth. You can thank me later!
Don't forget to register in my email list so you never miss a post from me. It's totally free an I will only send you things you will love, I promise! I will see you again in the next one. Toddalloo!
If you liked this post you might also like this one:
Did you know that I have published my own Handwriting Activity books? You can check them out right here and of course you are welcome to ask me anything!
Register in my email list so you never miss a new post from me. I promise I will send you things you will love!
We haven't made the switch yet but we are seriously thinking about it Miss Marilena. We watch your stories on Insta and your students seem to have lots of fun!!! Maybe next year?? we can try with you. It must save us some valuable driving time that now is just
lost.