The online school: more tips for teachers and students

-
Brandon has been online for a while now! Here are some tips for teachers who are about to start sharing the online experience. Above all, don’t feel isolated, we are all in the same boat. 

We use Zoom, Kahoots, Google Docs Pre-Quest (our own platform) and a whole range of other products to try to get the most out of our lessons.

Be interactive – we found that just trying to teach in the same way didn’t really work so we have incorporated annotation, interactive whiteboard hangman as a warm-up, Kahoots and masses of quizzes into our lessons. We tried some of the fun gadgets (wishful thinking tropical backgrounds!) but the novelty factor wore off very quickly.

Get physical – ask students to move for a few minutes during longer lessons. We have a series of go-to stretches for when classes start dozing off!

Try new activities – we tried to think about how we could use technology to help some of our less confident students. As part of their interview skills class, we sent the group questions and they responded with filmed answers.

Be consistent – adapt your classroom rules to your new world and stick to them. We have found that some of our shyer students who are normally reluctant to ask questions in class are really responding to being able to message the teacher privately. 

Be patient – learning online is new for most of us, build in time to get used to the technology (we have a tester task list for each class which incorporates any of the skills they might need). And we have found that… setting up the first few lessons usually takes longer than you expect!

Be prepared – open all your documents and videos in advance. Close everything you don’t need for the lesson and be careful of which screen you share! Our new teachers do practice runs before having live classes. If you can, try to join an online lesson as an observer or teach another teacher.

Be kind to yourself and give yourself time to adapt – change is never easy and we have all been thrown in at the deep end. Courage. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"My friend says that the ISEB Pretest pass mark is ... " and other myths!

-
Image
  If your child has just taken the ISEB Pre-test as part of their Eton, Winchester, Tonbridge, Charterhouse, Wellington, Cranleigh, St Paul's (continue ad infinitum, see the list here! ) then you may well be surrounded by a fog of panic and misinformation. So here we go, the top myths...  1: There is a pass mark of X... No... there really isn't. Schools use the Pre-Test as part of their application process in conjunction with school reports, references and additional information. Most schools will apply a range to the results they receive from their cohort which may be broader or narrower depending on their intake.  As a rule of thumb: a school with fast-paced teaching and highly academic focus (such as St Paul's), will take the top end of their cohort. A school with excellent support and a broader intake (e.g. Stowe), will use a wider measure.  2: So and so scored 100%... The scores of the test are not released by schools...  3: So and so took the test twice... Not in one
Read more

My favourite Irish "party piece" poem

-
Image
We had some wonderful parties when I was little. Everyone would take it in turns to entertain; to sing, to recite or to dance. You don't have to wait until Saint Patrick's Day to start this tradition in your own families and, when you do, consider something by WB Yeats. The wonderful lyricism of the language appeals to every audience and the simplicity of his visions will delight. The Lake Isle of Innisfree I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made. Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet's wings. I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand
Read more

How can I use the ZPD theory to parent my child?

-
Image
Vygotsky developed his Zone of Proximal Development theories based on observing how groups of children learn. Children may have the raw ability to learn how to do something but they may not be able to achieve their potential without assistance from a knowledgeable person'who breaks down the task into steps which the child can master. We can call this 'scaffolding'.  Anyone who has ever studied painting or music will understand exactly what this process involves. Remember the Suzuki method? Think about the Zone of Proximal Development as having three steps:    1: Tasks which a learner CANNOT accomplish with assistance Sometimes, the task is too great for a learner. You as a parent need to step back and break the task down into small bites. Think about this; you wouldn't put a child on a racing bike for the first time and expect them to be a competant rider! Apply this to every area your child struggles with.    2: Tasks which a learner CAN accomplish with assistance.   W
Read more