Top Tips for Teachers During Distance Learning

Young children are not going to sit and listen to 30 minute teacher videos. Keep teacher input as concise and as short as possible. Plan lessons with lots of activities for children to complete. This will reduce screen time and keep children engaged for longer.

When using live online teaching tools, start lessons by muting all the children. It ensures everyone is focused on you as a teacher. Unmute children who you want to respond to your questions. Once children are in a routine, you may get to the point where you can leave everyone's microphones on. Think of it as a behaviour management tool.

Schools are closed and children have been set learning tasks to complete at home. Some countries and schools have opted for live online teaching, while others have set tasks for children and families to complete together. Whatever the expectations, here are some top tips I have picked up along the way to support teachers in delivering effective distance learning opportunities.

Most online tools such as Seesaw and Nearpod have online libraries full of resources shared by other teachers. Of course, personalisation is key, but there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Build on what has already been created for you.

Children are trying to manage navigating new applications, new ways of working and trying to be independent as much as possible. Don't expect too much of them too soon. Keep lessons simple and focused on one core skills with plenty of activities to practise these.

​Working from home is very different than working from school. There are physical environments and times that lead to natural breaks to grab a coffee or eat your lunch. At home, this is not always the case. Creating and scheduling times when you step away from your computer for a break are so so important! Be strict with yourself!⁠

No one should ever be alone. Plan weekly times when you can catch up with your team and peers via Zoom, TEAMS or even Whatsapp. This will provide opportunities for you to collaborate, share ideas and monitor each other's wellbeing.⁠

Closed activities keep learning simple but some children may rush through these and finish early. Keep some activities open ended so that children can engage for as long as needed. Projects, investigations and inquiries can support and engage families for longer periods of time.

Students may be unsettled and still trying to get used to a new way of working. By keeping routines and lesson structures similar, children will gain confidence and access learning more successfully. Make as much as you can familiar.

Zoom and many other video recording software have built in green screen functions meaning you place yourself in many exotic setting from the comfort of your own home to really hook your children in to your lessons. Adam Hill has some great examples to get you started here.

This easy (and free) video tool allows you to record your computer's screen.  This means you can record PowerPoint tutorials, lessons or instructions.  These can be shared with students so they can learn on their own and can be accessed at their own time.

Most resources which allow for live teachings like Zoom and Teams allow for break out rooms or multiple live sessions to be conducted at the same time. Bring your TA and supporting adults into these sessions to lead guided groups and targeted sessions to support your differentiated approach to online learning.

Most live teaching tools allow you to share screens. This can be used to share presentations as you would in class but they can have a far greater impact. Share children's work to celebrate and peer assess, share multimedia such as YouTube videos and use toytheatre.com to model mathematical concepts.⁠

Don't forget to continue to celebrate success and reward children for their efforts. Continue to use class dojo, virtual certificates and online celebration assemblies. Praise children for their effort and take into consideration children's family setting when celebrating each child's achievements. Not all may be receiving the same support at home.⁠

Seeing faces is really important for young children. Any way you can share your face when delivering learning - through recorded videos or live sessions will be great for their wellbeing. They love seeing their teacher's face!⁠

and finally...

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A post shared by Ben Cooper | WAGOLL Teaching (@wagollteaching) on Apr 15, 2020 at 7:01am PDT