Technical Challenges Teaching (Young Students) Online
As the last year has seen many educational authorities embrace remote learning, there has been a significant number of challenges put in place. In one respect, the expectations have been reduced in some ways, but the challenges have been increasing firmly from the perspective of the teachers. As hundreds of thousands of teachers are continuing to find their feet with regards to teaching online, it’s always worth providing some simple insights to make it an easier process. This is especially true for those who have been attempting to teach younger children. Let’s simplify online teaching.
Interactive Activities
There are plenty of interactive activities for younger children. Resources like ABCmouse are helping families with younger children engage with remote learning. The most important thing when you’re teaching young children is to increase interaction. And if you want to create your own, there are a number of step-by-step guides online.
Record Videos Ahead of Time
Interaction is crucial, but it’s important to remember that not everybody has perfect internet access. If you live stream every single class, you are naturally going to lose people’s attention, but the internet gremlins will always creep in at some point. Take the opportunity to record videos ahead of time, and send them to your pupils, so they can watch them as needed.
Regular Keep in Touch Sessions
There is nothing wrong with incorporating regular catch-ups as well, but it’s important not to put too much emphasis on it being a lesson. Make sure that you emphasize the fact that there is no pressure, especially if you are trying to do them on a semi-regular basis. It’s the perfect opportunity for you to see how everybody is doing, and it’s also ideal for you to show your face. When you are teaching children, they will not respond well to slideshows or images, it’s crucial for you to provide a mixture of resources, but also show your face.
Keep Videos Short and Sweet!
It’s important to keep your videos under 15-minutes. While this isn’t always possible, the reason for keeping them this low is more to do with tech than anything else. They can cause slow downloading, but also 15-minutes is a potentially long time depending on the age of the child and their attention span. If you have a lot to say, make sure you record short videos.
Stick With a Structure That Works
It’s important that once you find the right rhythm that you keep to it. Learning online is about finding one approach, and not changing it up regularly. As soon as you find the teaching style that works for you, continue to repeat it until everybody comes back to the class.