It wasn’t like students weren’t learning online earlier, but the pandemic necessitated that it becomes the only way for students to learn now. This crisis has forced teachers to adopt new methods of teaching because their in-person classroom experience is of not much use in a virtual classroom.
Although the delivery of learning content has become easy with automated tools like LMS software, the efficacy of online classes is still very low. Let’s look at the challenges being faced by online teachers that are making the virtual classes ineffective and ways to overcome them.
Challenges To Overcome When Teaching Students Online
Tech issues
The number one issue faced by online teachers is the different kinds of tech issues. Some students may not have a stable internet connection, others may not have good devices to attend classes. These could make it difficult to attend a live class and download or access learning material.
This can only be overcome by ensuring everyone gets high-speed internet. Additionally, you use a tool to deliver learning that is accessible on all kinds of devices and has a user-friendly interface.
Distractions
When students learn in school, they have a dedicated classroom where they come to study and have a serious environment that supports it. Learning from home is full of distractions making it difficult for them to concentrate.
This can be overcome by sharing the class schedule in advance so students can make themselves ready to learn. Moreover, ask the parents to create a dedicated learning space for students in their house so they won’t be disturbed during live virtual classes.
Decline in learner motivation
Keeping student motivation high in virtual learning is a huge challenge. Learning alone away from their friends and classmates can make students feel lonely. The lack of social interaction makes them feel disengaged and reduces their will to participate in online classes.
To tackle this, online teachers must interact with students at regular intervals in every session. Give them group activities to collaborate with each other and make them feel active by fostering healthy competition. Assignments should be based on getting them to learn together rather than just consuming information.
Pace of learning
No two students will learn at the same pace or will understand a concept in the same way. This means no matter what style an online teacher uses, there will always be some students lagging behind.
This can be changed by sharing self-paced online course material with students beforehand so they have time to go through it before a live virtual class. It will also allow them to discuss and get clarifications on topics they have read about through the course material.
Lack of interaction
Online classes are usually one-sided where the teacher is sharing their knowledge and the students are listening and taking notes. Besides, adapting to a learning style with no in-person interaction is hard for students. Teaching through a screen makes it difficult for teachers to understand student body language and understand if they have any concerns.
Teachers need to communicate with students and address them directly by their names to build connections. This will encourage them to ask queries and share ideas. Involving them by conducting fun polls in between will prevent the session from becoming a snoozefest and increase the likelihood of students staying active throughout.
Conclusion
This sudden switch to online learning has been daunting but can be handled well by teachers with the help of the right information. Use these tips to overcome online teaching challenges and get students to actually retain information from the virtual class. Let us know in the comments which of these helped you the most.
