The disruptions unleashed by the Covid-19 pandemic practically have affected every sphere of life leading to a complete lockdown all over the world. Education is one of the primary sectors to have an intense impact as all the institutions with both schools or colleges being completely shut down. Pandemic has distressed the academic calendar as teachers were working hard to finish courses and address queries.

The technological integration appears to be a blessing in disguise for institutions to maintain continuity in learning and hold onto their academic calendar. Online classes have become the norm for junior classes as well as senior classes

With the lockdown implementation, online sessions have already begun. As per some experts, teachers need more interactive sessions and be able to gauge the body language of the student to determine their understanding and attentiveness. 

Here are some online teaching tips for teachers to stimulate learning among students on virtual forums.

1.   Teacher groups: discuss among teachers through groups about the strategies to enhance the use of technology to its fullest. Exchange ideas, plan some methods or invent some tools which are already used in schools 

2.   Follow stepwise instruction: To avoid confusion, give students stepwise instruction so that it won’t be a burden for them. If u assign a task in a bulk student might lose interest and get worried about completing the task properly 

3.   Create routine: avoid complications and create a simple routine so that both teachers and students can follow it and reduce the communication gap or misunderstanding.

4.   Ensure health and safety measures: make sure that children are taking care of their health properly which is important during this period. Advice adults to look after the well being of children and provide a feasible learning environment. It is important for students to eat, sleep, and exercise whenever possible.

5.   Different working methods: to get rid of monotony implement different online approaches. For instance, students can work in pair or independently, communicate via cloud or messaging, group call, skype etc

6.   Provide alternative tasks: students don’t need to sit all day on the computer just focusing on the subject to study. Meanwhile, they can engage in multiple tasks like interact with neighborhood, spend quality time with parents, drawing/sketching or any other meaningful yet creative activities 

7.   Set timing to call: It is equally important to take care of the teacher’s health, so schedule a timing for group discussion, queries, etc. Tell parents how and when you can be contacted.

8.   Check if students are paying attention: In order to ensure students are paying attention, randomly pick someone and ask them to summarize what has been explained.

This is the time to take a bow for the teachers who are working tirelessly in setting up an ambiance which is convenient for student learning. From preparing lectures to motivating children, teachers are a real gem that needs to be treasured for their outstanding dedication and devotion towards their job.

While online classes seem to be here to stay for good, the technologies will evolve further in order to make them more ‘real’ and the trainers and students will also evolve to make them more interactive to get as close to a real classroom feel as possible.