Organization
Organization is the first step to teaching confidently online. Organizing your schedule, work area, and your files before you get started will alleviate most trouble when converting to online teaching. Your schedule should be based on peak work times for you, as well as planned remediation for your students. If you are planning on having face to face sessions, schedule them around your knowledge of parent’s schedule. If you are teaching younger students, be aware that parents may have to assist students with the computer. If you have older students, you can schedule a time where parents could catch up on work. If you know that you are a morning person, take that into consideration with your schedule. A sample schedule is below:
| Time | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8-9 | Email check Parent Outreach |
Email check | Email check Parent Outreach |
Email check | Email check Parent Outreach |
| 9-10 | Staff Meeting | Staff Meeting | Staff Meeting | Staff Meeting | Staff Meeting |
| 10-11 | Feedback | Remediation | Live Zoom Meeting Group A |
Feedback | Remediation |
| 11-12 | Feedback | Remediation |
Live Zoom Meeting Group B |
Feedback | Remediation |
| 12-1 | Lunch/Work Out | Lunch | Lunch/Work Out | Lunch | Lunch/Work Out |
| 1-2 | Lesson Planning | Office Hours | Student Contact | Office Hours | Student Contact |
| 2-3 | Lesson Planning | Office Hours | Student Contact | Office Hours | Student Contact |
Secondly, making sure that your work area is set up for efficient online teaching. Have a dedicated space or desk where you are able to take video calls, messages, and conferences with minimal to no interruption. In your work area, make sure to have any materials you need within reach such as textbooks, teaching tools, and a file cabinet for student information (if not electronic). Last object to organize is your filing system. Some teachers prefer paper files over electronic files, others prefer to have documents on their desktop screen. Whichever you choose, make sure to have sections organized either by student or by content, making it easily available.
Preparation
Preparation for teaching online is best after organization. Spend some time getting to know the learning platform you are using. Make notes, and write down any questions you have for the system. Do you know how to... grade? Provide feedback? Contact students? Plan lessons? Take these questions into consideration as you navigate the system. Consider making a student introduction video, or a demo account so you can also see what the students side of your program looks like. If you don’t have a program that your school is using, research online learning tools such as Zoom, Google Classroom, and Canvas.
Execution
Now that you are organized and prepared to teach online, the next step is to do it! If you are giving synchronous sessions, try practicing to make sure your system is all set up.
Take a deep breath, and have fun!