By Michael Feder
In recent years, we have seen a profound change in the way students learn and teachers teach. The proliferation of digital technologies has set the stage for online colleges and universities, a development that has made education more accessible across the board.
Before the pandemic, we were seeing gradual growth of online schools and universities; the outbreak of COVID-19 only accelerated the process. Lockdowns and social distancing protocols forced students and teachers to adopt new technologies in their learning processes.
At every educational level, students can be found logging in to online school that would otherwise have been taught in person. A laptop computer, a webcam and a microphone have replaced the blackboard, the pencil and the notebook.
A changing world can bring many benefits and opportunities, particularly in the realm of education. At the same time, the rapid digitization of education has left many teachers and students feeling like something is missing.
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In this article, we’ll talk about some of the challenges teachers face in virtual learning and the skills that can help overcome them. Exploring the issue of remote education from both the teacher and student perspectives, we’ll discover some essential skills for making virtual learning a success for everyone.
Considering nearly everyone has a phone or other telecommunication device at their disposal, you’d think people would have an easier time communicating. But it’s just not that simple.
Virtual learning presents several technical and psychological challenges that can hinder communication between teachers and students. On a technical level, breakdowns in internet connectivity, communication software and devices can lead to disruptions that make communication difficult.
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Here are some tips to improve communication and collaboration skills for online learning:
Here’s why communication and collaboration are important online learning skills for students and teachers.
For teachers:
Many teachers were unprepared for the shift to online learning. Developing strong communication skills can help make that shift easier.
How teachers can help students:
In traditional, in-person education settings, students and teachers have ample opportunity to interact and fine-tune the overall experience. A student can stay after class to go over homework with an instructor, who may also pull a student aside to have an impromptu chat about how the class is going.
Remote learning reduces opportunities for these kinds of spontaneous interactions that facilitate a successful education. Immediately after class, many students and teachers leave the group call, take off their headphones and slam their laptops shut. That doesn’t do anyone any favors.Ěý
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Whether you’re a student or a teacher, taking the initiative can spell the difference between maintaining crucial, person-to-person interactions during remote learning or not.Ěý
Here are a few reasons why taking the initiative is important for students and teachers.
For teachers:
How teachers can help students:
Starting these conversations can make the difference for students who may be struggling.Ěý
When students and teachers observe the same schedule in a school or university, literally traveling together from classroom to classroom, it can be easy to manage time over the day. Such consistency benefits both students and teachers.
The advent of online classes and virtual schooling, however, has strained or even obliterated such consistency. A fluid schedule seems appealing at first, allowing students to wake up just a few minutes before class begins or using class time to do outside work. But over time, the lack of consistency can wreak havoc on academic results.
How can students and teachers develop and maintain good time-management habits? Read on.
For teachers:
How teachers can help students:
It might be too much to ask students and teachers to act as if the demands of virtual schooling are the same as those of in-person learning. Many virtual schooling measures were implemented quickly, and they shift responsibility to both students and teachers when it comes to making necessary adjustments. That can be a tall order.
By that same token, however, this unprecedented time also brings new opportunities for making and reaching educational goals.
While the course material might not necessarily change between physical classrooms and virtual settings, the lesson plans to create strategies and maintain engagement will be very different. When done well, students feel their goals are achievable, and that’s a win for students and teachers alike.
Setting reasonable goals for educational progress offers other benefits too, such as the following.
For teachers:
How teachers can help students:
Being a student or teacher has never been easy. Students are expected to work hard and get good grades while mastering a rigorous curriculum. Teachers are expected to guide students through the curriculum without leaving anyone behind. Taken together, this can require a lot of patience and flexibility from both students and teachers.
Online schooling exacerbates the challenges in this area. Developing patience and flexibility can be crucial online class skills for students and teachers alike as they help make the educational experience much less stressful for both.
Here are some reasons why remaining flexible and patient is important as a student and as a teacher.
For teachers:
How teachers can help students:
With these skills, it’s possible to foster a positive online education experience everyone enjoys.
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