7 Awesome Tips to be a Good Teacher in the Digital Era.
Teaching is termed as a noble profession. Students look up to teachers for guidance not just in the subject but much more. Students consider teachers as assimilated sources of knowledge. They value the words of a teacher almost like gospel truth. The respect that students carry towards teachers is a special feeling that good teachers have always enjoyed. If you have been a good teacher, you would have experienced many such special moments. While you enjoy these special moments it will also remind you of the greater responsibilities that this respect comes with.
The COVID situation has pushed the dimensions of classroom teaching to a new space- the digital space. 2020 was a year of learning to get accustomed to the digital space. 2021 also seems to be yet another year in the digital space. The introduction to the new class on the online space and winning the confidence of the class is a challenge indeed. The first class is the most important one.
Here are seven tips that will help you in breaking the ice and still be the charming, respected, and adored teacher.
Google form: Circulate a google form to the students of your class and include questions that will give you a grasp of the strengths and interests of the students. This exercise should be done at least 15 days in advance and you must take time to study every response from each child. This will give you a familiarity with all the students before the first class.
2. Speak about the strength of the child: Let your first class be a surprise to your students. Let them know, how much you know about them and how much you are interested in helping them in their knowledge journey. Pick up a special strength of every child and touch their heart letting them know how much you adore that quality in the child. Every child is a beautiful flower, it is the task of the gardener to nurture it and ensure that it blooms to its fullest potential in all its glory.
3. Be presentable: The online class is very similar to the offline class. You will have to reflect enormous real energy. Teachers are leaders. They are always under the watchful eyes of the students. It is very important that you are presentable, chose a well-lit area, face the camera and establish eye connect with the students by looking into the camera, either of the laptop or the smart phone.
4. Read more: To make an impactful lecture for 40 mins, you will have to absorb content worth 160 mins. There is no substitute for thorough preparation. You may have taught the same chapter for many years, however, there will always be something that needs to be learned and updated. Every class is a stage performance, a live show. If you have to radiate that energy in every class, you will have to live your subject. Read more, assimilate more, and only then you can deliver world-class content.
5. Off-line vs online: There are a few changes, that you as an educator, will have to get accustomed to, especially in the digital era. The teacher in you will be alive, it is just that you will have to connect to your students in the virtual world. You will need a lot more energy, creativity, and innovation to deliver the same impact as an offline class. The transition may seem tough, but if the intention and aspiration to serve the students are intact, then you will make a very deep impact.
6. Use PowerPoint presentation: The first class should be the best. If you can be your best in the first class, eighty percent of your challenge is met. Learn to prepare wonderful PowerPoint presentations with graphics, audio, and video clippings if possible. These visual aids in the online space will give you a better advantage than a regular class. Your best preparation will ensure your authority as a subject expert to the students.
7.Ensure good network connectivity: Either at school or home, it is very important to have very good network connectivity. Video lags, audio-video mismatch, will disturb the class control and bring on lots of embarrassment to the teacher. A good optical fiber or cable network is very essential to be an influencer in the digital space.
These tips are curated after speaking to many teachers who have effectively made an impact in the digital space. These tips will make an awesome impact on the teacher-student relationship in the virtual world.