June 4, 2020 0 Comments

Getting Remote Learning Right

The COVID-19 pandemic has opened our world into looking in new directions/routes for our educational/learning system. There is the need to find alternative options around the #StayIndoors #StaySafe safety measures campaign to ensure the learning process is not thwarted totally and keep the younger ones fully engaged. Thus, the importance of the implementation of digital tools and skills into the educational system. Subsequently, school owners/proprietors/educationists have taken to the use of eLearning sites to conduct virtual classroom experiences and e-assessments with the use of online platforms such as Whatsapp, Zoom, Vision and Microsoft Office Suite.

However, educators/teachers are faced with the issue of capturing and holding down the attention of their students during the duration of the lessons to maximise effective learning. Even before the COVID-19, teaching could be considered tedious, because not only do teachers have to come up with relevant teaching notes and materials, they also have to consider how receptive their learners would be to the topic as well as holding down their interests especially for the younger ones. Much less for a virtual learning platform, thus it is highly imperative that educators build a healthy and suitable learning conditions for the learners and properly integrate the use of technology into the educational system.

Below are few tips on ensuring a suitable and effective virtual learning environment;

Create a Supportive Learning Environment: As an online teacher, you have to ensure that the avenue for learning is easily relatable for your students to achieve maximum success. Encourage teacher-students and students-students interaction. Start your lessons with personal introductions from your students, this will encourage them be actively involved during the lessons. Also, ensure you engage with your students from the start to finish of the lesson to maintain a conducive learning experience. Participants could also be shared into groups to enable them work as a team making sure no one is left behind.

Mix-up Learning Tools to Increase Engagements: It is no news that visual/graphic materials are attractive and are useful in holding down ones attention. So as teachers, ensure your learning notes, materials are well co-ordinated to ease understanding and create long-lasting impressions on the learners. This would require that as an educator, you have proper mastery of the digital tools available and be in tune with the fast rise in technology

Enable Feedback: The learning process is considered a two-way train, that is, not only should teachers pass information, the students should be allowed to properly process it, be allowed to build impressions, ask questions and even contribute; this way actual learning has taken place. As an online teacher, feedback should be encouraged during the e-learning so students can correct wrong notions or understanding about the topic of discussion.

Easily Accessible E-Learning Contents: Educators/teachers should ensure that their learning notes are easily understood by the students, reference materials should be provided as well to encourage further reading by participants. It is important to ensure that learning files and documents be user friendly across all digital platforms, that is, smartphones, personal computers, Ipads and tablets. This would demonstrate to your learners that you are an educator with a difference, in tune with the modern world and its technology.

Having inculcated these strategies into your e-Learning process, it is safe to say you are on the right track to perfecting remote learning. You can also bask in the confidence that you are dishing out relevant e-Learning materials for your learners whilst creating a positive & collaborative learning environment.

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