Online teaching from home is a great career option in the rapidly growing digital landscape. It is a perfect utilization of your skills as an educator. It allows you to enjoy a great work-life balance!
Fortunately, there are numerous opportunities for educators to join online platforms after the pandemic. If you also wish to be an online educator, then this piece of information will help you to attain the skills required to succeed in this profession.
Your choice to work part-time as an online teacher calls for some prerequisites and skills.
Read further to know about these essential skills that can help you to become a successful online teacher.
Being comfortable with technology-
It is evident that without basic computer skills, you can never be successful in online teaching. So, before you start your journey, make sure that your technical skills are on point. I suggest that you invest some quality time mastering your tech knowledge and then decide to take up online teaching from home. Remember that your regular understanding of computers and machines might not suffice completely for this profile. Being an online educator, you will confront situations that will require some basic troubleshooting with the system over and above the regular tech handling.
Therefore, develop a sound understanding of collaborative internet tools, the recent technological resources, and know-how to manage the possible glitches while teaching online. This will be a great kick start for you as an educator. And you will be able to manage everything seamlessly during your online sessions.
As a part of a digital platform's academic team, you must also realize the importance of teamwork. So brush up on your tech skills and be a worthy member of your organization for a successful career pathway.
Skills and strategies to engage your learners -
Online teaching from home can be extremely fruitful if you know how to engage your students in an online learning environment. Your presence should be strong and effective for students while delivering synchronous classes. For independent students who prefer asynchronous learning mode, they must know how to get in touch with you in case of doubts. Remember that your students' level of engagement is determined by your excellence of instructional delivery. Moreover, the online pedagogies you choose to conduct your classes should support realizing the broad educational goals.
While you work part-time, your asynchronous preparations can easily help your students thrive within the digital learning environment. You can make use of recorded lectures, discussion forums, videos, and practice worksheets, etc., to support a substantial learning experience for your students. Additionally, you should always be open to answering their queries as and when you receive these through e-mails.
You can also help yourself out by seeking the assistance of your colleagues to know the best ways of imparting engaging instructions to students. Teamwork and the zeal to improve will help you succeed as an online educator.
Time management and the ability to plan ahead
To make the most of your online teaching from home, you need to get all set to sharpen your axe with 21st-century skillsets. Time management is one such skill that can boost your teaching efficiency and improve your credibility as a teacher. So, focus on creating a realistic schedule and try to adhere to it to the maximum. Jot down and prioritize your work and never forget to keep this record handy with you all the time.
Cater to all the aspects of your professional life equally and always avoid lopsided planning. Most importantly, avoid things piling up on your side. Your technical skills are helpful in planning and designing your activities. It is also a great idea to add the items you wish to improve/learn on your part in these schedules.
Once you master the art of time management, you will be more confident about handling your deadlines as a professional. Remember that online teaching requires a sense of ownership in terms of managing things remotely. And by being organized, your battle will be half won!
A zeal to foster creativity
When you work part-time, you have the added privilege of tailoring your schedules as per your lifestyle. Through an accredited online school, virtual education is an excellent opportunity for you to open up your thoughts for new and creative teaching ways. The best part about an online curriculum is that it aims at new-age skill-building. And in a way, it also fosters creativity in students.
Your variations in planning lessons, introducing topics, and executing group activities can unleash your creative side. This is a great way of encouraging your students to inculcate creativity in their routine tasks.
Therefore, make sure to come up with 'out of the box' ideas and creative ways of problem-solving in your classes.
Proactive with feedback
The last skill in our list for effective online teaching from home is giving proactive and constructive feedback. In the best online high school or any virtual learning platform for that matter, the teacher must know how to differentiate between 'procrastination' and genuine reasons for the delay. As your students spend a lot of time without your real-time presence, your skills to gauge their performance play a vital role here. You should know when to jump in and interfere. Because this is what helps your students to overcome their academic gaps and procrastination habits during online learning
Subject-matter expertise and passion for teaching
Be it online teaching or face-to-face teaching, your expertise in the subject and passion are essential to reach the expected level of excellence. Brush up your knowledge from time to time and never miss any opportunity to improve your skills. Other than your basic computer skills, your knowledge of the subject matter also leaves a lasting impact on your students.
Ending Thoughts
Online teaching requires additional skillsets that make remote learning a successful endeavor. Hope this information helped you to find a way to make your online teaching rewarding.
Here I end this one with Brad Henry's legendary quote:
"A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning."
Happy teaching!!
Edwin Lim
Apr 27, 2021
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