Teaching live online (Remote Teaching)

Editor's Notes

• #7: Eye contact and screen presence How can you best establish eye contact with students when teaching remotely? If you look directly into the camera lens rather than at the screen, then students will feel you are looking them in the eye. This is particularly important if you have an external camera plugged into your computer that is some distance away from the screen. It isn’t so much of a problem with a fixed webcam on a laptop as the camera is placed just above the screen, but even here, if you focus on the lens it will make a difference and students will improve your online presence. Be aware of how you are presenting yourself on the screen too – make sure you are not showing half your head or presenting a weird angle, and take care to illuminate yourself well so you can be seen and are not in the shadows or too dark to the students. If you can face a window or point a light source at you rather than positioning it behind you will help.
• #8: Don’t just be a talking head If you want your online lesson to be memorable, then don’t just present yourself as a talking head (i.e. show just your head and shoulders when teaching). Stand up and move occasionally when appropriate. Use the space you have in front of the camera better, for instance, to show a close-up of your mouth when teaching pronunciation. If you are teaching more than one student, then make sure you give them plenty of time to speak and try building in pair and groupwork to your lesson. Remember, just because you are teaching online doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give the students as much time to speak as you would if you were sitting in the same physical space.
• #9: Body language You can’t move around the classroom as a remote teacher, but you can use body language in different ways. Exaggerate gestures and face expressions or they will be lost on students looking at small screens. You can also gesticulate, use mannerisms, posture and your stance to convey confidence or shyness when needed. Gestures in particular should be confident and clear when teaching live online. Students won’t capture small or subtle gestures. Think about your posture (don’t slump) and make sure you smile. A simple smile will tell your students you are happy to be there with them. Be natural, however, as a forced or constant smile will give quite the wrong impression indeed! Vary your facial expressions and you will better capture your students’ attention.
• #10: Use of voice How you use your voice when teaching live online is very important. Your voice is a valuable asset that will help you create mood, atmosphere and transmit emotions. You may not be aware that how you speak and what your voice sounds like can have an impact on learning outcomes, but if your students feel the teacher’s voice is patronising, loud, or monotonous, then they may respond negatively. On the other hand, if your voice is expressive and lively, then you will draw their attention and it is more likely your students will be engaged and motivated with what you have to say. What aspects of your voice should you be concerned with in order to encourage students to participate and learn? Varying the volume and speaking softer or louder depending on what you are doing will help you control the class. Changing the tone of your voice is the best way to convey a mood or emotion. How low or high the pitch of your voice is important. Try to vary the pitch and you will seem more interesting to your students. Varying the pace of your voice, when and for how long you pause and how quickly or slowly you speak will have a result on how students react to you.
• #11: Minimise distractions Keeping the attention of your students when teaching online can sometimes be a challenge. You can help by minimising the opportunity for distraction. For instance, make sure the background (i.e. what is behind you on screen) isn’t too busy, or your students will be trying to read the titles of the books on the shelves behind you, for instance, rather than concentrating on what you have to say.
• #12: Use of the camera There are lots of ways you can use your webcam that may not be obvious. You can introduce realia through the camera, for example, showing real life objects to illustrate vocabulary, etc. For this, it helps to have an external webcam that you can move easily. However, even with a fixed webcam, you can move your body backwards and forwards to simulate zooming in and out. Remember, you can also move yourself out of the view of the camera and show something else. A small portable whiteboard, for example, or puppets (particularly if you are teaching young learners online.
• #13: Be familiar with the technology Don’t use a platform you are unfamiliar with and know how to adjust the settings before you start teaching. There’s nothing worse for students than hanging around twiddling their thumbs while waiting for their teacher to adjust the technology. Avoid faffing around and unnecessary waiting by having websites and links to other digital resources open before the class and switching windows. If you do need time to do something, then plan your lesson so students are doing pair or groupwork while you deal with the technology.
• #14: Troubleshooting and the importance of a plan B Sooner or later if you are a remote teacher, you will face technical difficulties. When this happens, it’s important you know basic troubleshooting and to have a plan B. What this is will depend very much on context and what the technical problem is. It could be anything from asking a student to check their microphone settings or rebooting their computer (turning it off and on again often works wonders!) to rescheduling the lesson if you find it impossible to carry out the lesson because of, for example, connectivity problems. Experience will help here, but it is helpful to have thought things through so you appear calm and decisive if you need to. A useful tip is to always have an alternative platform available to use if you have problems with one in particular, for example, as changing the tool you use often does the trick.