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Have you ever found yourself buried under a mountain of PDF files, course content, digital resources, and other teaching materials?
You are not alone — almost 60% of teachers feel stress and anxiety while taking an online class, and 30% think that it negatively affects their lifestyle and mental health.
As a teacher, organizing information before taking an online class can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. You can streamline your resources and create a well-structured plan to make it easy for yourself and your students.
Read the tips to kick off your next online class with clarity and confidence.
The first step you need to take is to understand the course requirements of the subject you’re teaching. Whether it’s physics, maths, or biology, have a detailed look at the course requirements for the final exams. You can do it in two ways:
Start by thoroughly reviewing the syllabus booklet/file. This document is your roadmap because you will find everything here.
You can use Google Calendar to keep track of these dates, including midterms, quizzes, assignments, and exams.
Read More: The Complete List of Teaching Methods and Strategies
A distraction-free area will get you going in your online class. When we are in a clean environment, our mind works more efficiently. Surround yourself with a calm and tidy place to organize the random thoughts in your mind.
The temperature of the room should be comfortable for your requirements. Rooms having glass walls can heat up easily during summer, so choose wisely.
A clutter-free workspace enhances concentration and productivity.
Instead of relying on pencils and paper, take the help of digital tools. This approach will also reduce the wastage of paper; so, put your efforts in conserving nature.
They are excellent for organizing notes and resources. You can find information easily after using them to create and categorize notes.
These tools help you visualize your schedule and manage your time effectively.
When you are tutoring students online, you have to take care of a lot of digital files. Your computer must be filled with Word docs, PDFs, and some haphazardly arranged files on your desktop.
Aside from the physical space around you, organize your digital space as well. Delete extraneous files and the ones you don’t remember how they got there. With proper arrangement, you can locate your files easily as well.
Naming your files is very necessary because without that you will probably forget the position of every document, and you don’t want to waste your time opening up every file to find the one you want.
For example, include the course name, module number, and a brief description in the file name which is readable.
Related Topic: Types of Assessment in Education
Apart from the course material required for final exams, students need additional relevant material to prepare for the classes. As a teacher, you must provide every supporting material your student needs.
After downloading additional files, organize them in separate folders for quick access.
The next step is to plan your study schedule. With a proper study plan, your efforts to organize your materials will be worthwhile.
Take time out for other activities. Students should be given proper time to rest and reflect on what they’ve studied. So, you should make a realistic and balanced schedule for your students to allow them to study in an open environment.
There are multiple online tools available to help us make our work easy. Once you are done with the pre-class activities, itstime to move on to the classroom setting.
There are dashboards, calendars and grade trackers available that ensure well-rounded learning for students. MTS mobile application contains an additional calendar that helps both teachers and students select the appropriate time to schedule classes.
These tools can also be used for group projects and study sessions.
To maintain this organization throughout the online session, make sure you back up your information properly.
Taking an online class differs greatly from a traditional one regarding teaching strategies, lesson planning, and even the classroom environment.
To make your teaching experience smooth, we recommend some tips for you to follow and apply:
1. Plan your classes ahead of time. Make sure you have prepared lecture notes and went through all the relevant information related to the topic you’re going to teach. You don't want any questions from students that you don't know the answer to.
2. Technology comes in handy while taking an online class. You should understand the nitty gritty of the online tool you’re using to take a class. Get a hang of the learning management system as well because you will be helping your students throughout.
3. Make a connection with your students. If you sound too reserved and strict, students will listen to you but won't feel comfortable sharing their concerns. You must develop a classroom environment where everyone is allowed to speak their hearts without judgment.
4. Plan interactive activities. As we discussed, your teaching schedule should be realistic and accommodating. Leave time for your students to relax and digest the information being taught. Have some fun learning activities where you learn more about your student’s understanding and plan the next classes accordingly.
5. Ask the relevant questions. Asking questions promotes critical thinking. If you keep asking questions in your classes, you will promote more engagement and participation from your students. This way, they will be involved in the class actively instead of passively learning.
6. Learn to prioritize tasks: To stay organized, make a list of everything you need to do and rank them by importance. Start with the most important tasks first.
7. Reduce distractions: To focus better, identify what distracts you and find ways to avoid these distractions. This will help you stay on track with your tasks.
For teachers, it is really important to organize information before taking an online class as it can be very overwhelming. Most of the time, teachers are juggling between multiple classes and different schools; they likely misplace some of the important stuff, including files.
Unless everything is organized, your mind won’t be at ease to multitask. So, follow the tips provided to handle your classes perfectly. If you are looking for an online tutoring opportunity, apply here to get started!
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