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The Most Important Quality of an Online Teacher

April 28, 2020 / Oskar Cymerman

I recently came across Excellent Online Teaching: Effective Strategies For A Successful Semester Online - a short book written by Aaron Johnson that inspired me to write this post and improve my online teaching.

To be honest I was not looking for help with online teaching. I thought I was doing well. I still think I am but after reading the book I see that my limited experience with online teaching has led to me overlooking some things and not emphasizing other important aspects of online instruction. I realized there’s no getting around the fact that while I’ve been doing blended learning for about 4 years now I’m still pretty fresh to this distance learning thing.

The author of the book has been doing it for fifteen years. First as an online high school teacher and now as the technical advisor and faculty developer at the Denver Seminary helping instructors create better online classes and become better online teachers. I suppose this is a pretty vague job description…

What appealed to me in Excellent Online Teaching was the apparent lack of flashy digital activity how tos. Instead of calls and rationales for the use of cutting edge edtech, Johnson focuses on building structures that lead to successful online experiences for teachers and their students.

He starts his book with the recognition that with the transition to online instruction teachers lose the framework they are used to and are now tasked with building a new one. The most important parts of this new framework are connection, communication, demonstrating compassion (or empathy), and developing the discipline of prompt feedback. Moreover, the author claims that developing a routine that allows one to consistently perform all parts of this online teaching framework is what separates excellent online teachers from the “just okay” ones.

And so, this essay is an honest examination of my online teaching so far - the successes, the shortcomings, and the work I must still do to get better at it. I hope you find some of my insights helpful in walking your own online teaching journey.

Compassion or Empathy?

I really believe the author said “compassion” but was going for “empathy” on this one. In the book, he admits to developing a very negative perception of his students because he failed to try to understand who they were and where they were coming from. He expected them to fit into his schedule and understand and adapt his procedures right away. He also failed to accept that students will reach out with (often the same and previously answered) questions for a variety of reasons and at various times throughout the day.

Class Lists

Over time Johnson discovered that printing out class lists with student pictures and contact information was a great first step to getting to know his students. Doing so might seem unnecessary at first glance as the rosters are always available in the learning management system the school uses. However, having well-organized hard copies of his or her classes gives the teacher quick access to phone numbers and emails making communication more likely. It allows the teacher to quickly send “checking-in” emails that show students the instructor cares and help make the relationships more personal.

Check-in Emails

In his book, Johnson gives the template below and encourages teachers to copy/paste it and send to all of their students as often as their busy schedules will allow. Just don’t be that guy/gal who forgets to change the name :o) - (he also encourages the use of emoticons such as this one).

“Brian, I just wanted to check in with you and see how your semester is going. I’d also like to know if there is anything I can do to make your learning experience a better one. Glad to have you in class this semester.”

I must admit that I have not printed my rosters (I will pronto) and did not think about regular check in emails. I realize they are time-consuming but well worth it because they build solid relationships with students which will undoubtedly make them feel welcome and motivate them to learn. Another benefit of keeping hard copies of class lists is the ease with which the instructor can make a note regarding a student’s needs, modifications, or life situation right next to his name and face.

Walking In Their Shoes

Another strategy that helps an online instructor build empathy for her students is to put herself in their shoes by clicking through all the links for each week and estimating the amount of time and mental effort someone who has no online learning experience and zero knowledge of the class content might put into not just completing, but also navigating the online environments she set up for them and understanding the topics and skills they are asked to master. Then, after she multiplies the above times the number of classes the student is taking and adds the feeling of uncertainty associated with the novelty of it all she begins to feel how overwhelmed and anxious they may be. All kids are different but undoubtedly some are plain freaking out.

Focusing On What’s Most Important

As a result of feedback on how overwhelming distance learning has been for many students I decided to stick to only one daily activity or assignment. I focus on one major topic per lesson (it might include a few subtopics), starting with a front-loading activity on day one that has formative feedback built in. The next day, students complete a relatively small (30 minutes or less) summative assignment that serves as the follow up to the learning activity. Some weeks contain two back-to-back formative activities while others might involve completing a three- to five-day graded project but, in general, I try to have 2 graded activities per week.

Here’s what my students will see during the week of May 11th (minus the arrows and descriptions I added for my readers):

Example Online Week in My Chemistry Class

It is important to note that for the learning (front-loading and formative) activities I choose online applications that are interactive - they allow me to create structures that promote processing of the content and make giving immediate feedback easy. Maximizing each activity in this way becomes important when one considers the amount of content we will never get to. And I just can’t let go of this belief that maybe focusing on fewer topics and investing time into diving deeper will lead to higher quality learning.

What’s Going On?

Excellent Online Teaching woke me up to the fact that no matter how clear my directions seem to me and how easy my structures appear, they will be confusing to some students and provoke anxiety in others. Johnson advises online teachers to assume our students “start each week lost, treading in a sea of links and documents” and it’s our job to “throw them a lifeline and get them oriented.” He suggests building a habit of sending out a weekly email to students every Monday morning to keep them afloat.

Following the author’s suggestion of getting students oriented each week but knowing that many high schoolers don’t check email regularly I added a “What’s Going On This Week?” discussion thread to the beginning of each week in my learning management system.

This is what my students will see in Schoology next week when they log into Chemistry. Being the one who set it up I could easily dismiss the image to the left as “easy to follow,” but considering the fact that every teacher does it differently I can imagine students have a lot of deciphering of what’s going on to do. I can help, it takes little effort and time, and pays off big.

Check out my first “What’s Going On This Week” discussion thread in principles of engineering.

The nice thing about a discussion is that students can ask and read each other’s questions as well as the answers I post. It’s likely students will ask questions that have already been answered in the thread. It’ll be important for me to not get annoyed or condescend but rather show empathy and answer with patience and compassion. After all, I do not know what other responsibilities and stresses they are dealing with at home and how much time they have to read every single thread post. All that matters is that they get their concerns addressed and that they are doing well.

Key Points

Being a better online teacher is not about the tech you use. Tools are important but people always come first.
Don’t just be empathetic. Demonstrate empathy by putting yourself in your students’ shoes every day and creating structures that help alleviate confusion and anxiety.
Print out class lists for easier communication.
Build a habit of writing regular quick check-in emails.
The start is the hardest part. Get your students going with a weekly “What’s Going On This Week?” communication (discussion, email, message etc.)

Resources

Excellent Online Teaching: Effective Strategies For A Successful Semester Online by Aaron Johnson

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Hi! I'm Oskar. I teach, write, and create to make teaching easier and learning simpler.

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Quick Tutorial on Delivering Killer Presentations

August 08, 2018 / Oskar Cymerman

The ability to deliver engaging, effective, and energizing presentations is a highly desired skill employers look for. These days, it is hard to find a job that does not depend on communication. In fact, as businesses use more technology, digital tools aided with effective presentation skills will be even more in-demand. Thus, it is important to teach effective presentation and communication skills in schools.

However, many teens leave high school unaware of how to deliver engaging and effective speeches, slide show presentations, or other multimedia demonstrations. This is perhaps best evidenced by the fact that many adults, myself included, can look at the graphic below and find a few things in it that will help them communicate better and deliver killer presentations.

Delivering Killer Presentations Tutorial

I use the infographic above in my new book Crush School Student Guide: Learn Faster, Study Smarter, Remember More, and Make School Easier to help teach teens how to deliver presentations. It follows creating and practicing for killer presentations. The lessons also contain an outline template students can fill out to create their presentations.

I believe the skill of presenting should be learned and practiced many times before teens become adults. This will allow them to not only master the skill but to feel confident and be more effective while delivering presentations as professionals.

The book that can help them with this and many other skills is now available on Amazon for $29.95. Click here, look inside, and see if it is for you.

You have the power to change lives. Use it often so they can change the world.

Oskar

Hi! I'm Oskar.

I teach, write, speak, rant to make learning better.

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tags / teaching teens, parenting teens, brain, sharpness, clarity, brain rules, neuroscience, presentation, communication

How to Practice for a Killer Presentation

August 06, 2018 / Oskar Cymerman

One of the best ways to learn something is to do it before you learn. We often try to become experts at something, or at least proficient at it, before we venture out and do it because we don’t feel comfortable doing it.

The problem with that is that we actually learn things better when we try them out as we are learning them.

However, feeling uncomfortable doing something we don’t feel competent in is normal. New things, though often exciting are sources of anxiety - we fear the unknown. This is how we evolved after all.

But if you want to learn faster, realizing that you have to practice before you are confident in your knowledge goes a long way. If you think about sports, you’ll realize this is exactly how we learn sports. A skill is introduced and then practiced over and over despite the fact the athlete feels uncertain and awkward. And that’s where the coach comes in...

My new book Crush School Student Guide: Learn Faster, Study Smarter, Remember More, and Make School Easier is meant to be a coach for teens, a mentor that allows students to practice what they are being taught immediately. This is why it’s not really a book. Most books do not do that.

Most books are descriptive. The good ones tell you how to do something and give you examples, but they don’t show you specifically how to practice, or provide the reader with the opportunity to stop and practice. They just keep going onto the next topic.

A coach is different. Consider what Obi-Wan did for Luke Skywalker. Before that, Yoda coached Obi-Wan on the ways of The Force. In each case, Luke used the light saber or the Force - he didn't just read or hear about them. A coach, like a Jedi master, gives you the way, shows you the way, and helps you practice the way.

This was the aim of the Crush School Student Guide. I didn't want to "just write" a book, because we forget most of the stuff we read from books.

I endeavored to create something that lasts and something that leaves lasting memories.

There are great books on learning and mastery on Amazon filled with insightful, science-backed, and useful information.

But if you're like most people who you read a 200-page nonfiction book a month ago, you can probably recall three to five facts from it, and unless you've read it several times, describing these facts with detail and examples might prove strenuous.

This is because long-term memories don't form this way. Rather, they're created when you use the information right away and in several ways. Otherwise, you might remember only the things that evoked the most powerful emotions and little else.

Knowing this, I wanted to create something (a book that's perhaps not a book?) that allows an individual to put what he or she is learning into practice as she's learning it.

To accomplish this, I filled each lesson in the book with spaces for reflection, planning, and application of the skills. Akin to a coach helping her pupils practice, the Crush School Student Guide helps teenagers use and improve the skills they're learning in real time. It doesn't say: "You should do this when you find some time," because "this" never gets done this way.

Below is an infographic I use to give my high school students the information that helps them practice for a formal presentation. The previous 2 lessons in the Crush School Student Guide walk them through creating an effective presentation and provide them with a template to complete to plan the presentation.

The lesson that comes after this one covers the delivery, because what you say often gets lost when you don't know how to say it well.

But right now, let's remind ourselves that Practice Makes Progress.

Practicing Killer Presentations to Decrease Anxiety and Increase Success

Just imagine how a teen might feel knowing that no matter how difficult something is he or she will eventually always learn it or complete it. Skills create confidence. Confidence in own abilities breeds motivation. Success follows.

I wrote many of the lessons in Crush School Student Guide: Learn Faster, Study Smarter, Remember More, and Make School Easier to increase my high school students' confidence. Now, I put these lessons in a book because I want all teens to have a resource they can go to any time they need to memorize 30 terms for a quiz, study for a big exam, complete a project, or create, practice, and deliver a killer presentation.

The book is now available on Amazon. I promise you that if your teens apply it, their learning and school experience will drastically change.

It begins here.

You have the power to change lives. Use it often so they can change the world.

Oskar