What You Should Know About Teaching a Distance Learning Course
Distance learning is becoming more and more prevalent for K-12 educational entities. The Covid-19 pandemic led educators around the world to see how important being prepared to teach using distance education is. Today, I’m going to share with you key elements of distance learning. The key components are 1. Designing your lesson plans for distance learning 2. Teachers roles and responsibilities during distance learning 3. What role the student plays in distance learning 4. Types of assessment for Distance Education. The video below gives teachers a starting point on how to plan for virtual learning. She gives great tips and tricks on distance education!
This video gives tips and tricks on the planning process of distance learning!
❤Help! Where do I start in designing my plans?!?
Take time to learn about your students! This will help class yield a more productive environment. Look at your class roster, find out how many students you have in each class. Teachers need to know demographics and backgrounds of students as well. Again this information can be found in INOW and by asking for the data reports of your school. Cognitive abilities are also important to know as you start designing your course. For instance, I would review standardized data from the previous year in order to gauge what prior knowledge my students have. When you begin designing ask yourself, what is the purpose of this class? This information can also be known as Essential Content. Be sure to go ahead and assign specific dates for completion and schedule class meetings. This will help you and your students stay organized and help encourage collaboration. Below are a few extra tips when designing your class.
Give learner feedback forms after each unit (see the graphic 1.1 example below)
Use visuals such as diagrams and charts
Be aware of the font and size you use. This can influence how students read the text
Be aware or copyright infringements when it comes to sharing media
❤Ok, so what is my role as a teacher!
Great question! According to Roberts (2019) the main two roles are to be the technology expert and the instructional designer. Within these roles you are to create a learner centered classroom environment. A learner centered environment virtually looks the same as it does in the classroom. Essentially you are the facilitator while students participate in the learning process. Students interact with the instructor and other students to enhance learning. Respect for others is important along with making sure students understand their role in the class. Icebreakers should be done at the beginning of the year to help set the tone. Cercone (2008) offers a design for student based learning that includes the key elements: engagement, scaffolding, recognizing learning experience, facilitating learning, guide learning, link learning, collaboration and self reflection Hey are a few key elements to remember as you define your role as a teacher(Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2019).
Create a syllabus with your contact information and times you wish to be contacted (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2019).
It is wise to distribute material throughout the course instead of all at once.
- Synchronous ( lectures of small duration, discussions and hands on material) delivery is the best form of communication (Rehn, Maor, & Mcconney, 2018)
A number of factors affect the way students approach learning at a distance.The elements that need to be addressed according to Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek (2019) are: classroom culture (collaborative learning experiences), class etiquette (setting the tone), learning experiences ( prior experiences), distant learning experiences, general abilities, and learning styles (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2019).
All is well! Assessment activities should be incorporated throughout the course. Formative assessment is the opportunity to practice new skills and get feedback. Summative assessments are final outcome focused. Diagnostic tests are used in a summative manner to determine readiness for more advanced levels of learning. Feedback is a very important component to assessment. Feedback should be elaborative, balanced and specific (Simonson, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2019). Some teachers like to use Glow and Grow or Wow and Wonders. Which essentially is one positive and one negative. Always start with a positive comment if you can help it!
Below are four of my favorite assessment tools you may want to check out!
References:
Cercone, K. (2008). Learning as Creativity: Implications for Online Learning Design. AAC Journal, 16(2).
Simonson, M. R., Smaldino, S. E., & Zvacek, S. (2019). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Rehn, N., Maor, D., & Mcconney, A. (2018). The specific skills required of teachers who deliver K–12 distance education courses by synchronous videoconference: Implications for training and professional development. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 27(4), 417-429. doi:10.1080/1475939x.2018.1483265
Roberts, J. J. (2019). Online learning as a form of distance education: Linking formation learning in theology to the theories of distance education. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, 75(1). doi:10.4102/hts.v75i1.5345
Skyi, your thoughts on distance learning and assessment are insightful. Assessment can be tricky with distance learning when we don't want to just have students taking tests every time. Instructors need to be creative with assessment and make sure they are addressing different learning styles. Simonson et. al., (2019) state "instructors must assume responsibility to meet the needs of students who might be reluctant learners" (p. 174). I like how you recommended some of your favorite assessment tools to use with distance learning such as Book Creator, Powtoon, Mind Mapping Online and Flipgrid. Different assessment tools such as these offer creativity for reluctant students to demonstrate their knowledge while they address different learning styles.
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Simonson, M. R., Smaldino, S. E., & Zvacek, S. (2019). Teaching and learning at a distance: foundations of distance education. Information Age Publishing, Inc.