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As the world continues to adapt to the pandemic, online teaching has become the norm for many educators. Working from home has its advantages, such as a flexible schedule and the ability to work in comfortable attire, but it can also present challenges. In this post, we'll explore some concrete tips on how to be an effective online teacher when working from home.
First and foremost, it's important to establish a designated workspace. While working from home, it's easy to blur the lines between work and personal time. Having a separate space solely dedicated to teaching can help create a routine and promote focus. Ideally, this space should be well-lit and free from distractions. Another important aspect of working from home is maintaining communication with students. Providing a consistent schedule for office hours and responding to emails in a timely manner can help students feel connected and supported. Utilizing online communication tools such as video conferencing software or instant messaging can also help foster a sense of community among students. When teaching online, it's essential to provide engaging and interactive content. Utilizing multimedia, such as videos and images, can help students better understand complex topics. Including opportunities for students to collaborate and interact with each other can also help promote a more active learning environment. It's important to remember that online teaching requires adaptability. Technical issues may arise, and it's important to have a plan in place to address them. Providing students with resources, such as tutorials on how to use specific tools or troubleshooting guides, can help minimize disruptions to the learning experience. Finally, taking care of yourself is crucial when working from home. It's easy to fall into the trap of working too much, which can lead to burnout. Creating a schedule and setting boundaries can help promote a healthy work-life balance. Taking breaks, engaging in physical activity, and staying connected with friends and family can also help alleviate stress. In conclusion, working from home as an online teacher can present unique challenges, but there are many ways to be effective and successful. Establishing a designated workspace, maintaining communication with students, providing engaging content, being adaptable, and taking care of yourself are all key to creating a positive online teaching experience. By following these tips, online teachers can continue to provide a high-quality education to their students while working from the comfort of their own homes.
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Two distinct concepts have come into my realm in the past week - and they both have something in common: nothing! Simply, this is the concept of "No More Zeros" when it comes to assessment and grading, and when it comes to productivity on a personal or professional level. NO ZEROS - at school To me, not assigning zeros on student work is a complicated and sometimes convoluted and misunderstood concept. Rather than giving away free marks to students, to me, a philosophy of No More Zeros means that students are provided with the opportunities to increase and ameliorate their marks. I do not believe that students should lose marks for distorting factors, such as handing in work late. Students might see a big ZERO in their online gradebook, but that doesn't mean they have zero understanding of the concept, or zero knowledge. In most cases, it means they didn't hand the work in! Who am I to determine this lack of engagement will equal a poor mark on a report card? Instead, shouldn't we be giving students the opportunity and experience to try, try again? Isn't that how we actually learn? “If you hand me an essay that’s really lousy, do I say ‘F, do better next time,’ or do I say ‘I’m not going to grade this. I expect a higher quality of work from you. I wrote comments on it. Let's set up a time, and we’re going to work on it together, and then I need you to turn it in next week,’” - Sarah Duncan No More Zero Days (Linked on Crackmacks) What’s a zero day? A zero day is when you don’t do a single thing towards whatever dream or goal or want or whatever that you got going on. No more zeros. I’m not saying you gotta bust an essay out everyday, that’s not the point. The point I’m trying to make is that you have to make yourself, promise yourself, that the new SYSTEM you live in is a NON-ZERO system. Didn’t’ do anything all day and it’s 11:58 PM? Write one sentence. One push up. Read one page of that chapter. One. Because one is non zero. You feel me? When you’re in the super vortex of being bummed your pattern of behaviour is keeping the vortex goin, that’s what you’re used to. Turning into productivity ultimate master of the universe doesn’t happen from the vortex. It happens from a massive string of CONSISTENT NON ZEROS. That’s rule number one. Do not forget. NO ZEROS - in work and in life I truly believe that in most cases "something is better than nothing". Doing one thing today is better than doing zero things! Of course, I think in general, we should set the bar higher for ourselves! But, it's not always possible, and it's not always ideal. We've hit a strange place, culturally. We've been in some sort of quarantine / isolation for a month now. Even if it hasn't been full on isolation, it's been a weird month. It's easy to have a few Zero Days in a row. Nobody is there to stop you. Many of us are able to continue working, but not everyone is. We all have families, partners, friends and neighbours who are becoming more and more accustom to Zero Days. Binging a whole series on Netflix doesn't really count anymore. So, are we getting ourselves, culturally and socially into a funk? That's why the concept of No More Zero Days is appealing to me. There is always something to work on, some project to start (or finish), some problem to solve, or some way to better yourself, your environment, or your family. Links about No Zero Grading Practices  Take good care,
-M I was emailing with a colleague today, and she was lamenting that she had to take over her husband's home office so she could work from home to do her Assistant Principal work. It got me thinking about the joke my husband and I have: we do not have a three bedroom house; we have a one bedroom house, with two offices! Legitimately, we both have our own offices because my husband owns his own business, and when we built our house I was working from home full-time as an online teacher. It's been a saving grace these past few weeks, as I've been working from home, and he still needs his workspace as well.
A lot has been written about office ergonomics, including set ups for working from home. There are many resources to help you set up the best workspace. Office ergonomics: |
| When I am at work, I wear my Apple Watch, and it reminds me once an hour to get up and move around. Maybe that's been my problem - I'm not wearing my watch at home! It's a great piece of technology that keeps me connected - and keeps me moving! |  |
There are many complications to teaching from home, so at least make sure you are comfortable doing it - and not causing any undue harm and stress to your body!
Take good care,
-M
Take good care,
-M
TeachingAndLearningOnline.com has a great page of resources on Working From Home. Check it out!
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