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Webinar - 5 online tools that will boost your classes 

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Webinar - 5 online tools that will boost your classes 

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Cecília Nobre - 5 Online Tools that will Boost your Classes

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This group is aimed at language teachers who wish to share knowledge and tips on teaching in one-to-one settings. The spirit of this group is to provide a collaborative, inspiring and trusted space...

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Bethan Edwards: Teaching live online using Zoom - Eaquals

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The webinar will focus on how to use Zoom as a live teaching platform for groups and individuals. It will look at the key features and how to use them...

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https://www.macmillanenglish.com/tr/training-events/events-webinars/event/laura-patsko-moving-your-instruction-online-fast

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Due to the escalating COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, many teachers worldwide find themselves suddenly required to work from home and/or teach online. We can't expect to become experts overnight, but we can learn the basics and continue to do a good job if we pool our ideas and keep in mind the learning principles behind our courses and resources. In this webinar, Laura Patsko looks at some of the challenges teachers are currently facing, she addresses some common fears and anxieties, and - most importantly - shares some practical ways in which we can continue to achieve quality teaching and learning despite today's extraordinary circumstances.

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Laura Patsko - Moving your instruction online - fast!

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Due to the escalating COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, many teachers worldwide find themselves suddenly required to work from home and/or teach online. We can't expect to become experts overnight, but we can learn the basics and continue to do a good job if we pool our ideas and keep in mind the learning principles behind our courses and resources.

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Resources for English Language Learners and Teachers | Pearson English

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More and more, schools are offering blended language and remote teaching options. There are lots of benefits of teaching English online. Firstly, it's sustainable, saving on transport, travel costs and it reduces the number of printed materials. Secondly, it allows you the flexibility to teach students when you're away from school and the classroom.

S o, if you're faced with a new remote class and you're not sure how to approach it, follow these six tips and you'll soon be an online teaching pro.

1. Find the right technology

If you want to become a great online English teacher, the first thing you'll need to do is find a reliable online platform or learning management system to help you communicate with your students. The good news is that there are lots of free options available to you.

Platforms for teaching one-to-one classes and small groups

Google Hangouts has some useful features. For example, you can easily share your screen, share files, write messages and talk on video. There's also a neat add-on which is that it provides captions. That's right, the platform actually subtitles your speech in real-time. This can help lower-level learners follow what you're saying more easily. Of course, it can be switched off for higher-level students, or during listening activities where you want to test their listening comprehension.

Note: to use this platform you'll have to use Google Chrome as your browser. To organize calls on Hangouts you'll also need a Google account. However, students should be able to access just with the link.

is also a good option and is free for group calls. In much the same way as Google Hangouts, you can share files, type messages and video chat. You can also call to landlines if necessary, but you'll be charged for this. Please note: You will need to download the program and set up an account (and so will your students).

With its video conferencing capabilities, is another popular option for those teaching group classes online. You could also try creating your own video lessons by recording your screen in Microsoft Powerpoint .

As with any technology, we recommend testing it with another teacher or a friend ahead of time to make sure you have a firm understanding of how it works. This will also help you train your students to use whichever platform you choose.

Specialised online teaching platforms for larger classes

Easyclass

This non-profit and free online teaching platform is a complete learning management system. It helps teachers with everything from scheduling classes, tracking due dates and assigning classwork, to running quizzes and offering feedback.

Moodle

Moodle is a free, open-source learning management platform that offers an integrated teaching and administration system to teachers and schools. It works on mobile and desktop and is free for teachers who will have 50 or fewer students. But if you need a more powerful Moodle site, you'll need to download the software onto your own server. Moodle is tried and tested, having been developed for many years.

2. Set expectations for student behavior

Students may not be used to doing classes online and might see it as an opportunity to relax (a little too much). It is therefore essential you discuss what's expected of them and what they can expect from you during the online sessions.

Bullying and bad classroom behavior may also be something you have to deal with. Whether you're teaching children, teenagers, or adults it's essential that you set out behavioral guidelines before starting a course. For younger learners, this can take the form of a classroom contract.

In this agreement, you should also define what cyberbullying and harassment is, establish rules, and make sure your students agree to treat each other well in forums and chats online. You must also make sure that students feel comfortable to come to you and report anything untoward. Monitor how students are talking to each other and intervene if necessary.

See Pearson International Schools' article How to protect your students from cyberbullying for more and check out these 5 things you can do to improve online safety for young learners .

3. Community building

Building rapport in an online English class is considerably harder than in a face-to-face environment. While video conversations are effective and human, they simply don't equal being in the same room. For this reason, it's important to build a sense of community among your students, so they feel part of a group and want to continue learning together.

Having a private Facebook or Slack group and making sure your students work together on projects can help overcome this problem (so long as you have created your classroom behavior guidelines).

is a freemium communication platform that allows you to add conversation channels and hold private discussions. It also integrates with other web apps, like Google docs - which is helpful when you want to send activities or share projects and videos.

Alternatively, set up a private Facebook group for your students (aged 13 or over) to discuss classroom activities. Be sure to get parents' permission, have a strict no-spamming rule and don't permit students to add you as a friend. Also, don't get sucked into spending all day in the group. Spend 15 minutes - at a set time of day - answering questions and moderating your class.

4. Manage your time carefully

It's all too easy to fill your schedule with online classes - and then find yourself overloaded and headed for burn out. If you're not spending time traveling to classes, it may feel easy at first.

However, you should give yourself enough time to prepare every class and plenty of free time so you can wind down between classes.

5. Make the most of free online resources

There are hundreds of free online resources for online English teachers and their students. We've mentioned several useful resources already, including , Google Hangouts , Google Docs .

6. Collaborate with other English teachers

Many online teachers find they feel a little isolated. It's a good idea to join local meetups or online communities. There you can share tips, talk with other teachers and have a staffroom experience - only online!

There are a number of popular international Facebook and LinkedIn groups you can join for free. Make sure to introduce yourself to your fellow members, if you do!

Distance Teaching and Learning: Useful Tips for Making it Work

If you are looking for more tips and advice about transitioning to teaching English online, don't miss our with Dr. Ken Beatty .

During the session he'll explore how to get organized, plan effectively, stay motivated and keep learners engaged. He'll also be answering some key questions about online distance learning such as:

What can I do if I'm not a computer-savvy teacher?

How do online lessons differ from face-to-face lessons?

How should I schedule classes for different age groups and at different levels, and how often?

What are creative ways to use chat and social media to help students engage with each other?

What technical tools, such as platforms, make teaching and learning easier?

When do they take place?

We currently have three one hour sessions available at the following times:

1. March 17, 2020 12:00 p.m. (GMT)
Register now!
2. March 18, 2020 10:00 a.m. (GMT)

3. March 18, 2020 5:00 p.m. (GMT)
You can also register to watch all our distance learning webinars here.
Have you got any questions or doubts about teaching online? Let us know in the comments!

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Six top tips for teaching English online

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More and more, schools are offering blended language and remote teaching options. There are lots of benefits of teaching English online. Firstly, it's sustainable, saving on transport, travel costs and it reduces the number of printed materials. Secondly, it allows you the flexibility to teach students when you're away from school and the classroom.

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My webinar presentation - 5 tools to boost your online classes

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My webinar presentation - 5 tools to boost your online classes

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWOCElwsiHU

https://spark.adobe.com/page/ylPx5xR8Qw26L/

https://spark.adobe.com/sp/design/video/14311e06-2396-46d6-961c-8bff866c890b/play

https://ideapod.com/the-90-most-unpopular-opinions-people-are-sharing-on-the-internet/

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Recently, as you'll be very aware, some teachers around the world have been thrust into teaching online without much training or time to prepare. Kate Knight, the Director of Studies at International House Milan, described this situation in a recent episode of the TEFL Commute Podcast. The coronavirus has forced some teachers to come to terms with a whole new way of teaching almost overnight.

And while I wouldn't consider myself to be an expert on online teaching, I've been giving lessons on the Internet for a few years now, and I thought I'd share some of my suggestions with you in case you've suddenly found yourself doing the same.

1 Look after your voice

I'm not a particularly loud person in general, but with time I've developed my 'teacher voice' so I can hold a room and get the students attention. But interestingly, even though it should be easier to speak online as I have a microphone centimetres from my mouth, I've noticed that I actually need to project more. I'm still trying to figure out why, but it may be because I have less body language to rely on so having a consistency in the voice is even more important than face-to-face. So if you find that too, make sure that you care for your voice when you're not teaching.

2 Use your hands

As I said, you'll have less body language to rely on, and less space to operate in. I have found that how I use my hands to demonstrate verb tenses, for example, is even more useful online than offline. In a classroom with a whiteboard behind me I can quickly turn around and draw a timeline, but I often find it easier to demonstrate this physically when I'm online. Another example would be using your fingers to demonstrate word or sentence stress, with each finger substituting for a syllable or word. The fact that you are close to the camera makes this technique even more effective than it does in a large classroom

3 Work on your setup

Do your best to make your technical setup the best you can. If your Internet connection isn't great, make sure that there are no other apps draining your bandwidth. This means you might have to ask whoever you live with to stop watching Netflix for a bit while you're working! Wear headphones so there is no risk of echo and feedback and you have a microphone closer to your mouth. Minimise background noise as much as you can so you might have to turn off that loud air conditioner in favour of a small fan, or close the window so the busy traffic outside doesn't make you difficult to hear. Always think of the students experience and don't make it more difficult than it needs to be.

4 Exploit the technology available

I use Zoom to teach online as I think it's the best platform I've used so far. There are a lot of things I like about it, but my favourite feature is how it handles screensharing. You can choose which specific application you want to share, as opposed to sharing your whole desktop, and you can allow the students to hear the sound from that app. So you could share your browser and they can hear as well as watch the video. But even better than that, what it means is that you can create a powerpoint presentation with all the content of the lesson, including embedded audio and videos and use that as the basis of the entire lesson without needing to jump from one application to another. By digging into the platform and trying out different options, you can do things that otherwise seemed impossible.

5 Prepare

Of course, in order to do things like the above, you have to prepare. Obviously, we need to prepare all of our lessons wherever we teach them, but with my experience, nowadays I don't need to do a great deal of prep when I'm teaching with a coursebook. That's not the same with my online lessons, where I have to be more careful about how I carry out the tasks that in my face-to-face classes, I can do on autopilot. I make sure that everything is ready and working in advance because, while there are a lot of things you can do with online teaching, you don't have the flexibility that you have in person, so extra careful prep is essential.

6 Have a back channel

As great as Zoom is, nothing is perfect. Make sure you have another way of communicating with your learners. For me, that's always using Whatsapp. My online students are all Brazilians and there are very few of them that don't use it, so it's my usual method of communicating with them outside of the lessons. Sometimes the internet goes down, or their image freezes for unknown reasons, or they can't hear you but you can hear them etc, so you need to be ready with an alternative way of contacting them quickly. Plus it's a useful way of sending them things during the lesson. I often send my learners comprehension questions to their phone so they can look at them easily while watching a video.

7 Don't be complacent

Just because you can teach in shorts and no one can see your legs (this may be the best thing about teaching online 😉 ), doesn't mean that you aren't just as responsible for giving a great lesson as you would be in a traditional classroom. So dress appropriately, make sure you show up on time, and follow up on homework. The means may have changed, but the job hasn't.

There is a real possibility that teaching online will become even more important in the future, so these tips might end up being more useful for you then you realise! In my next post, I explain why.

This was the third of my posts on online teaching:
Part two explained why I think online teaching is going to be more important in the future.
Part three gave advice on getting ready for our digital future.
This post was soundtracked by:

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Recently, as you'll be very aware, some teachers around the world have been thrust into teaching online without much training or time to prepare. Kate Knight, the Director of Studies at International House Milan, described this situation in a recent episode of the TEFL Commute Podcast.

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Tools to support remote teaching and learning

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Tools to support remote teaching and learning

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Remote teaching creates huge opportunities for effective learning and collaboration outside the classroom. It is important to keep the following in mind before you explore the various online tools available:

The focus should be on pedagogy and learning, rather than technology.

All the tools still require the skill, experience and expertise of a teacher.

They may involve approaches and techniques that you would not normally use.

The tools you choose should be in line with any school eSafety policy.

Interaction and engagement

With remote learning there are real concerns about loneliness, welfare and lack of interaction. It is important to find a way of keeping everyone in contact. You could do this by running a discussion forum or chat group. If your school has a learning platform or learning management tool you could use this. It does not matter what the platform is - the impact is in how you use it.

Look for ways to establish routines that allow everyone to get organised and be engaged. Remember to motivate learners. Written feedback can sometimes come across as harsher criticism than spoken feedback, so are there ways to use video tools instead? How can learners overcome potential issues in responding? And how can you make sure nobody feels isolated online?

Individual and collaborative work

One of the most effective ways to support remote teaching and learning is to give every learner an opportunity to deliver a topic area. For example, you could divide up the current areas of study and ask learners to teach the rest of the class. This may be as individuals or in small groups. You could ask learners to hold a seminar and include online tools to engage their audience. They might, for example, deliver a short, interactive presentation covering key information and then follow that up with an online challenge to gather feedback and assess understanding.

There are different ways of approaching this. A class could meet online one day, share their challenges and then agree to meet a few days later to explore their findings. The role of the teacher is key to establish and drive the learning expectations. However, there is a huge opportunity to open up the work further to the learners themselves.

IT requirements

No specific hardware or software is required beyond an internet connection. Standard office software tools are particularly effective to collate ideas online and develop collaborative responses. Here learners will develop skills for their future working life at the same time as completing their school work.

Below we list some of the online tools available for different teaching and learning purposes. Take advantage of the opportunities for creative solutions. Do not let a lack of familiarity with the tools or approaches be a barrier to trying something new - have the confidence to try them out. Also, stretch your learners and ask for their suggestions and ideas. And finally, keep classes talking, sharing and collaborating.

Cambridge International is not responsible for the content of external websites. We are sharing the links below as useful examples only.

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Tools to support remote teaching and learning

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Remote teaching creates huge opportunities for effective learning and collaboration outside the classroom. It is important to keep the following in mind before you explore the various online tools available: The focus should be on pedagogy and learning, rather than technology. All the tools still require the skill, experience and expertise of a teacher.

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Moving a school online: reflections from week one of using Zoom

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Moving a school online: reflections from week one of using Zoom

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10 teaching strategies to support students and help them continue to learn during this time of uncertainty

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10 teaching strategies to support students and help them continue to learn during this time of uncertainty

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Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

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On the day when
the weight deadens
on your shoulders
and you stumble,
may the clay dance
to balance you.

-- John O'Donohue

A few years ago, a student of mine lost his father to an unexpected illness that took a wrong turn. Two days later my student came to class. Surprised, I let my student know that if he needed to take time off to be with his family, I would later work with him to help him catch up on materials he would miss. I was giving him permission to be absent from class. He didn't want to. In fact, he said that being in class helped him forget about his problems.

His reason resonated with me. As a student, and even now as a teacher, being in class has always offered me a sanctuary where I could tune down everything else and immerse myself in a community of knowledge seekers, if only for a few hours each week.

Today, growing numbers of colleges and universities all across the country -- including Dartmouth College, Rice University and Stanford University, among many others -- are temporarily canceling their face-to-face classes to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 situation. The conversations on our campuses, as well as on professional Listservs, have turned to the topic of academic continuity plans as the nation continues to deal with the impact of COVID-19. As I look through the materials put together by various teaching and learning centers and instructional technology groups, I have noticed that the resources have focused almost exclusively on the hows of technology: tools to record lectures, create discussions and proctor exams. Yet while the technological know-how to virtually connect with our students is necessary, it is not sufficient to continue the teaching and learning endeavor.

Beyond the electronic connection, we need to connect emotionally -- especially in times of anxiety and uncertainty. As a neuroscientist, I know that emotions are key to learning. In Descartes' Error, Antonio Damasio asserts, "We are not thinking machines. We are feeling machines that think." Recent literature affirms the importance of the affective domains in teaching and learning.

So I began to wonder about the impact such transitions will have on students and colleagues emotionally, psychologically and even physically. The current situation hits close to home for me. During the 1991 Operation Desert Storm, I was a student in middle school in Baghdad. When the bombing started, schools shut down abruptly. We didn't have internet or the ability to attend school virtually. One morning, one of my teachers showed up at my house, hand-delivered homework and reminded me to keep studying. To this day, I remember how her dedication and acts of resilience and hope helped me feel a tiny sense of normalcy during that turbulent time in my life. At night, I would sit by the candlelight to study and dream of going back to school and all the conversations I would have with my friends.

I do not question any higher education institution's decision to move their classes online or close their campuses. Rather, I am thinking about how we can teach in times of uncertainty and how we can ensure that our students continue to learn most effectively.

More specifically, I am thinking about students who don't have a safe environment at home -- for whom residence halls and classrooms have served as a sanctuary, students who have found a community within college, or students who rely on college for their sustenance and security. In other words, most students. So how can we, teachers, be that "dancing clays" to balance our students' mental and emotional loads, so that they may stumble just a little bit less?

Reflecting on that experience and my questions, I came up with a short list of what I would've liked my teachers to do had I been a student who was sent home due to COVID-19.

Email your students to remind them that you are still there for them.

Tell them how you are shifting your schedule to deal with the new situation and that change is part of life. Humanize yourself and make it casual and lighthearted. For example, you might talk about how, in between reading their discussion posts, you decided to start your spring cleaning, which you've been putting off forever.

Reflect on the notion of rigor and continue to challenge and support your students. As instructors, we often must balance rigor and support, and this situation might be one where students will need more support than rigor. Establishing continuity doesn't mean you increase the amount of work required of them. I say this because I worry that some of us might be fixated on the rigor of the materials presented. Let's face it -- the rigor may suffer, and that's OK considering the situation.

Repeat some of the lessons you taught in class. Especially for those students who are missing the classroom environment, this will probably help activate their memory of being part of a community and remind them that they are still part of one. For example, in your email you can say something like, "Remember when we talked about this and ..."

Use hopeful and optimistic language, such as, "When you come back this fall ..." This will help students look forward to coming back to the campus.

Offer students an opportunity to exchange phone numbers and, for those who are interested, help them create a WhatsApp chat group. It can sometimes be difficult for a student to ask for a classmate's phone number.

Don't ignore the elephant in the room. If possible, talk about COVID-19 and fear. This is an opportunity for you to remind your students to consider the sources of their news and to beware of the large amount of misinformation.

Remember that students have left behind more than just their classes and academics. On both residential and commuter campuses, there are important spaces where students meet and talk about their nonacademic lives -- sports, upcoming concerts, recently discovered shows and so on. Consider creating a community discussion board for them to share what is happening in their lives, especially given the stress, fear and strains in these uncertain times.

Let your students know that you are there for them and that if they need help to reach out to you. Let them know that you are (I hope) in touch with counselors or mental health experts that can help them should they need to speak to someone.

Most important, ask each of your students how you can help them. The Persian poet Rumi says, "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there." Likewise, in times of uncertainty and unknowing, we can create a space where our students' voice and insights can illuminate the path we are carving out for them -- and us.

Clearly, this is not an exhaustive list, and I invite you all to add to it in the comments section below or at #hopematters4learning. Think about yourself as a vulnerable student who is trying to learn and complete a degree on an already thinly spread set of obligations. What might help you?

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10 strategies to support students and help them learn during the coronavirus crisis (opinion)

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Mays Imad offers 10 teaching strategies to support students and help them continue to learn during this time of uncertainty.

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Developing rapport and motivating online learners

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Developing rapport and motivating online learners

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Last Updated on

We are seeing more and more schools across the US and the rest of the world enact temporary closures in an attempt to control the spread of the COVID-19 disease.

Closures are often accompanied by promises that teaching will continue to be done remotely. Unfortunately, many school districts and universities lack the tools and training to move an entire cohort of students online with little or no time to prepare. Below, is a guide of free resources and tips to help get up and running with your online language class!

A Guide to Distance Language Learning

Okay... let's jump into it! This guide will not teach you how to "move online" overnight, since that's not a fair or realistic expectation of faculty. Instead, we will give you some tools and tricks we are learning from our community of teachers that will allow you to

a) keep some level of engagement for a few weeks or months of closure and

b) continue to make progress, albeit not as quickly as you would in your own class.

We are assuming that your district doesn't have an LMS, or if they do, that you haven't used it yet. If so, now is not the time to learn every feature in an LMS!! Instead, let's focus on using tools that are either extremely easy to use, or even better, that your students already know.

Tip 1 - Managing Expectations

Don't expect that it will be perfect. There will be hiccups and that's okay! Additionally:

Breathe, it's one day at a time... embrace the experience!

Do not overload the students. Make your instructions short and simple.

Giving clear and interesting learning activities will increase engagement.

Reach out to your support team. They are there for a reason!

Tip 2 - Organize your class - Google Docs

The main obstacle to moving online will be logistical: how to keep track of all your files, quizzes, exams, etc... how to know who's completed what, and how to communicate status to your students.

Google Docs is free and easy to use. Create a master document, which you can share with your entire class ( how to share) and put everything in one place:

Tip 3 - Find the simplest possible way to keep a small synchronous component.

It's not realistic to think that you are going to have the same amount of time with your students as before the closure, no matter what tool you use. It's also, unfortunately, not going to be smooth: you should expect background noises, microphone issues, etc...

Google Hangouts Meet is free to use and will support up to 25 video participants. You can schedule a meeting ahead of time, or set up one up on the fly. Students join with a simple link.

This 2 minute video from Google is a great place to get familiar with this tool.

Tip 4 - Identify one tool for each skill - and make them asynchronous
Listening
Depending on what level and language you are teaching, Youtube has plenty of channels you can share with your students. Nothing, however, will beat your students hearing from you directly - whether you use Extempore or another audiovisual tool, record yourself telling stories, asking questions, reading the news... no better way to keep students engaged than to have them watch you directly!
Reading
is a great resource to assign reading activities that are current and can spark discussion during your synchronous sessions. These activities will also give you ideas for other tasks to set asynchronously. Newsela, unfortunately doesn't have all languages so we recommend searching #authres on Twitter for more authentic resources in the target language.
Writing
If you have an LMS, written assignments are the easiest way to keep all essays organized.

If you don't have an LMS, we recommend Google Docs. Create a folder for each of your students in Drive and have them write their essay there. See this great Beginner's Guide for Google Docs to get started.
Speaking
Besides whatever synchronous time you can get with your students to get them to speak in the target language, is a great resource to ensure speaking in the Target Language continues to happen. You can use timers and do oral exams on it, even, keeping a portfolio of responses.

Tip 5 - Make your life easy!

Your biggest challenges will be logistical. From barking dogs during a lesson, to your own kids in the background, to back and forth with students to try to find a time to meet, you run the risk of spending more time on logistical tasks than pedagogical ones.

So here you have a few tips:

Tip 1.- You don't have to wait for students to mute themselves on Meet. how you mute someone.

Tip 2.- Have students book office hours on your calendar directly using . This tool exposes your calendar to them and lets them pick a slot without the email back and forth. Just make sure you only make available the hours you want to be available!

Are You Using Extempore?

If you're unfamiliar with Extempore, it's a platform for language teachers to assign and grade oral assessments and activities asynchronously. In FLT Magazine's review they said the main advantage of Extempore is "how well it streamlines the oral exam and feedback process", which when time is everything- is huge!

Open a Lite Account for full access to all of Extempore, unlimited number of classes, unlimited number of students, and best of all unlimited training and support!

Webinar on Distance Learning for Language Educators

We are hosting a webinar every Tuesday & Thursday until April 7th! Join us if you're interested in learning about the following:

Afternoon slots: https://hubs.ly/H0nyKNx0
Morning slots: https://hubs.ly/H0nywFn0

Last note... Just remember you're not the only one going through this wild experience. Join the conversation! There are a lot of great tips happening on #langchat and #ellchat on Twitter. On Facebook, we recommend you check out Tech for World Language Teachers, Technology for Language Teaching and Learning, and Educator Temporary School Closure for Online Learning.

If this was helpful in anyway, please share! You've got this!

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We can't become expert online teachers overnight.

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Last Updated on We are seeing more and more schools across the US and the rest of the world enact temporary closures in an attempt to control the spread of the COVID-19 disease. Closures are often accompanied by promises that teaching will continue to be done remotely.

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Online teaching has been becoming more and more prominent in recent years, but for many of us, we've been suddenly thrown into it due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The conversation usually starts with which apps and platforms to use, but it's important to remember these are only tools; how you use them is what makes or breaks the class. Once you've chosen your software, it's all about keeping the students engaged and willing to work together online. Here are a few online teaching tips to get you started.

Ease students into working online

With a new online class, don't throw them into a digital project straight away. We need to make sure that the students can use the software before doing any substantial learning tasks. But let's be honest, most of us don't read through instruction manuals, let alone remember anything from then. Instead, design some language tasks that have a duel aim of introducing the platforms as well.

Using a message board to communicate? Use an 'order the instructions' reading task for how to post to it, and then ask them to post their answers on the message board.

Using 'break out rooms'? Ask the students to quickly go into break out room and answer a short 'getting to know you' or 'catching-up' questionnaire with their partner

Using email to communicate? Start off with a quick introduction or sharing of what you've been doing since you last saw each other and make sure they're remembering to reply all (or not!)

Raise hand function in your webinar platform? Play a quick 'Raise your hand if...' warmer ("Raise your hand if you like coffee" "Raise your hand if you got up before 7 am") at the start of the lesson

These tasks have clear language aims so the students are still motivated to complete them. The real objective though is getting students used to the systems. If you don't make sure that they can use the systems early, it'll become a distraction later and get in the way of their learning as you move onto more complex activities.

Build their confidence online

One of the great features of online teaching is that many people feel more confident to speak out. For many standing in front of a group of people and talking is their worst nightmare, but those same people might be quite happy to post on Twitter for the whole world to see.

But, especially in the early stages, it can be easy to damage this. Without face-to-face interactions, criticism can be harsh and encouraging smiles can be missing. Be liberal with your praise and clear with your suggestions.

Use a mixture of public and private praise; a short "Well done with..." instant message can go a long way for boosting confidence.

Avoid correcting in public during the beginning stages of a course (on the spot corrections can be sent as a private message).

Encourage interaction on the message board by setting tasks that require students to comment on posts: find someone who used a word you don't know and ask them what it means, or tell two people why you liked their post (and make sure you are as well!)

Make sure you've introduced appropriate etiquette for your students to use online. Simple things like using an emoticon after peer correcting or giving suggestions can soften the tone.

Provide clear instructions

Giving clear instructions may sound obvious, but because it's a lot harder to monitor your students during online lessons, clear instructions become even more critical during an online class. Take your time setting up activities to avoid the loss of motivation that comes from students feeling like they wasted time doing something wrong.

Tell the students the objective of the activity. Keep it short and straightforward and aim for a sentence: "let's circle five unknown words"; "Let's brainstorm ideas for our poster."

Demonstrate the activity. If possible, show the students an example of the activity being done and 'think out loud' as you do it: "Here's a word I don't know, it's before a noun so it's an adjective..."

Show and say the instructions step by step. Recap the instructions step by step, ideally as bullet points. Keep your language short and sweet.

Check they understand before starting. Ask some questions to make sure they're clear: "How long do you have?" "Where do you post your answers?" You can set questions to the whole group to quickly make sure they know what to do and help recap for those who might not (websites like kahoot.com can be great for this).

Please visit our Learn at Home page to find online teaching resources and activities to help teachers, parents and students get the most out of learning at home.
For more tips on getting started with Online Teaching see Part 1 of our Online Teaching series.
David Stevenson is originally from the UK but has been working in Education in China for the past ten years. He is the Senior Professional Development Manager at Oxford University Press, Mainland China and his particular areas of interest are developing student autonomy with young learners and helping teachers take research and apply it to their classrooms.

Categories: Multimedia & Digital, Professional Development | Tags: David Stevenson, Engagement, Online learning, Online teaching, Technology | Permalink.

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Online Teaching Part 3: Tips to Engage and Motivate Students | OUP

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Online teaching has been becoming more and more prominent in recent years, but for many of us, we've been suddenly thrown into it due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The conversation usually starts with which apps and platforms to use, but it's important to remember these are only tools; how you use them is what makes or breaks the class.

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This a recording of a public webinar on online teaching, run by SLB members Anita Derecskei, James Venner and Sean Hutchman on March 20, 2020. It covers both synchronous and asynchronous modes, focusing specifically on the platforms Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Flipgrid.

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Acknowledge the limitations of learning from home

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Acknowledge the limitations of learning from home

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Teachers love their students deeply and want nothing more than for them to have a positive experience regardless of circumstance. So when thousands of teachers heard that they had a mere 24 hours to move instruction online, they naturally started working harder to figure out logistics. But many of us are perfectionists, and this is one case where we shouldn't be. As the country scrambles around for toilet paper, chicken breasts, and hand sanitizer, this is one area we should let go of a bit and perhaps strive for imperfect online learning. Why?

1. One day, or week, isn't enough time to plan an online course

So don't try to. Teachers who virtually teach as a career spend months planning, examining resources, and recording videos. This is not the same thing, nor should it be, as we have very little time to prepare and we will be planning and teaching almost simultaneously as we all figure out what it will look like. Many districts are limiting online learning to review and extension work, rather than demanding new content be taught as thoroughly and efficiently as it is in a classroom. Don't feel the need to overachieve beyond that requirement, as you, your family, and your students have other concerns to attend to.

2. Acknowledge the limitations of learning from home

Before you plan a 50-minute lecture on science theory, consider what it will be like for students to receive and learn in their environments at home. If a student has WIFI and if it's fast enough, they may listen. If their parents aren't panicking in the background about where to get food and childcare, they may listen. If they aren't watching their three younger siblings, they may listen. If their parents are around and forcing them to do school work, they may listen. If they, or a family member, aren't sick themselves, they may listen. If their anxiety is not through the roof, they may listen. This is a lot of if's. Don't make that 50-minute video if you don't have to. Remember ... imperfect online learning.

3. Consider assigning the simplest task: reading

When, in the history of being a student, have your kids had unlimited time to read? Consider minimizing your worksheets, packets, videos, and online lectures, and replace whatever you can with reading. Let them read for fun, for once, without the looming tests and curriculum schedule. Give them fascinating articles to read and host an online discussion board or chat time. Students without WIFI can still access books.

4. Ease up on rules

Limit tests that may time out with slow WIFI, extremely strict deadlines that may not make room for technology problems, and similar rules. Instead, encourage communication with you, and in some cases other classmates. This isn't the time to be more by-the-book or to increase emphasis on grades. In a popular article circulating amongst teachers in the past week, Dr. Rebecca Barrett-Fox suggests everything be open book, open note, and re-doable for a bit. Teachers accounting for the challenge of adjusting to a potential pandemic shows compassion

5. It's time for the mini-lesson to shine (again)

If you are still required to teach new content, communicate new concepts in small sections, videos, posts, or increments to allow students to learn in short spurts of time. That way, they can do ten minutes of work before helping their little sister. A five-minute video seems much more approachable than one that would have replaced a full class period. Also, consider allowing students to make their own videos and to post them, allowing for 30 mini lessons to be posted at once. This obviously would vary based on age and accessibility to technology.

6. Keep communication brief and clear

In speaking with your students' families, be clear about your available times and office hours, as you too will be dealing with all of the stressors of Coronavirus, including teaching from home without childcare. Parents shouldn't be expecting a permanently on-call teacher, so make sure they know when you are available and how to reach you. Reclarify the 24 hours response time you've always maintained on responding to parent emails (or whatever your boundary is).
Need help with online resources? We've built a list with over 70 options here. Feeling overwhelmed? Share your thoughts on imperfect online learning. Join fellow educators in the WeAreTeachers Chat group on Facebook to get support from others just like you.

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Teachers, The Next Weeks of Online Learning Don't Have to Be Perfect

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Teachers love their students deeply and want nothing more than for them to have a positive experience regardless of circumstance. So when thousands of teachers heard that they had a mere 24 hours to move instruction online, they naturally started working harder to figure out logistics.

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In my second post in this series on online teaching, I explained how I think that the current coronavirus pandemic might speed up the increasing demand for online language lessons. And whether it happens or not, I think it is a good idea for any teacher, whatever type of lessons you teach, to start thinking about whether they could transition to online teaching. This isn't necessarily because you want or are planning to, but because you may need to.

If you are a bit sceptical about this, that's not a bad thing, and as I said in the previous post, I don't think that the demand for face-to-face lessons is going to disappear, and I would be surprised if virtual lessons overtakes them any time soon. But I do think it's wise for teachers to keep up to date with what the technology can do because of the potential changes in the market after this pandemic, the decreasing gap between what can be done online due to advancing tools, and the increased likelihood of further pandemics in the future thanks to how we are treating the planet.

So what can a teacher do? Well, here are a few things to get you up to speed...

1 Familiarise yourself with Zoom

Right now, Zoom is the best platform for teaching online in my opinion. This is mainly because it has excellent screensharing options, enabling you to select exactly what you want to share with the learners rather than having to share your whole desktop. It has other obviously useful features, including a whiteboard, the ability to share your computer's sound and you can record the lessons for later. Plus I find it very reliable, the students' internet connection permitting of course. Download it, have a dig around and see what it can do.

2 Reflect on your teaching style

Every teacher has their own way of teaching, and when you move online, adjustments will probably have to made. An obvious example is physical movement, so if you're a teacher who likes bouncing around the classroom, you'll have to think about how you'll cope with being confined to a smaller space. Reflect on how you could change what you do without compromising what makes you the teacher you are.

3 Analyse your lessons

Similarly, you should also start thinking about how the lessons you teach could work online. Some of your tried and tested activities aren't going to work anymore. Mingles? Not so easy. Throwing a ball from one student to another? Tough. But online equivalents are possible, you are just going to have to use your imagination and creativity. The same will apply to some of the tasks that are in your coursebook. It might ask the students to discuss something quickly in pairs, and even if it's technically possible to create break out rooms, you might want to consider if it's worth the effort. There are many other elements of your lessons that should be reflected on.

4 Do some reading and watching

Reading

A great place to start would be here with my TEFL Commute colleague Shaun Wilden's posts for OUP (1 and 2) which go into more technical details than I have.

Sandy Milin has written a thorough description of how to use Zoom (link).

Ceri Jones has written about moving classes online (1 and 2).

Tips from Graham Stanley (link).

Vicky Samuel has a huge collection of resources available on Pinterest (link).

Cecilia Nobre has her own resources collected together on Padlet (link).

Andreia Zakime has shared her 5 tips for teaching online (link).

7 tips from Dimitris Primalis (link)

Jack of Teaching ESL Online has a lot of useful posts, but perhaps most useful at the moment is his updated guide to Zoom (link).

How to Set Up a Makeshift English Classroom Online by Myles Klynhout (link).

Teaching children online, avoid 'edutainment' but don't lose the fizz! by David Valente (link).

Supporting every teacher: using a video conference platform for teaching online by Carol Rainbow (link).

Supporting every teacher: checking your students' learning by Anne Fox (link).

Online teaching CAN replace 'the real thing' (link).

3 ideas for synchronous online lessons on Zoom by Leo Selivan (link).

Teaching online- week one by Rachel Tsateri (link).

Developing online teaching methods for yourself and your students by Tom Garside (link).

Some Don't and a Few Dos for Teachers Teaching On-Line by Susan Lee Scott (link).

Making the shift to online teaching - Some tips and tools to make life easier by James Fuller (link).

The transition to working from home by Sandy Millin (link).

How to set up your home office by Julie Moore (link).

Joe Dale has created this incredible list of resources and tools (link).

Watching

Watch Hugh Dellar demonstrate how he teaches with his coursebook Outcomes:

Angelos Bellos with his introduction to online teaching (link).

Lindsay Clandfield and Carol Rainbow with Teaching online - using your coursebook and ideas for breakout rooms (link).

Shaun Wilden again with Synchronous Teaching: Taking your first steps into teaching live online:

Higor Cavalcante allowed us to access 3 hours of his training course:

Laura Patsko's webinar for Macmillan:

If you want me to add your post here, leave it in the comments below.

The future feels particularly unpredictable at the moment, so I would argue that teachers, no matter what you are teaching right now, should train themselves and prepare for the possible future. There's no such thing as being too prepared.

This was the third of my posts on online teaching:
Part one gave tips to teachers who were new to online teaching.
Pat two explained why I think online teaching is going to be more important in the future.
Photo from:

This post was soundtracked by:

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In my second post in this series on online teaching, I explained how I think that the current coronavirus pandemic might speed up the increasing demand for online language lessons. And whether it happens or not, I think it is a good idea for any teacher, whatever type of lessons you teach, to start thinking...

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Singapore schools remain open but they've been preparing for an outbreak for almost two decades

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Singapore schools remain open but they've been preparing for an outbreak for almost two decades

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Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore school kids have each owned their own thermometer.

"A thermometer is part of the stationery, you can get them at book-stores," said Yueh Mei Liu, a Singapore education expert.

The mother of two school age children runs an education technology startup, is a former teacher, and was an architect for Singapore's maths curriculum.

Singapore schools have been preparing for a viral outbreak for nearly two decades, she explains. Since the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003, schools have been equipped with tools and procedures to prepare for a similar epidemic, including the provision of personal thermometers to students.

During peacetime -- that's when there is not a pandemic -- schools run "drills" twice a term where students use their thermometer to check their own temperature.

As well as temperature checks, Mei Liu explains that twice a year, students stay at home and attend school online to practice for an event where they are unable to physically attend school.

"The idea is that everyone knows how to do 'e-learning' from home in case there is ever a lockdown," she told SBS Dateline.

"Now there is an outbreak, students are checking their temperature twice a day and in the event that school closure is needed, the Ministry of Education has prepared for students to be engaged in home-based learning."

Scott Morrison uses Singapore as an example

Unlike Singapore, Australia hasn't been at the frontline of an outbreak before COVD-19.

There has been ongoing national debate about school closures. Despite the government announcing yesterday that schools would remain open, some private schools have decided to close and move onto e-learning. Parents, too, have taken their kids out of the classroom.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has insisted this decision has been made with the best experts and that closing schools now would mean they would have to remain closed for at least six months.

"Tens of thousands of jobs could be lost, if not more," he said.

"The impact on the availability of health workers, a 30 per cent impact on the availability of health workers."

He made reference to Singapore's decision to keep schools open while managing the spread of COVID-19.
"Interestingly, this is also what Singapore has done. Singapore has been one of the more successful countries. In Singapore, the schools are open. In Singapore, they've been quite effective in managing and limiting the transmission of this virus in that country," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said yesterday.
Singapore schools closed during the SARS outbreak but have remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The country's minister for education Ong Ye Kung said in February said that when schools had been closed during the SARS outbreak, that was to "beef up our systems."

"That was when we made sure every child had a thermometer, every school gate had temperature checks and all school protocols were put in place," he said in February.
"That was the purpose of suspending schools (then)...but those systems are in place today."
The Singaporean government has rolled out an education campaign to teach students in schools and preschools about the coronavirus. The education minister Ong Ye Kung said in February that lessons will teach students what the virus is, how it is transmitted and outline two things they need to do to prevent its spread. Assemblies and other activities involving a large gathering of school children have been banned.

Australia does not have similar widespread temperature-based health checks in schools. Today, the department of health published a two page information sheet for schools and early and early childhood centres, students and parents about coronavirus (COVID-19), which is also published in simplified Chinese. Across the country, larger scale school based activities like school assemblies have been called off, as well as school excursions, camps and inter-school sport. Within schools, focus has turned to hygiene and social distancing.

Procedures are now in place

Janice Chuah is the founder and Principal of Concept Math in Singapore, as well as a curriculum specialist.

Her company tutors around 1000 students aged seven to 12. As a registered tuition centre with the Ministry of Education they have been following the government's guidelines. Their centre is staying open until advised otherwise by the government.

"In Singapore there are no plans to close the schools for now," she said.

The centre is disinfecting hard surfaces after each class, discouraging parents from entering the school and children fill out a government sanctioned travel-declaration before they enter the classroom.
Each classroom is equipped with an infrared forehead thermometer.
"Before classes start, teachers will go around checking each and every child's temperature, to make sure they do not register a temperature above 38 degrees," she explained.

"If they do they are sent home straight away."

The overall effectiveness of temperature checks is disputed, with Australia's Chief Medical Officer stating temperature scanning at airports would not be reinstated because it was found during the 2009 swine flu pandemic to be "ineffective".

There are differing views on the matter. Professor Stuart Tangye, the head of the Immunology & Immunodeficiency Lab at the Garvan Institute of Medical research, and told SBS Dateline that a fever is one of the key symptoms of COVID-19 and temperature checks would be an effective harm minimisation tool at schools.

"It would at least pick up kids who have a high temperature and are at increased likelihood of having the disease."

'Business as usual'

At the beginning of the outbreak, Janice said attendance at her tutoring centre was down as information about COVID-19 and Singapore's response became clear.

"After they saw the precautionary measures taken they are confident that we are offering children a safe place to learn. So in the past weeks it's almost business as usual, we almost have full attendance in all our classes," she said.

A report from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention using available science found short-term school closures did not affect the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"In other countries, those places who closed school (e.g. Hong Kong) have not had more success in reducing spread than those that did not (e.g. Singapore)," the report said.

Both Mei Liu and Janice have been confident in the government's response to the outbreak. Impressed with clear and transparent information, they trust the government's decision to keep schools open.

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Singapore schools remain open but they've been preparing for an outbreak for almost two decades

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Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore school kids have each owned their own thermometer. "A thermometer is part of the stationery, you can get them at book-stores," said Yueh Mei Liu, a Singapore education expert. The mother of two school age children runs an education technology startup, is a former teacher, and was an architect for Singapore's maths curriculum.

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Amy Kuperinsky | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Audible is offering free stories for kids after coronavirus closes schools

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From ‘Winnie the Pooh’ to ‘Frankenstein,’ hundreds of audiobooks await.

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Teaching online - using your coursebook and ideas for breakout rooms

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About the webinar The British Council is committed to supporting the use of technology for the continuation of education in a crisis. As many teachers find themselves in an unfamiliar situation of having to teach their classes online, with little or no experience, the British Council TeachingEnglish website is committed to providing as much support as possible to help you navigate your way through the world of online teaching.

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Webinar presentation from the British Council

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ETAS English Teachers Association Switzerland

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Welcome back! Log in to access all your presentations.

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Alana Kennedy on tips for instructors who are using Zoom for the first time ( Twitter thread)

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Alana Kennedy on tips for instructors who are using Zoom for the first time ( Twitter thread)

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So coronavirus, huh?

I hope you are all healthy and you and your families are well.

Difficult times. A lot of us are looking at ways of moving from face to face to online. Whether it's ELT or EAP, I am here to tell you that it can be done, but it will take time, planning and effort.

I have decided to write a few blog posts about how to transition from f2f to online. Before I start, a few rambley bits.

My Background & My Context

I have been teaching Business English online for about 7 years. I taught my last BE lesson this month. I thought that would be the end of an era...... but is it? I now work at a University and my main post is that of a pre sessional coordinator. So basically, I am working on this summer's pre sessional EAP course (pre sessional courses are courses created usually for post grad students who need to improve their academic skills before progressing to their chosen MA). Some universities are already teaching online, others are starting to look at that. So, any thoughts/questions/advice? I have a few and will be sharing them with you.

Material and Your Platform

Myth: I can use what I created for my f2f lessons for my online ones. I already have them on my usb stick. Piece of cake.

Sorry to burst the bubble but maybe not...

You cannot use all the materials you created for your face to face class, for your online ones. Why? Well, for various reasons. One simple one, your material might be on a pdf file that is not what is compatible with the platform you are using. You may have linked a video on a PPT (which works when you use it in class), but the video does not work when you use your online platform. So, my first tip.... Know your platform. What are you using? Design for that. Just because it worked in Adobe, does not mean it will work in Zoom.

Make some slides/sheets and put them on your virtual classroom and check them. How visible/accessible is the material? How small is the writing? Do you have students who have dyslexia and need different colour in the background? Do you have colour blind students who will struggle if your slides/ material have contrasting colours. How much space do you have for students to write on your onlinr material? Can you highlight on your chosen platform or do you need to highlight on your material. Do you have an answer sheet? Will you need an answer sheet that will be shared with you students?

Oh! Also, where is your learner? Are there restrictions on the internet? If your students are in China, will they be able to access what you are sharing? Not just the videos you have or the grammar links, but also the unexpected ones. For example, when a student asks you "what does XYZ mean?" and when you are in Europe, you send a link to an image or something. Can you do the same with your students in China? What can you use? My advice here would be to make a list of everything that you may want to use, check and find alternatives (Google images will probably not work in China, so what can you use?)

Devil's advocate

I know my platform and my materials are fine... Are they? Really? Questions to ask yourself:

Is this a one to one lesson or a group lesson? My focus in today's post is on group lessons.

What type of group activities can I use?

In an EAP context (that is what my context is) can you ask your students to hold a seminar? Can they do a reading/listening circle? You could do if your platform has breakout rooms, but in that case you will need to think about the fact that you may not be able to monitor all groups, so you need to think about how you could address that. Another thing you need to consider is if your breakout room has the same tools as your main room. If not, how will you work around it? Think about what you need your students to do in the breakout room and tailor your task based on that. Also, does your breakout room have the option of someone being a chair/ leader/presenter? Someone who will be responsible for giving permission for use of tools, who speaks when etc.

Other things to consider when designing group activities

Can your students collaborate? This depends on the functionality of the breakout room or your main room. If students were using the main room, I would maybe draw lines as to where students would write. That way you avoid students writing on each others work. You would also need to time the collaborative writing. Say for example student A needs to write five sentences which student B will correct and then student B will write five sentences which student A will correct. Again, think of ways to avoid having people write on each other.

Can they peer assess? Can they self assess? Here the answer is yes. You need to create sheets for peer and self assessments that can be used be used by you students during their group work or as part of their independent study.

Back to the Platform

How strong is the platform? What is your and your students' broadband like? Can you have multiple cameras on at the same time? How long does it take to get back into the platform if you are chucked out? What do you do if the platform crashed? What is your plan B and C? Does your platform allow recordings? How will you share them with your students? Any GDPR concerns? Is there a delay in the audio? Will you have loads of people speaking at the same time? Probably. So what do you do? Mute students or ask them to use the 'raise hand' feature. What happens when a student gets cut off and exits the classroom. How do you manage your time?

More.....

Time difference between your students. How will that work and how does it affect the dynamics of your group? When everyone is in the same time zone, it's easy..... What if they are not? Have you given your students enough time to prepare for an activity based on their timezone (sorry folks, don't have all the answers)?

Anything else?

Uploading material

If I were you, I would have everything uploaded on my platform and ready to go. Sometimes this can take ages and you don't want to be sat there waiting for stuff to upload.

Time management, My Platform and My Material

Now that is a tough cookie and I am getting tired.... So my next post will be about time management and online teaching. I hope I have helped you think about stuff. Probably haven't answered lots of questions, but asking them is a good starting point.

Thanks for stopping by....

Till next time...

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Moving to Online Teaching? The one about the Platform & Material

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So coronavirus, huh? I hope you are all healthy and you and your families are well. Difficult times. A lot of us are looking at ways of moving from face to face to online. Whether it's ELT or EAP, I am here to tell you that it can be done, but it will take time,...

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Here you will find guidance and ideas for delivering lessons and homework online as well as material to support your professional development and wellbeing.
Teaching from Home

There are many ways you can start teaching English from home. From setting up a virtual classroom to using social media to connect with your students - see our top tips for engaging with learners online.

Online Teaching Part 1: Getting Started

Online Teaching Part 2: Practical Tips for English Language Lessons

Online Teaching Part 3: Tips to Engage and Motivate Students

Watch our latest webinar on Synchronous Teaching

10 ways home learning apps can boost children's English learning

25 ideas for using WhatsApp with English language students

Explore our Learn at Home playlist on YouTube for more useful tips and ideas for teachers New

Online Teaching Resources

Online class activities for all ages and abilities at your fingertips.

Free access to 148 Graded Readers e-books for all levels, ages and interests.
Sign in or register for an account on Oxford Learner's Bookshelf to access the offer until 30 June 2020. New

Sign up to the Oxford Teacher's Club for online resources from your ELT course

Find free resources and word lists with Oxford Learner's Dictionaries

Visit our Graded Reader's Hub to browse and download extra resources to use with our readers.

Download free map posters, worksheets and answer keys to teach students about the English-speaking world

Discover our new Oxford 3000 word videos and activities:

Professional Development

Continue your professional development at home with webinars, blogs and expert advice from Oxford.

Epigeum are now offering two online courses for free: Teaching Online and Blended Learning

Upcoming Webinars

Webinar library highlights

Advice from our experts

Watch recordings of all the expert sessions at ELTOC 2020

Teacher Wellbeing

Take some time to focus your wellbeing so that you can continue to be a great teacher, even in demanding situations.

Thinking Thoughtfully: Tips for your Wellbeing - Blog from Tammy Gregerson

Tips for Language Teacher Wellbeing webinar

Wellbeing video tips with Ushapa Fortescue

Maintaining Discipline

Attitude of Gratitude

Take a break

Our Monthly Newsletters

Sign up to one of our four monthly newsletters and explore our archive of blog posts, videos, resources and activities for all age groups:
Support your child in learning English at home with tips and ideas for parents as well as apps and games that will make learning at home fun. Learning English at home is made easy with our range of online resources for students of all ages. Connect with other learners from around the world or find activities you can start straight away wherever you are.
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Top 5 articles from the Learning English with Oxford blog New

Explore our blog, and SUBSCRIBE to make sure you don't miss future posts. We have lots of great language learning content planned, so don't miss out.

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Here you will find guidance and ideas for delivering lessons and homework online as well as material to support your professional development and wellbeing. There are many ways you can start teaching English from home. From setting up a virtual classroom to using social media to connect with your students - see our top tips for engaging with learners online.

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Oxford Learner's Bookshelf | e-books for learning English

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Free samples for learning English on your tablet or online. e-Books for courses and Graded Readers. With video, audio, interactive activities and automatic marking.

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Please do a bad job of putting your courses online

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Please do a bad job of putting your courses online

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Thanks to the many of you who reached out to share that this post helped you through last spring's sudden transition to emergency remote teaching.
If you are just now coming to this article, note that this was published in March 2020. It's original audience is for educators, especially college professors, with little or no pedagogical or technological training in online teaching and who, during the early days of the pandemic, were unlikely to be able to get help from overwhelmed course designers or IT departments. As I state clearly at the end, this post is for that moment, when doing what might have felt like a "bad" job (not learning every new piece of technology, not editing your videos to reduce the "umms," not boning up on 20 years of online pedagogy) allowed us to meet the needs of students best. To learn how to create high-quality online courses even as resources and support continues to be limited in many ways, explore other posts on this blog, including the series Online-by-Design, which offers easy-to-apply suggestions for building online courses informed by compassion for students, respect for content, and sound digital pedagogy.

I'm absolutely serious.

For my colleagues who are now being instructed to put some or all of the remainder of their semester online, now is a time to do a poor job of it. You are NOT building an online class. You are NOT teaching students who can be expected to be ready to learn online. And, most importantly, your class is NOT the highest priority of their OR your life right now. Release yourself from high expectations right now, because that's the best way to help your students learn.

If you are getting sucked into the pedagogy of online learning or just now discovering that there are some pretty awesome tools out there to support students online, stop. Stop now. Ask yourself: Do I really care about this? (Probably not, or else you would have explored it earlier.) Or am I trying to prove that I'm a team player? (You are, and don't let your university exploit that.) Or I am trying to soothe myself in the face of a pandemic by doing something that makes life feel normal? (If you are, stop and instead put your energy to better use, like by protesting in favor of eviction freezes or packing up sacks of groceries for kids who won't get meals because public schools are closing.)

Remember the following as you move online:

Your students know less about technology than you think. Many of them know less than you. Yes, even if they are digital natives and younger than you.

They will be accessing the internet on their phones. They have limited data. They need to reserve it for things more important than online lectures.

Students who did not sign up for an online course have no obligation to have a computer, high speed wifi, a printer/scanner, or a camera. Do not even survey them to ask if they have it. Even if they do, they are not required to tell you this. And if they do now, that doesn't mean that they will when something breaks and they can't afford to fix it because they just lost their job at the ski resort or off-campus bookstore.

Students will be sharing their technology with other household members. They may have LESS time to do their schoolwork, not more.

Many will be working MORE, not fewer, hours. Nurses, prison guards, firefighters, and police officers have to go to work no matter what. As healthcare demand increases but healthcare workers get sick, there will be more and more stress on those who remain.

Some of your students will get sick. Others will be caring for people who are ill.

Many will be parenting.

Social isolation contributes to mental health problems.

Social isolation contributes to domestic violence.

Students will be losing their jobs, especially those in tourism and hospitality.

All of these factors mean that your students are facing more important battles today than your class-if they are even able to access it.
Photo by NosUA from Getty Images.
As you put your class online:

1. Put your energy into the classes that are required for your major or minor or that are required by other majors or minors. Electives and GE classes are an important part of a good education, but we have already decided that what students learn in any one of those courses is not vital. (The exceptions to this are GE courses that are required for a major.) For some of us, this is every class we teach, but for others, we have the ability to choose to focus our attention.

2. Do not require synchronous work. Students should not need to show up at a specific time for anything. REFUSE to do any synchronous work.

3. Do not record lectures unless you need to. (This is fundamentally different from designing an online course, where recorded information is, I think, really important.) They will be a low priority for students, and they take up a lot of resources on your end and on theirs. You have already built a rapport with them, and they don't need to hear your voice to remember that.

4. Do record lectures if you need to. When information cannot be learned otherwise, include a lecture. Your university already has some kind of tech to record lectures. DO NOT simply record in PowerPoint as the audio quality is low. While many people recommend lectures of only 5 minutes, I find that my students really do listen to longer lectures. Still, remember that your students will be frequently interrupted in their listening, so a good rule is 1 concept per lecture. So, rather than a lecture on ALL of, say, gender inequality in your Intro to Soc course, deliver 5 minutes on pay inequity (or 15 minutes or 20 minutes, if that's what you need) and then a separate lecture on #MeToo and yet another on domestic violence. Closed caption them using the video recording software your university provides. Note that YouTube also generates closed captions [edited to add: they are not ADA compliant, though]. If you don't have to include images, skip the video recording and do a podcast instead.

5. Don't fuss too much about the videos. You don't need to edit out the "umms" or the postal carrier ringing the doorbell. Editing is a waste of your time right now.

6. Make all work due on the same day and time for the rest of the semester. I recommend Sunday night at 11:59 pm. Students who are now stay-at-home parents will need help from others to get everything done, and that help is more likely to arrive on a weekend. While, in general, I dislike 11:59 due dates because work done that late is typically of lower quality, some people will need to work after the kids go to bed, so setting the deadline at 9 or 10 pm just doesn't give them enough time.

7. If you use a textbook, your publisher probably has tests that you can download directly into your learning management system (LMS). Now is the time to use them. Despite publishers' best efforts, these tests quickly float around online, so take a few minutes to add some anti-cheating protections. First, organize questions into test banks and have them fed to students at random. For example, if you want to ask two questions about pay inequity, select 5 of them from the test bank, and have your LMS feed two of them to students at random. This makes it MUCH harder for students to work together, because they will never get the same exact test as a peer. Second, change the wording on the questions so they can't easily paste them into Google. In example questions, changing the name of the person in the example is one fast way to make the questions harder to locate online.

8. Allow every exam or quiz to be taken at least twice, and tell students that this means that if there is a tech problem on the first attempt, the second attempt is their chance to correct it. This will save you from the work of resetting tests or quizzes when the internet fails or some other tech problem happens. And since it can be very hard to discern when such failures are really failures or students trying to win a second attempt at a quiz or test, you avoid having to deal with cheaters.

9. Do NOT require students to use online proctoring or force them to have themselves recorded during exams or quizzes. This is a fundamental violation of their privacy, and they did NOT sign up for that when they enrolled in your course. Plus, they are in the privacy of their homes, sometimes with children who will interrupt them. It may be impossible for them to take a test without interruption. Circumvent the need for proctoring by making every exam open-notes, open-book, and open-internet. The best way to avoid them taking tests together or sharing answers is to use a large test bank.

10. You have already had some kind of in-class work, I'm guessing, so you do not need to further authenticate their identities on exams. If you are suspicious that a student is cheating-for example, someone was previously performing very poorly on in-class assessments and is now scoring very well, which might make you think that they've hired someone else to take the class for them-address that situation individually.

11. Remind them of due dates. It might feel like handholding, but be honest: Don't you appreciate the text reminder from your dentist that you have an appointment tomorrow? Your LMS has an announcement system that allows you to write an announcement now and post it later. As you put your materials online, write an announcement reminding them of the due date to be released 24 hours before it is due. The morning of, send a note to everyone who has not yet turned it in. (In Canvas and Blackboard, you do this by going into your gradebook and right clicking on the header of the assignment. You'll see an option to email all students who have not yet completed the work. It takes less than 1 minute if you are already logged in.)

12. Alert them to any material that is not appropriate for children to watch, including minute markers for scenes of violence or nudity. Again, you need to assume that they are doing their work with children in the background.

13. Make everything self-grading if you can (yes, multiple choice and T/F on quizzes and tests) or low-stakes (completed/not completed).

14. Don't do too much. Right now, your students don't need it. They need time to do the other things they need to do.

15. Listen for them asking for help. They may be anxious. They may be tired. Many students are returning to their parents' home where they may not be welcome. Others will be at home with partners who are violent. School has been a safe place for them, and now it's not available to them. Your class may matter to them a lot when they are able to focus on it, but it may not matter much now, in contrast to all the other things they have to deal with. Don't let that hurt your feelings, and don't hold it against them in future semesters or when they come back to ask for a letter of recommendation.

****

This advice is very different from that which I would share if you were designing an online course. I hope it's helpful, and for those of you moving your courses online, I hope it helps you understand the labor that is required in building an online course a bit better.

Like what you read? Support it.

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Please do a bad job of putting your courses online

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Thanks to the many of you who reached out to share that this post helped you through last spring's sudden transition to emergency remote teaching. If you are just now coming to this article, note that this was published in March 2020. It's original audience is for educators, especially college professors, with little or no...

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Using a video conference platform for teaching online 

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Using a video conference platform for teaching online 

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World of Better Learning | Cambridge University Press

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Carol Rainbow is an online tutor for The Consultants-E. She has been a teacher for over 40 years and has been teaching online since 2008. Carol shares advice on using video conference platforms for teaching online. In this blog, she explains how video conference platform Zoom can be used to recreate the classroom environment.

When delivering online teaching there are two main forms: synchronous (live) and asynchronous (using e-mail, downloads and a variety of platforms). Today we will explore what synchronous platforms offer and how you can use them with learners.

Video conference platforms

There are many video conference platforms and they can be a real aid for anyone teaching online. Most of them offer:

A meeting place online where groups of people can see each other (with web cams) and chat to each other so long as they have microphones

A place where participants can share almost anything that can be shared in any physical teaching space such as texts, web links, video and audio files, pictures and a presentation

An opportunity to record meetings so that students can watch parts of the session again later, or the videos can be shared with students who missed the session

Chat boxes, nonverbal communication symbols, and possibly polls

Breakout rooms where students can be sent in small groups to work on something together away from the rest of the group.

You may already have access to one through your institution so it is worth asking. Adobe Connect, Zoom, Blackboard Collaborate and Big Blue Button are all examples of well known platforms but there are many others (please see this comparison for more). All platforms will host their own tutorial videos and many more will be available on YouTube. So don't struggle - to answer a question, ask Google!

Using Zoom

This information is about using Zoom for online teaching.

There is a free version which can be used for one to one sessions for an open-ended amount of time, but for groups you have 40 minutes. This is great as a trial, to see if it provides what you need

Breakout rooms are available in the free version, but they need to be set up in the settings before the class

Polls are available in the paid for version but not the free version.

In the UK it is £11.99 per month for a Pro account giving access for 100 Participants, a meeting duration of 24 hours and 1GB video hosting space.

Rather than try to explain how to use Zoom technically-speaking, please watch the video below. It gives you an overview of the key functions and how to use them.
Introducing Zoom
Getting started

To start with, establish a meeting time - potentially the same time as you would normally have met your students face-to-face in your institution. Make your students aware of how to connect to you/your room in good time.

Prior to the lesson, the tutor needs to plan for the session and gather any resources needed. For most people, putting everything together into a presentation will be easiest. If you want students to read something before the lesson or to watch a video, share it before as preparatory homework.

It should be a flipped classroom approach. This means that reading, extended listening or watching videos would be best done away from the room, giving as much time for discussion and a variety of exercise tasks, practising what you are learning, whilst in the room. The emphasis in the room should be talking, listening and responding rather than reading or writing more than just a few words.

The lesson

As students come into the room it may be worth asking them to do something to keep them occupied whilst the rest of the group join and you check everyone's audio is working. It could be something like a text chat warmer such as "Would you rather be an elephant than a lion?". Anything from a couple of words to a paragraph is fine; the purpose is to get them involved. When they are all in and have audio working, start the lesson.

Starting with an agenda with learning objectives is good. This allows learners to see where the lesson is going and know what they are hoping to achieve

A warmer is fun, gets everyone involved and, hopefully, relaxed. Something like a word search that I demonstrated in the screencast is fine. Everyone uses the tools to mark the words (vocabulary relevant to the lesson) on screen and then chooses a word to make a sentence with it in context to say out loud

In order to start the main lesson, you may want to deliver some language input with open ended questions to test understanding, or else refer to an input activity you had set the learners offline beforehand. Either way, once the input has been given or summarised, set a task for the learners to do

A small group task related to the topic to be worked on in breakout rooms may then be appropriate

Bring everyone back to discuss the task, share results etc.

You can repeat this cycle more than once during a lesson

Revise what has been learned in the lesson

Set homework to consolidate what you have covered in this lesson, as well as preparation for the next lesson.

In general, most things that are good practice in the physical classroom are going to be good practice in the virtual classroom too! Especially at the beginning though, do allow yourself more time for classroom management and setting up activities as you and your learners settle into the new medium.

Functions of Zoom

Once you are in a session there are two key functions you will want to use - screen sharing and breakout rooms. The below videos will show you how to use each of the functions:
Screen sharing in Zoom Introducing breakout rooms in Zoom
Tips

Test your own sound and camera before the session

Practise what you want your students to do with a friend, colleague, child, spouse - anyone that you can persuade to help you carry out a quick test!

Remember that several of your group may enter the room on their phones or tablets, that is important when you are planning for your session

Ask learners to use their own name when they enter. Nicknames are not useful when trying to record who was present

Be prepared for something to go wrong. Make a Facebook group, Skype group, email group or some other way to send a quick message to them all. A WhatsApp group works well so long as students are not under 18. It is not good to have children's phone numbers in your possession

If something goes wrong, relax, stay calm, smile and ask the students if anyone has any ideas. There's always a chance one of them will know what to do. Otherwise, at least their suggestions will give you a little thinking space!

Most of all, enjoy it 😊

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan is giving K-12 schools his video conferencing tools free of charge. This is currently in many countries badly affected by the Coronavirus but that is changing daily. Do contact them if it is needed before paying!
If you would like to see the first two blog articles from the Supporting Every Teacher series, read moving your classes online #1 and moving your classes online #2. you would like to read more blog articles from the Supporting Every Teacher series, click here.
Do you want to learn more about teaching English online?
Cambridge Assessment English has a free online course that starts today!

Teaching English Online helps both experienced and recently qualified teachers around the world to adapt their skills and teach English in an online environment.

Find out more and join now: camengli.sh/33805I6

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Video Conference Platform For Teaching Online | World Of Better Learning

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Carol Rainbow is an online tutor for The Consultants-E. She has been a teacher for over 40 years and has been teaching online since 2008. Carol shares advice on using video conference platforms for teaching online. In this blog, she explains how video conference platform Zoom can be used to recreate the classroom environment.

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World of Better Learning | Cambridge University Press

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Are you a primary English teacher who is about to teach online for the first time? Or, are you a primary teacher facing the dual challenge of teaching children online and preparing them for English exams? Or, maybe you already teach English online and are looking for extra ready-to-use ideas to engage and motivate children? David Valente shares advice on ways of teaching children online, keeping them engaged and focused on the task in hand.

When primary teachers start teaching English online, they can sometimes go too far down the entertainment route with the aim of keeping children engaged. At the other extreme, some primary teachers seem to leave their best practice toolkits back in the physical classroom and online lessons unfortunately become passive with a lack of interaction and variety.

In this post, I share some simple but effective tips to help primary English teachers maintain a focus on purposeful online learning. The ideas are also all child-friendly and help make the online learning English experience enjoyable for children and teachers alike.

Tip 1: Plant seeds of early independence

Enable primary-aged children to do things for themselves during online lessons, give them choices in each lesson and ask questions such as: Do you want to draw or write your answers? Do you want to sing or rap the song? Think about how you could use or adapt these early independence ideas online:
Idea 1: Sticky note feedback
Children hold up drawings of their answers / ideas on a sticky note or a homemade, re-usable mini whiteboard (= a clear plastic A4 pocket with a sheet of paper inside to draw on with a marker which children can easily erase) to the webcam. You could also hold up an answer key on a mini board on the webcam and have children check their answers. This encourages independence and avoids laborious eliciting, which can really disengage and slow down the online lesson pace.
Idea 2: Group singing / rapping
During an online class, have groups of children take turns to sing or rap each verse of a song. For example, imagine you are using this song with a group of 6 year olds preparing for Pre A1 Starters, Listening Part 4:

This extract was taken from page 52 of Fun Skills Student's Book 1, CUP 2020. Download the full page here: Pre A1 Starters Level 1.
First, ask the children to choose whether they want to rap or sing. Next, allocate four groups using the animals and rooms vocabulary sets from the song: a bee in the bathroom (sing), a snake in the bedroom (rap), a tiger in the kitchen (sing), a lizard in the living room (rap). Then, give these instructions:

Group A turn on their mics to sing the bathroom verse, then mute their mics

Group B turn on their mics to rap the bedroom verse, then mute their mics

Group C turn on their mics to sing about the kitchen, then mute their mics

Group D turn on their mics to rap about the living room

Before the children sing, you should demonstrate by singing and rapping one or two of the verses. If you sing and rap with great gusto online, children will be much more likely to do the same! Having the children sing or rap in groups in an online lesson provides an element of choice, makes the activity less daunting than asking individual learners to sing and is highly engaging. The first time you use group singing or rapping in an online lesson, have a quick rehearsal until the children are confident muting and unmuting their mics at the right times.

Tip 2: Focus attention using WALTs

Give children a sense of purpose and accomplishment during online lessons using a menu slide at the start and outlining the WALT = ' We Are Learning T o...'

Use the slide to tell, or even better elicit the WALT, for example, 'In this lesson, we are learning to say / write / read / listen to...' Return to the menu slide at the end of the lesson to review their learning and ask questions such as, ' What did we do today?' and 'Did you enjoy it?'

When outlining your WALT slide, set or elicit goals using language suitable for the children's English levels. For example, when teaching A1 Movers level, you could say, 'Your job today is to listen to the story and then sing the song'. This also provides children with a concrete outcome for each online lesson.
Idea 3: Sample WALTs
Here are three lesson slides with WALTs for different ages and levels. As you read each one, think about these questions:

1. Which age groups could you use each slide with?

2. Which language level is each slide most suitable for?

3. Which goals would you set for each menu?

4. How could you use the WALTs to review learning?

WALT Menu 1 WALT Menu 2 WALT Menu 3 Download the PowerPoint slides of the Lesson Menus here. Listen to my suggestions for each WALT slide and compare your ideas:
https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Tip-2-WALTs-.m4a

Tip 3: Incorporate playful personalised practice

Make frequent links to children's lives outside of online lessons and use these as contexts for practice activities. This provides an even greater element of choice as well as ensures online practice is creative and enjoyable. Think about the potential 'tweaks' you could make to well-used pair speaking activities in classroom-based lessons to make them both doable and more engaging online. See the ideas below for some inspiration with your playful tweaks:
Idea 4: Truth or lie?!
Imagine that you are preparing 9 year old learners for A1 Movers, Speaking Part 4 using the topic of school. If the children already know each other well from school, a personalised 'tweak' of this pair activity is to play it online as a 'Truth or lie?' game with the whole group:

Download FUN Skills Home Booklet 4, page 23, ex 1 activity Fun Skills activity here.
Here is an example online lesson sequence of the tweaks in action:

1. Introduce Sam and Jack using the photos and display their dialogue on a slide

2. Children read the dialogue quickly and say 3 things the boys are talking about (answers: school friends, games at school, lunch at school)

3. Children decide which is TRUE and which is a LIE

4. Children think of their own answers to the 3 questions: 2 TRUE things and 1 LIE

5. Model the dialogue using a football wave drill - wave your arms in front of the webcam on the stressed parts of the sentence as you drill, then the children repeat and wave their arms in front of their cams

6. Volunteers take turns to ask and answer the 3 questions and the rest of the group listen carefully and say: Yes, it's true! or No, it's a lie!

By introducing an 'untrue' element, the children can be creative in a very personalised way which appeals to their love of make-believe and gives them a reason to listen to each other online. Think about how you could use the lesson procedure above with a topic you are teaching online.

Another great speaking activity for online personalisation is a tweaked version of the guessing game Who am I? You can display a slide with several photographs of the children's favourite personalities such as singers, dancers and actors. Have the children choose one of the photographs as their new identity and keep it a secret.

They take turns to ask 6 questions about their classmates' hidden identities, for example; How old are you? Where do you live? What free-time activities do you like? Again, this gives children a reason to listen carefully to their classmates online and adds a playful element to the common primary English About Me topic.

To sum up

I hope these teaching children online ideas have sparked many more for your own online repertoire. Also to help you maintain a learning focus during primary English lessons. Most importantly, I hope this post shows simply how not to lose that 'fizz' when transitioning from the primary classroom to teaching children online.

David Valente is the Coordinator of the IATEFL Young Learners and Teenagers Special Interest Group. He works as a PhD Research Fellow in English Language and Literature Subject Pedagogy at Nord University, Norway, where he teaches on the 5-year Masters in Primary Education. He is also Reviews Editor for the Children's Literature in English Language Education (CLELE) Journal.
you would like to read more blog articles from the Supporting Every Teacher series, click here.
Do you want to learn more about teaching English online?
Cambridge Assessment English has a free online course that starts today!

Teaching English Online helps both experienced and recently qualified teachers around the world to adapt their skills and teach English in an online environment.

Find out more and join now: camengli.sh/33805I6

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Teaching Children Online | World Of Better Learning

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Are you a primary English teacher who is about to teach online for the first time? Or, are you a primary teacher facing the dual challenge of teaching children online and preparing them for English exams? Or, maybe you already teach English online and are looking for extra ready-to-use ideas to engage and motivate children?

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The Best Video Tutorials On Teaching Remotely - Please Suggest More!

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Let Me Know If You're Teaching K-12 Students Online Because Of COVID-19 & Would Like To Write A Guest Post About Your Experiences I thought that this kind of collection would go a...

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Tips for teaching WRITING online ( The University of Arizona)

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Tips for teaching WRITING online ( The University of Arizona)

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From Hugh Dellar : " As more and more of you are pivoting to online teaching at the moment, I know that the fear of tech can be strong. I certainly used to have it, that's for sure! However, it doesn't have to be terrifying - and, to be honest it also doesn't have to be that technical! The things that motivate students online are the same things that motivate them face to face - involvement, interaction, good questions, stories, new language . . . Here's a recent video of me using the Zoom platform to teach a wonderful group of Russian teachers who are all part of the TEACHERS TEACH TEACHERS project. we were using pages 113-117 of Outcomes Advanced, by the way. Please feel free to share with anyone who might find this useful."

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HUGH DELLAR TEACHING ONLINE USING ZOOM: 2020

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World of Better Learning | Cambridge University Press

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In previous blog posts we have looked at how to ensure your students can learn by distance. How can you check that they have actually learned what you intended them to? In this blog post, Anne Fox will look at two easy alternatives for checking your students learning through quizzes and other formative assessment online. There is ample scope for your students to show their understanding through any number of learning activities. But one of the mainstays of checking for understanding will be various types of quizzes.

Quiz tools

If you are familiar with some of these tools from your normal face-to-face teaching, then the best advice is to stick with what you and your students already know or what is already included in your institution's Learning Management System if it has one. Now is not the time for experimentation. You may also want to avoid forcing your students to sign up to third party tools, so the suggestions that follow only require the teacher to sign up. Now may also be the time to check that you know how to construct high-quality multiple-choice questions by taking a look at one of Donald Clark's posts on the topic.

As a teacher you will want to know how your students did, so the tools suggested here collect that information for you. That means that you need to have an account. This article is going to cover two quiz tools that you most likely have very easy access to because you already have either a Google account or a Microsoft account.

Google Forms
Step 1: Access Google Forms

You may have already used Google Forms to create surveys, but a simple click on the settings icon will enable you to create a quiz with several question type options. If you already have a Google account, for example because you have Gmail email, then you can access Forms through Google Drive by clicking on the square of nine dots in the top right hand corner of your Gmail (see below).

Once in Google Drive, in the top left-hand section, click on New and More which will reveal an additional set of choices including Google Forms.

Step 2: Make the form into a quiz

The default setting for Google Forms is to make a survey which will collect the answers but is not designed to give points or feedback. Therefore, you need to click on the Settings icon when you open a new form and check the quiz option to reveal the options shown below.

You may also get a pop-up invitation to take a tour of Google Quizzes as you make that switch from Forms to Quizzes. That may be a good idea to take advantage of.

Step 3: Add your questions

You are now ready to add your questions. The first question appears automatically but you do not need to accept the suggested question type. Click on the + sign on the right to add another question and click on the question type (here, multiple choice) to choose a different type of question.

There are at least eight other different question types to choose from. This includes short answer, paragraph, multiple choice grid and check boxes. As you can see from the right-hand column in the previous screenshot, it is possible to add an image or video to your question too. Note also from the last screenshot that you can choose which questions are required at the bottom right.

By clicking on Answer key at the bottom left-hand corner, you can insert feedback for correct and incorrect answers as well as allocating points as shown in the screenshot below. Note the file icon and video play icon. These show so you can add a document for students to look at depending on their response; or get them to watch a video, perhaps one that contains the required information.
Don't forget to add a question that requires the name of the person taking the quiz so that you can check who did what.
Click on Send (top right) to get a link to send to your students.

When everyone has finished or the deadline is passed, click on Responses at the top of your quiz to see the results.

Microsoft forms

If you are already a Microsoft subscriber then you have access to the Microsoft Forms app. This will allow you to create a quiz in much the same way as I have just described for Google Forms.

You will be able to see the similarities when watching this short video about how to use Microsoft Forms to make a quiz. And the results can go straight to an Excel file of course.

So there you have it, two powerful quiz tools that you are probably already signed up to.

Test yourself

So how much have you learned about checking students learning by creating online quizzes? Test yourself with this quiz based on the content of this article!

If you are already teaching online, or preparing to start teaching online soon, please use the comments to ask for more information or to share your experiences.
you would like to read more blog articles from the Supporting Every Teacher series, click here.

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Checking Your Students Learning | World Of Better Learning

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In previous blog posts we have looked at how to ensure your students can learn by distance. How can you check that they have actually learned what you intended them to? In this blog post, Anne Fox will look at two easy alternatives for checking your students learning through quizzes and other formative assessment online.

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How to Set Up a Makeshift English Classroom Online

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As the Coronavirus makes its way around the world, cities have began to officially close schools for the coming weeks to curb the pandemic. This has l...

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https://oupeltglobalblog.com/2019/04/12/english-virtual-environments/

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Communication with native English language speakers is one of the most effective ways to learn English, and using technology makes this possible. I teach English based on my "collaborative-communication model", one that's very effective for motivating my students. I use a wealth of technologies with my class such as Skype, Minecraft, and AI robots. I find them useful for not only teaching English, but for teaching 21st century skills as well!
Virtual environments
From my experience, virtual environments can be very effective language learning tools for students of English; they allow students young and old to experience new worlds, communicate, make friends, and build relationships. There are a wealth of tools out there that you can use, but I'm happy to say that I've had real success with my students using a combination of Skype and Minecraft (a game many students may already be familiar with). These digital environments offer students engaging opportunities to use English with native speakers and to use the language to achieve a common goal, such as constructing a digital building. Through these activities, students also develop their 21 st Century Skills of communication, collaboration, imagination, and logical thinking. These four skills are necessary assets for learners that will help them to succeed in the modern world.
A typical lesson
Typically, students grouped together to make a team of four people, and they are given a task. I might ask the groups to construct a building, like the Kyoto World Heritage Site in Minecraft, before asking them to introduce it to students from overseas. To build something in Minecraft, students need to exercise their imagination, and think logically about the build and their resources. Each student is then given a role; Minecraft Leader, Programming Leader, English Leader, and Building Designer. Finally, they are given a deadline.

Most groups start off by discussing a plan, each student offering an opinion. These discussions continue throughout the duration of the build. Once completed, the group welcome overseas visitors to their digital environment, giving them a tour of their build and gathering their opinions on their work, all in English!

The simplicity and global appeal of Minecraft make it extraordinarily easy to introduce to the class. As a tool, it allowed me to break down subject barriers, combining English, 21 st Century Skills, and programming. This is something I'm especially proud of achieving as from 2020 in Japan, the Ministry of Education plans to make 'English' and 'Programming' compulsory across all Primary schools. The techniques I've described combine these two educational programmes, which is great for teachers! And through the "collaborative-communication model", students can improve their English proficiency in an engaging and motivating way.

Hidekazu Shoto was born in Osaka, Japan, and is an English Teacher and Head of ICT at Ritsumeikan Primary School. After graduate school, he joined Ritsumeikan Academy as an English teacher, introducing ICT and technology into his English classes.
Hidekazu Shoto was a top 10 Finalist for the Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize 2019. Here's why!

Categories: Multimedia & Digital, Uncategorized, Young Learners | Tags: Digital games, games for the classroom, Hidekazu Shoto, learning games, Minecraft, Skype, Technology, Technology in education, Technology in the classroom | Permalink.

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Learn English with Virtual Environments | Hidekazu Shoto

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Communication with native English language speakers is one of the most effective ways to learn English, and using technology makes this possible. I teach English based on my "collaborative-communication model", one that's very effective for motivating my students. I use ... Continue reading →

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Advice to teach online - Higher education

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En español: Consejos para quienes están a punto de enseñar en línea debido al Coronavirus

With the reports of more and more institutions closing campuses because of the corona-virus, and even those not closing advising their instructors to move their classes online, I am wondering what advice or help these instructors are getting from their administrations. So what would I advise?

1. Get professional advice and help before you start

Before you do anything, talk to someone responsible for online learning in your institution. (You might be put on hold - I'm told they are unusually busy at the moment - but it will be worth the wait). It is NOT a good idea just to jump into it and hope to wing it. Teaching online is not rocket science but it does need a different approach from classroom teaching. Get advice from a professional first.

Even if there is no current requirement to move online, it is still a good idea to be prepared well in advance, so start talking NOW to the people responsible for online learning. (This is not quite straightforward, I realise. For some, your help will be someone in the local department or faculty responsible for online learning; for others it may mean contacting the Centre for Online and Distance Education, which may in Continuing Studies, or the Centre for Teaching and Learning, or the Centre for Learning Technologies.)

Listen to whatever they say, especially if it is different from the advice I give below!

2. Get the right technology

This advice will depend to some extent to how late the decision has been made to go online. If you are asked to move immediately online without any warning or preparation, doing lectures online may be all you can do. Nevertheless, still ask whoever is responsible for online learning what technology to use for delivering your lectures.

You may already have lecture capture installed which will enable you to record and stream (much more convenient for students than streaming the lecture live). You will then have the weird experience of lecturing to an empty lecture hall. You will then understand why LeBron James refuses to play to an empty basketball arena. You though may not have that option.

However, it may be better to use an institution-supported video-conferencing system such as ZOOM from your desk-top. This will make the lecture feel more intimate, as if you are talking to an individual student, and this will also allow a certain level of direct interaction with the students, as they can either use the type-in chat facility, or if the numbers are relatively small (below 30), direct audio and video communication. ZOOM even allows you to use virtual break-out rooms, where students can be grouped together online to discuss and come back with a group answer. You can use the 'share screen' facility to switch between your head and shoulders through the computer camera, to slides, and back again.

Here are other suggestions offered by readers: A headset will help and if students are having bandwidth problems, switch off your camera in ZOOM or other system and just rely on slides and voice-over, preferably from your headset/microphone if you have one (remember to switch your audio computer settings before you start). However, I find that I can manage often without a headset but it's best to be safe than sorry, especially if you have a noisy household. Teenagers at home streaming video games can also restrict your home wi-fi bandwidth. (I have no advice on how you stop them doing that!)

It's easy for students to access ZOOM. Your online or IT department can set up - or teach you how to set up - a ZOOM url for a specific lesson and then you send the students the url by email, which they just click on to connect. (They will need first to download the ZOOM app to their home computer, but just once, and it's easy to do). See below for more advice on how to set up and use ZOOM.

ZOOM is just one of many such systems; don't argue about which one but go with the one your institution supports so you can always get help if you need it. For instance the size of the class matters here - some systems work really well for numbers under 30 but not as well as others for numbers over 200.

3. Get organised

However, even for this most simple form of online lecturing, you need advance organization and preparation. First you need, if you have not already done this, to set up a space for your course within the institutional learning management system (LMS), such as Blackboard, Canvas or D2L. There are several reasons for this:

you need to let students know when you are lecturing, what work they need to do before or after a lecture, when assignments are due, and how to submit them online. This is much better done within the LMS, which is editable (by you), permanent and accessible to students 24×7, than within the lecture itself; it also avoids innumerable class administration emails, as all students have access 24×7 to the LMS

this is where you can not only present a regular timetable for the lectures, but also provide extra resources, such as links to articles related to the lectures, further reading, etc.;

you can also provide links to your recorded lectures within the LMS, so students can go back and listen and watch as many times as they need;

students can link directly to all the resources in the institution's Library;

you can set up online discussion forums, with questions that you set for discussion around your lecture, so that best use of the lectures are made (see below about keeping your lectures short).

The LMS is where the students should go first; envision your lectures not as the main or even only source of content in the course, but just one of several learning resources within a more complete online learning environment. This is where the online professionals can be of particular value in helping you design and create that overall online learning environment. The LMS is the online equivalent of your physical campus.

4. Avoid long lectures

Keep online lectures to no more than 20 minutes - or break them into 15 minute self-standing chunks with activities for students immediately after each chunk. The presentation should cover the outline of the main topics, or the key points in an extended argument, allowing the student to do further research on the details, through further reading or video examples available over the web. Look for open educational resources that already exist and are free for educational use, so you do not have to present everything yourself. (Yes, even you can get boring after 20 minutes).

There are several reasons for keeping online (indeed, any) lectures short:

research on attention span and cognitive overload (see University of British Columbia's Design Principles for Multimedia).

students studying online tend to work in short chunks of less than one hour's study without a break. For instance, they may study while on a bus or train, or if studying at home they are likely to be interrupted by spouse, children, flat mates or meal times.

students learn better if they are active. This means building in short exercises, opportunities for online discussion, small unassessed projects, that online can be integrated within a longer recorded lecture.

5. Watch the student workload

Another reason for keeping the formal lecture component short is to give students time to do other learning activities that build on the basic lecture. The danger though is that you can then easily overload students with extra work.

It is useful to make an estimate of how much time per week an average student should spend studying on your course (taking into consideration that they could be taking up to another four courses at the same time). I usually assume a maximum of between 8-10 hours study time a week per three-credit course, including assignments. If more than three hours of that per week is taken up just watching video lectures, it leaves little time for other activities, such as further reading, online discussions, and assignments.

Ask yourself the question: what is the best way students should use that 8-10 hours a week, if they are studying online? How much of that must be through a lecture? How much could they do for themselves? How can I make sure they are connecting with other students online, so they do not feel socially isolated, and how best can they use that connection to further their learning?

This is why if at all possible you should spend some time thinking about and planning a course before going online, even if you are planning to base the course on your classroom lectures.

6. Avoid lectures altogether

When we do a lecture, we are doing most of the work. We decide what is important to learn, where to go to find the necessary information, how to select and organise the content, how to build an argument or a model of thinking about the topic, and we do the actual presentation. But would it not be better to teach students themselves how to do this?

Once students are online, they can find, analyse, evaluate and present content if they are properly guided. Why not train your students to give the lectures for the course? Or better, create an e-portfolio that shows how they went about the task which can form the basis for their assessment. Just a thought.

There are many better ways to use video than for direct lectures (see UBC's Faculty of Arts Ideas and Strategies for Using Video in the Classroom or my pedagogical affordances of video for some examples). There is now a huge amount of existing video material available for free around which you may be able to build a course without much direct lecturing. Check with your online advisor, Library, or Centre for Learning Technologies about available open educational resource videos in your field.

7. Do the best you can in the circumstances

Well, all teachers do this, don't they? However, if you are to follow general best practice in online learning, and avoid lectures, you need more than a few days' preparation time. You also need to work with professional online developers who can help you rethink your teaching. Or you could read my free, online book, Teaching in a Digital Age.

In the meantime, while the panic around the corona-virus lasts, good luck with moving your lectures online. But also when the panic has passed, think about doing online learning properly.

8. Further resources

This is all I have the space for in one blog post, and I urge my colleagues who are specialists in online learning to add their own advice for these poor souls in the comment space below.

If you have time, here are some further resources that could help (thanks to everyone who is providing these tips - keep watching this space for more):

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Advice to those about to teach online because of the corona-virus | Tony Bates

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En español: Consejos para quienes están a punto de enseñar en línea debido al Coronavirus With the reports of more and more institutions closing campuses because of the corona-virus, and even those not closing advising their instructors to move their classes online, I am wondering what advice or help these instructors are getting from their administrations.

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Do you want to communicate effectively during an online lesson? Make eye contact by looking at the camera lens The British Council's Graham Stanley shares advice from his book Remote Teaching.
Look directly into the camera lens rather than at the screen. Learners will feel you are looking them in the eye.

This is most important if you use an external camera that is plugged into your computer, and especially if the camera is some distance away from the screen.
Check your screen presence
If you have a fixed webcam on a laptop, the camera is just above the screen, so it will be less noticeable if you look at the screen rather than the lens.

Test the camera to make sure you are not showing half your head or facing the camera at an angle that is too low or too high.
Don't just be a talking head
Face a window or other light source, rather than having the light behind you.
Use gestures and facial expressions
Stand up or move closer to the camera, when appropriate. For example, you can show a close-up of your mouth when teaching pronunciation.

Exaggerate gestures and facial expressions when teaching live online, or they won't be visible on small screens.

You can try this on a video call with colleagues to see how you come across, or you can record yourself doing a practice run of the class using screen-capture software and see how it looks when you watch the recording.

A simple smile will tell your learners you are happy to be there with them. Be natural, however, as a forced or constant smile can give quite the wrong impression. You don't want to come across as insincere or creepy.

You can also communicate with body language. For instance, hold eye contact to show your learners that you are listening with interest. Beckon them on with your hand if you want them to say more, or spin around in your chair in front of the camera waving your hands in the air if you want them to know you are really pleased.
Use your voice in different ways
Think about your posture. Don't slump. Make this easier on yourself by using a comfortable, adjustable office chair, with arm rests.

If learners feel the teacher's voice is patronising, too loud, or monotonous, then they may respond negatively. On the other hand, if your voice is expressive and lively, learners are more likely to take an interest in what you say.

Vary your volume, depending on what you are doing. Learners pay more attention to you if the volume of what you are saying increases and decreases. They will prick up their ears when you speak loudly and try to listen more carefully when you lower your voice.

Change the tone and pitch of your voice to show a mood or emotion. Put more energy into what you say to help liven up tired teenagers, or speak calmly to quieten down overexcited children.
Minimise distractions
Consider the pace of your voice. Be aware of when and for how long you pause, and how quickly or slowly you speak. The rate you speak should be tailored to the level of your learners. Speak more slowly to beginners, and at a more natural pace to advanced learners.
Take yourself off screen
Make sure the background (what is behind you on screen) isn't too busy. Learners might try to read the titles of the books on the shelves behind you, rather than being involved in the lesson. Sit with your back to a blank wall if you can.

You can introduce realia on screen, showing real objects to illustrate vocabulary and other language.

This is sometimes easier if you use an external webcam that you can move easily. With a fixed webcam, move your object closer to the lens to simulate zooming in and out.
Be familiar with your technology
You can also move out of view of the camera and show a small portable whiteboard, or puppets if you are teaching young learners online.

Don't use a platform you are unfamiliar with, and learn how to adjust the settings before you start the lesson.

Have websites and links to other digital resources open before the class. You can have these ready in several windows, and switch during the lesson.
Prepare to troubleshoot
If you'll need time to do something during the lesson, plan for your learners to do work in pairs or groups while you manage the technology.

If you have technical difficulties, it's important to understand basic troubleshooting and to have a plan B.

For example, if a learner can't hear you, ask them to check their microphone settings or restart their software. Always have an alternative platform available if you have problems.
Join the webinar What makes a good remote teacher? with Graham Stanley and Gabriela Kaplan on Thursday 7 November at 16.00 UK time. Read Graham's e-book Remote Teaching
Consider how you will deal with issues in advance of the lesson, so you appear calm and decisive if they do arise.

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Remote teaching - how to keep learners' attention

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Do you want to communicate effectively during an online lesson? The British Council's Graham Stanley shares advice from his book Remote Teaching.

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💡 Access translations of the Remote Learning PDF here.

💡 Watch our "Getting Started: Educators" video for a quick Flipgrid overview and share our "Getting Started: Students" videowith your learners. Both videos are embedded below.

💡 Join a FlipgridPD webinar. We host several times per week. During the live session, our Educator Innovation Leads explain the basics of Flipgrid and answer your questions!

💡 Find answers to most commonly asked questions and a link to contact our support team in the Flipgrid Help Center.

💡 Explore the "Learning at Home" Disco Library Playlist. The collection is filled with 50+ ready-to-use discussion prompts for at-home learning. Each topic is simple, innovative, and fun!

💡 Check out and share this simple guide to help the families in your community use Flipgrid. The resource includes a series of ideas and activities to keep children active, connected and engaged while they may be home from school.

💡 Discover new Flipgrid ideas, tips, and uses by joining the conversation on Twitter,Instagram, and Facebook.

Our entire team is always here to support you. Thank you for being part of the Flipgrid community!

💚 Team Flipgrid

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Remote Learning with Flipgrid - Flipgrid

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As educators, learners and families are impacted by COVID-19, know that our entire team is always here for you. Inspired by the ways you foster community beyond the classroom, we have curated a collection of resources to help you and your peers. Remote Learning with Flipgrid PDF This simple one

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Teaching online - using your coursebook and ideas for breakout rooms

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About the webinar The British Council is committed to supporting the use of technology for the continuation of education in a crisis. As many teachers find themselves in an unfamiliar situation of having to teach their classes online, with little or no experience, the British Council TeachingEnglish website is committed to providing as much support as possible to help you navigate your way through the world of online teaching.

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World of Better Learning | Cambridge University Press

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This is a follow up post from Ceri Jones who continues to share advice on how teachers can feel prepared with teaching students and moving classes online. Ceri Jones is a teacher, trainer and materials writer based in Spain. She is part of the author team for our courses Eyes Open and Evolve as well as an online tutor for The Consultants-E.

1. Structuring your online classes

Once you've set up the channels of communication so that you can inform your students about the changes to their classes, you need to think about how you're going to structure those classes. In this section, we'll look at some factors you might want to consider.

Synchronous or asynchronous?

Synchronous classes are "live" events, with the teachers and students meeting in an online space at an arranged time. These are most similar to face-to-face classes as they have a fixed schedule. These can be video, audio, or text-based (see below).

Asynchronous classes are held in a shared online space, but the teacher and the students don't need to be present at the same time. The teacher can set up an activity and then everyone can complete the activity at the time that suits them best. These activities can be collaborative and interactive, but they don't have to follow a schedule. Though, of course, you will probably still want to set a deadline for completion. As with synchronous classes, asynchronous classes can also be video, audio, or text-based.

You may find that you want to use a combination of both. Your decisions will obviously depend on your context and the expectations of the school or institute you're working for, as well as the hardware that both you and your students have access to. Most online teaching platforms can be accessed by smartphones, and this may well be a central consideration in your choices.

Video, audio or text?

The obvious answer to this question is to have a combination if you can. As with face-to-face classrooms a variety of activity types is always best if possible.

Video

In a synchronous virtual classroom, there are various options that are possible. The teacher can use their webcam so that the students can see them. The students can link up through the cameras on their phones, tablets or computers. Teachers can share videos on screen with the whole class watching. You can choose to use a combination of the three. It's important to consider practical limitations like bandwidth. It may not be possible for everyone to be on camera at the same time. (Platforms like Zoom, Blackboard, Adobe Connect etc offer all these possibilities).

In an asynchronous scenario, videos can be made and uploaded to share with the class. This might be a short presentation by the teacher, or it could involve video assignments from the students. If you can use a shared space where students can also comment on the videos, this can provide a stimulating context for sharing ideas and online discussion. (Platforms like Flipgrid allow for students to upload videos and comment on each other's assignments).

Audio

Synchronous classrooms can also be run using audio only, or mainly audio. In this case you will probably want to share a slideshow to focus the students' attention and give structure to the activities. Students can turn their mics on and off as you call on them to reduce background noise and interference.

Audio can also be used in asynchronous classes much the same as video. Recordings can be uploaded and shared and assignments can be completed orally. Audio has the advantage of being much lighter than video in terms of bandwidth and so easier to upload and access.

Text

In synchronous classrooms the chat function can be incredibly useful. It can supplement video or audio input from the teacher (and students), with students typing their answers to questions in the chat box. The chat box is particularly useful for brainstorming activities, or concept check questions in presentations. It's also good for quick warmers where students post short three or four-word answers to questions. The class could be run wholly by text if necessary. This calls for establishing a clear protocol for taking turns, but it is possible in short bursts with probably 20 minutes being an optimal time frame with a group of maybe ten students. If you have a class of 30, you could divide the lesson into three separate slots with groups of ten students at a time.

Text is very common in asynchronous forum tasks. The teacher can set up a task and then students respond by posting a text. Forums can also be good for encouraging discussion, with students answering each other's questions, or commenting on each other's posts. You will want to set a deadline for making contributions and maybe call on some of the students to write a summary of the task or discussion at the end. An added bonus of text is that particularly younger learners are very familiar with text-based communications via their mobile phones and tablets, so this can be a very natural form of communication for them.

2. Using your coursebook

If your class are already using a coursebook for their face-to-face classes, you can also use it as a resource for your online classrooms. Decide which activities the students:

can do on their own (e.g. reading texts, listening texts, writing tasks, language presentations),

can do in groups without a teacher (e.g. collaborative writing tasks, discussion tasks, project work),

need you, the teacher (e.g. clarifying concepts, correcting and upgrading language, giving feedback on assignments, general motivation and direction).

Use these decisions as a basis for structuring your classes. You may want to follow a flipped classroom approach, setting some individual tasks that need to be completed before a synchronous lesson so that you can build on them in your virtual classroom. Alternatively, you may want to use your "live" class to set up and explain the individual and group tasks that the students need to do after the lesson. Both approaches work well and your decision will depend on your students and your context.

Remember that most courses these days also provide a lot of digital resources that both you and your student can access for additional materials and activities. There are also lots of additional free resources on the Cambridge website so please do take a look.

If you are already teaching online, or preparing to start teaching online soon, please use the comments to ask for more information or to share your experiences.
If you missed the first Supporting Every Teacher blog post and the first article from Ceri Jones on moving classes online, you can read it you would like to read more blog articles from the Supporting Every Teacher series, click here. here.

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Moving your classes online #2 | World of Better Learning

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This is a follow up post from Ceri Jones who continues to share advice on how teachers can feel prepared with teaching students and moving classes online. Ceri Jones is a teacher, trainer and materials writer based in Spain.

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World of Better Learning | Cambridge University Press

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To help support all teachers who now have to teach from home due to the Coronavirus outbreak, we have created a series of blog posts with expert advice on how to move your classes online.

To begin, here's a message from Eric Baber, Director of Professional Learning and Development, introducing the blog series.

Moving your classes online: getting started

It can be a daunting experience when you're suddenly required to move all your face-to-face classes online with little or no advance notice, as has been happening to a number of teachers in various places around the world over the last month and more. In this blog post we'll look at some basic steps to take that will hopefully smooth the transition.

Opening online channels of communication

The first thing you need to do is think about what might be the most efficient way to contact your students. Successful online teaching depends on clear and effective communication. You need to know that your messages are getting to your students, and your students need to know they can get in touch with you. Teacher presence is just as important online as it in the physical classroom, maybe even more so. You need to be able to communicate with the students in each of your classes as a group, but also as individuals.

What is the best way to communicate with students?

It's important to emphasise that there is no one right answer to this question. It will depend on you, your context and your students. You will need to choose the channels that are best suited to your needs. Here are some questions to guide your decision:

1. What are your current channels of communication with students?

(Email? Digital platform e.g. Google Classroom? Instant messaging e.g. WhatsApp?)

It's good to start with what you've already got and build on that. You will need to be able to communicate schedules and tasks to your students, and check that they are completing their work. They will need to be able to share their work with you and get answers to any questions or doubts. You will need to be able to check up on students and make sure they're sticking to their tasks.

2. What other options do you have?

If you're going to open up new (or additional) channels of communication it's good to think about what both you and your students are familiar with already. As mentioned before, it's always easier to start with some degree of familiarity and also makes things easier to use a channel that students may already be using amongst themselves. And in the case of students under 18, we need to be particularly careful with privacy issues. Closed platforms and school emails are often the best options where possible.

Do you need to be available 24/7?

No, you don't! It's a good idea to establish a protocol or etiquette for communication outside your scheduled classes. You don't want to be available 24/7. That isn't fair on you. Establish "office hours", when you will be able to reply more or less immediately to any messages (a few hours every day if you can) and a maximum response time for messages sent outside those times e.g. within 24 hours Monday - Friday, within 48 hours (or more) over the weekend. Your students will understand and appreciate these guidelines. In fact, they will probably appreciate keeping some degree of normality as well, so keeping to a regular school schedule is likely to work best for both you and your students.
Take look at part two of Ceri's post on moving classes online.
If you are already teaching online, or preparing to start teaching online soon, please use the comments to ask for more information or to share your experiences.

Ceri Jones is a teacher, trainer and materials writer based in Spain. She is part of the author team for Eyes Open and Evolve and tutors teachers in teaching online at The Consultants-E.
you would like to read more blog articles from the Supporting Every Teacher series, click here.

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Moving Your Classes Online #1 | World Of Better Learning

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To help support all teachers who now have to teach from home due to the Coronavirus outbreak, we have created a series of blog posts with expert advice on how to move your classes online. To begin, here's a message from Eric Baber, Director of Professional Learning and Development, introducing the blog series.

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What is blended learning?

Blended learning is both flexible and dynamic. By 'flexible', I mean it is not just one thing (a fixed combination of X and Y) but rather, it can be many things depending on your teaching context. By 'dynamic', I mean that the components which make up blended learning are constantly changing. A recent incarnation of blended learning, for example, involves students donning headsets and practising a talk in VR (Virtual Reality) in preparation for giving a presentation in real life.

The classic definition of blended learning combines teaching in a 'bricks and mortar' classroom with web-based learning. The latter is usually 'online' but could be 'offline' and might not even involve the Internet at all, such as doing exercises on a CD-ROM or using a 'native' app - an app which 'lives' in your mobile phone and does not require a Wi-Fi connection to function.

Another approach to blended learning involves blending the use of print and digital resources, effectively combining the traditional and the new, analogue and digital.

When should teachers use blended learning?

In a very narrow definition of blended learning (such as face-to-face plus online) the answer to this question is: when studying online is a realistic, feasible option. In a broader definition of blended learning, such as that described by Sharma and Barrett 'face-to-face plus an appropriate use of technology' (Pete Sharma & Barney Barrett, Blended Learning, Macmillan, 2007), the answer is: 'All the time!' In other words, teaching in this new digital age should use the technologies which students meet in their everyday lives, such as the Internet, laptop, smartphone and tablet.

Why blend?

There are many reasons why teachers decide to run a blended learning course, as opposed to (say) a 100% classroom course like those I ran when I first started teaching, or a 100% online course.

One is time. There's simply not enough time in a course to cover everything. Moreover, some language areas are really suited to be studied outside the classroom. Extensive reading and practising difficult phonemes, for instance.

Combining the best of the classroom (live interaction with the teacher and classmates) and the best of technology (anytime, anywhere guided practice) in a principled way can produce a 'better' course for students. In other words, the best of both worlds.

What is the value of blended learning?

Flexibility is one advantage. Students taking a blended learning course are frequently offered choices. We all know a class of 12 comprises 12 individuals, displaying different learning preferences. Students can match their path through the material to suit their own learning style and approach.
Similarly, from the teacher's point of view, blended learning enables the implementation of 'differentiation'.

We are all familiar with the restrictions imposed by the teaching timetable. The English language lesson is at 16.00 on Thursday. Yet this is the age of u-learning, ubiquitous learning. The distant part of a blended learning course can be done anywhere, anytime - in a coffee shop with Wi-Fi, at the airport, in a hotel ... , this 'best of both worlds' (the classroom and online) is a key feature and benefit of blended learning.

Different approaches to blended learning

The approaches taken to blended learning are as many and varied as the different types of teaching: YL (young learners), business English, CLIL (content and language integrated learning). One common approach would be to issue the students with a printed coursebook and have them use the code on the inside to access their online digital materials. I focus particularly on this approach in my series of articles on running a blended learning course.

Different types of digital activities

Here's a snapshot of the vast range of tools available for blended learning:

a vocabulary memory game on an app to review new language

a podcast; students can listen as many times as they wish, using the pause and the slider to listen intensively to selected parts

a video, with on-demand sub-titles or a transcript

a discussion forum; students answer a question before their in-class lesson. The additional time helps develop critical thinking skills and contrasts the real-time pressure to reply in the classroom

How to run a blended learning course

Looking for some practical advice and tips? Read my complete guide to help you prepare, set-up and run a blended learning course:

References

Blended Learning, Pete Sharma & Barney Barrett (Macmillan, 2007)

Pete Sharma is a teacher trainer, consultant and ELT author. He works as a pre-sessional lecturer in EAP (English for Academic purposes) at Warwick University, UK. Pete worked for many years in business English as a teacher trainer and materials writer. He is a regular conference presenter at IATEFL (International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language) and BESIG (Business English Special Interest Group) conferences and has given plenary talks and keynote speeches at conferences around the world. Pete is the co-author of several books on technology including Blended Learning (2007), 400 Ideas for Interactive Whiteboards (2011) in the Macmillan 'Books for Teachers' series, and How to Write for Digital Media (2014), and most recently Best Practices for Blended Learning. Pete was the Newsletter Editor of the IATEFL CALL Review (2008-2009) and has a Masters in Educational Technology and ELT from Manchester University.

Categories: Adults / Young Adults, Multimedia & Digital | Tags: Blended Learning, EdTech, learning platforms, Online Practice, Oxford Online Practice, Pete Sharma, Teaching adults, Technology | Permalink.

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The Complete Guide to Running a Blended Learning Course | OUP

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Blended learning is both flexible and dynamic. By 'flexible', I mean it is not just one thing (a fixed combination of X and Y) but rather, it can be many things depending on your teaching context. By 'dynamic', I mean that the components which make up blended learning are constantly changing.

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Getting started

When it comes to planning your first lesson remember 'less is more.' Since it's likely to be the first online lesson for you and your students, things will probably take longer than you think. As good as online teaching is at bringing people together, there are often little niggly issues, but don't panic as this is quite normal. For example, some can't easily connect to the room; students can't hear you and so on. If it is the very first lesson, then dedicate most of it to getting to grips with the platform. In future lessons always plan an activity at the start of the lesson that isn't crucial to the lesson as a whole - this activity can 'buy' the time needed to make sure everyone has connected and issues with audio etc. are ironed out.

Online teaching activities to include

As your students are likely to have a coursebook, don't be afraid to use it. Obviously, things need a little adaptation to the online environment. For example, I perhaps wouldn't get everyone online just to do a coursebook reading. Instead, I would ask them to do it before the lesson or for homework. Listening should work the same way. Most platforms allow you to share your sound, so rather than press play on the classroom device, simply press play on your computer.

Teaching grammar or vocabulary can be done using the coursebook, whiteboard or a PowerPoint. Many online teachers I know also screen share Google docs or Microsoft OneNote files that get students working collaboratively. By giving them the link, and then using screen share to display, students can see each other's work. That said, getting the student to write on paper and hold it up to the screen is also very effective. Remember if the camera is on they can see you, so this allows you to use typical teaching tools such as flashcards by simply hold it up to the camera for all to see.

Managing student feedback

One of the trickier things is checking answers or doing feedback. This is where the 'Hands up' function helps. For gap fills, get them to write on the whiteboard or annotate a slide, or type their answers into the chatbox. Try to avoid situations where just one student is talking for any length of time. When this happens in your usual classroom, students switch off, and this is amplified online.

If you're going to do pair work or group work then put the students in breakout rooms. These are spaces within a room that allow people to talk without anyone else hearing often when you activate them the software automatically allocates people into a room so saving you time. Therefore you switch on the function, press the button and off they go into pairs. Now you can jump in and out of their spaces to monitor them just as you would in your usual classroom. Well okay... you wouldn't jump in and out but you see what I mean.

Managing expectations for your first online class

My final advice would be to you as the teacher. For many of us, it's hard to remember what we felt like when we first started teaching but your first lesson online is going to feel a bit like that. When I am training new teachers, one of the things they seem to dread is silence and when we move online this fear comes back, but silence is fine. There is nothing wrong with setting the students a task from the coursebooks and you switching off your mic and camera while they do it. It's a chance for you to collect your thoughts and probably take a much-needed sip of water. Likewise, timing is going feel odd so don't worry about getting through your whole plan each time. Plans, be it for an online class or face to face, are just guides anyway.

All the skills and confidence you have built up over the years will feel a little compromised in this new online world. But don't panic, it is the norm. Don't chastise yourself that things could have gone smoother in that first lesson; it may be true but remember things probably didn't go perfectly in that very first lesson face to face either. However, after a few lessons, everything began to feel natural, just as it will in this new environment. Good luck and don't forget to wash your hands.

Please visit our Learn at Home page to find online teaching resources and activities to help teachers, parents and students get the most out of learning at home:
For more tips on getting started with Online Teaching see Part 3 of our Online Teaching series.
Shaun Wilden is the Academic Head of training and development for the International House World Organisation and a freelance teacher, teacher trainer and materials writer. He currently specialises in technology and language teaching, especially in the area of mobile learning. His latest book " Mobile Learning " was published in 2017 by OUP. He is a trustee of IATEFL and also on the committee of the Learning technologies special interest group. He makes the TEFL commute podcast for teachers.

Categories: Multimedia & Digital, Professional Development | Tags: Lesson planning, lesson plans, Online learning, Online teaching, Shaun Wilden, Technology | Permalink.

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Online Teaching Part 2: Practical Tips For English Language Lessons | OUP

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When it comes to planning your first lesson remember 'less is more.' Since it's likely to be the first online lesson for you and your students, things will probably take longer than you think. As good as online teaching is at bringing people together, there are often little niggly issues, but don't panic as this is quite normal.

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Getting started in teaching online - OUP

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Getting started in teaching online - OUP

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As an unprecedented virus makes its way around the world playing havoc with teachers' schedules, educators are looking into how to use technology as a way of filling the gap left by the closure of many schools. If you're one of them then the first question you need to ask yourself is do you want to fill that gap in a synchronous or asynchronous way. Or in other words, do you want to use online teaching to get the class together at the same time in a virtual classroom (synchronous) or are will you be sending out work to the students to do in their own time and report back (asynchronous). In this post, I'll give you some advice about getting started synchronously.

Choosing a platform to communicate with your students

The first question is probably what software are you going to use. There are many platforms to choose from, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, and going over each would make for a very long post. Given that you probably need to move quickly don't have much time for training, I imagine you need something relatively simple. You could, for example, simply use Skype; it allows for video, text chat, screen sharing, and recording. Additional features like 'meet now' would allow you to put all your students in one group. The downside though is that not everyone uses Skype and it can lead to the sharing of contact details.

If your school uses Google Classroom then you can use Google Hangouts which you will find as part of that. Zoom, a platform many schools I've been working with have turned to this week, is free to use for 40 minutes but for large classes, a school will need paid accounts. One advantage of it is that people simply click on a link to join, and it has a feature called breakout rooms to use for pair and group work, plus you can make different 'rooms' useful for different classes. What I like about Zoom is that it has so much support online that it is easy to get started. I am not endorsing any of these platforms, in particular, just pointing out that they're free. There are many more but whichever you choose, first and foremost in your mind will be "what best fits the needs of my students?"

Additional technology you'll need

Aside from an online teaching platform, what else do you need? Well, a good internet connection helps. These days we are all used to WiFi and this will usually do, but if you can attach your computer to a cabled network this will make for much better stability. Bear in mind also that, depending on your countries situation, the internet is getting heavily used. If everyone is confined to their homes then naturally they're all online and this can cause a bit of slow down here and there.

Your computer probably already has a built-in camera and you'll need that as students will want to see you. Will you want to see them? If so, then they will need cameras too. However, bear in mind it is the camera that takes up a lot of the bandwidth in a connection so too many cameras could lead to issues. As well as seeing you, students will need to hear you and you hear them. While computers have built-in mics, I strongly recommend you use a headset. The one you got with your mobile phone will do the trick. The advantages of headsets are two-fold; the mic is closer to your mouth and more importantly everyone wearing headphones will limit the amount of feedback that can be caused by everyone having a mic on.

Getting set up to teach your first online teaching lesson

My final tip for getting started is to consider where you are going to teach from. As many of you are possibly being confined to homes, think about where you are going to sit. You need to be away from distractions such as pets or kids. Being on camera you also need to make sure that what's behind you doesn't give away anything private about you. Finally, you need to make sure that your chosen location has a good light source.

Once you're set up and ready to go, take some time to have a play around your platform. Push some buttons, see what things do. Don't be afraid, it's pretty hard to break an online classroom. You can also use your platform to meet up with your colleagues. Not only will this give you an idea of what's it like to have a class but working together lets you share advice. You can set each other quizzes to test how well you can do things, i.e. 'how do you turn on the mic', 'can you show how to use the whiteboard' and so on. My one extra tip here is don't try and learn everything in one go. Keep the first lessons as simple as you can.

From this not only will you feel more confident but you'll also be to help students when they first come to the platform. Additionally, if you write down some of the answers you can turn them into a 'getting started' information sheet that you can send to students. It can also help you come up with some classroom rules. For example, when you're not speaking turn off your mic or, if you want to speak, put up your hand first.
Get practical tips for planning your online language lessons in part 2 of my online teaching guide here!
Please visit our Learn at Home page to find online teaching resources and activities to help teachers, parents and students get the most out of learning at home:

Shaun Wilden is the Academic Head of training and development for the International House World Organisation and a freelance teacher, teacher trainer and materials writer. He currently specialises in technology and language teaching, especially in the area of mobile learning. His latest book " Mobile Learning " was published in 2017 by OUP. He is a trustee of IATEFL and also on the committee of the Learning technologies special interest group. He makes the TEFL commute podcast for teachers.

Categories: Multimedia & Digital | Tags: Online learning, Shaun Wilden, Teaching online, Technology | Permalink.

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Online Teaching Part 1: Getting Started | Shaun Wilden | OUP

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As an unprecedented virus makes its way around the world playing havoc with teachers' schedules, educators are looking into how to use technology as a way of filling the gap left by the closure of many schools.

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More and more English language teaching is taking place online these days in groups and one to one. Now the principles of teaching and learning remain the same across all contexts. But when we teach English online, new challenges arise that we need to deal with. And we do need to adapt the approach that we take in the face-to-face classroom to a digital classroom. People are studying in their home environment, in their living room, in their car. I had one lady working from her car, she wasn't driving. On this course, Teaching English Online we'll help you to understand how to teach an effective lesson online. We'll begin the course by thinking about the market.

We'll think about the learners that you might teach and what might be expected of you as an online tutor. The crucial elements of any online lesson are the teacher, the student, and a way to see them and hear them. Those are the basics. We'll tell you about the equipment you need to get started and the platforms that you might want to use. We'll also suggest resources and tools that you can exploit in and out of lessons. So you have to understand your platform and how it works before you start. And then ideally, you should have a practise with somebody else on the other end.

We'll give you some practical strategies for developing a good rapport with learners and helping to motivate them throughout a lesson, because these things can be more difficult online than they are face-to-face. And we'll give examples using teachers who are teaching online today. I build rapport with my online learners in very much the same way as I would do with a regular face-to-face class. So lots of encouragement and motivation and praise. We'll also look at how we can help learners to develop receptive and productive skills. We'll suggest different lesson structures for different types of lessons, and activities that can help learners to develop different sub-skills. Finally, we'll think about how we can teach language online.

You'll have ideas and advice on how to set context, how to clarify language and check understanding, how to give practise, and how to error correct online. Because there's a distance between us, I think it's important to try and get to know the learners individually as much as possible. By the end of the course, you'll be able to transfer the skills you have in the face-to-face classroom to a digital classroom so that you can produce really effective lessons for the learners you teach and help them to develop their English skills.

A successful online lesson is a lesson where your student goes away knowing something they didn't know at the beginning, or being able to do something they couldn't do at the beginning. My name's Lindsey Warwick and I'm a teacher and trainer based here in Cambridge in the UK, and I'd like to invite you to join our course Teaching English Online. I very much hope to see you there.

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Teaching English Online - Free Online Course - FutureLearn

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Learn how to teach English online by transferring your teaching skills to an online context with this free online course from the University of Cambridge.

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Independent listening and speaking practice

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Independent listening and speaking practice

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Teaching in the time of Coronavirus

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We are all undoubtedly living in a very difficult time with the new coronavirus. It is impossible to escape the worrying and upsetting rolling news cycle about COVID-19. But today we have decided to share with you a story of success; a story about how International House Italy is fighting back against all odds and... saving their schools!

Telling us about how it all started, Sarah Stats, Deputy Director at IH Milan-San Donato, says, "The 21st of February was a Friday like any other with COVID-19 the same background noise it had been for some weeks. A few cases nearby were reported and we decided to provide extra reminders about general hygiene in school. We all bid each other 'buon fine settimana' (have a nice weekend) and went about our weekend lives.

"At Sunday noon, a WhatsApp group entitled 'Problem for Next Week' appeared on the management's phones. It was one of our DOSes alerting us that her children's school had been closed for the week. From that moment our normal began to unravel. Monday saw confusion as we tried to interpret the government decree, apply it to our situation, and deal with lessons, exam sessions, and three on-going CELTA courses. From Tuesday an online teaching model took shape. Though we didn't know it at the time, this model would carry us through the following weeks. Our exceptional DOSes took a deep breath and got straight to work".

Natasha Sturlese, Director of IH La Spezia, also remembers that period very well, commenting, "Since 24th of February, IH Italy has had to deal with the terrible threat of COVID-19. We've had to close our businesses to the public and stop all face-to-face activity - imagine that for a language school. IH Italy and AISLi has been very proactive and we came together through WhatsApp groups and Zoom meetings sharing all the expertise we have... to save our schools! Since 3rd of March we have switched our schools from traditional to virtual. Being part of IHWO and AISLi has been of vital importance to us as they have helped us manage the training of our DOSes and teachers."

The virtual classroom model is now in place all over Italy, but this would not be possible if it wasn't for some amazing teamwork. Mary Ricciardi, IH Campobasso, says, "A huge thank you to all the staff at IH Campobasso who are ready to start their online lessons as of today. Our school will be continuously in contact with all our students via Zoom, Facebook, Instagram and emails! Stronger than ever!"

This has also led to experimenting and testing of new systems, which Fabiola Cordaro, Director of IH Palermo London School, has enjoyed. "It's been great fun exploring new methods of teaching and ensuring our lessons continue smoothly," she notes. "Thank you to everyone for being so flexible and adaptable."

Pat Clay from IH Arezzo adds, "Our team is fantastic. They have come up with brilliant imaginative ideas of how to #keeponlearning. We are doing as many courses as possible online. The office staff have become experts on giving technical advice to students over the phone. Exams and external courses in companies and state schools are currently suspended, but we hope to find solutions for them as well. We are abiding by the Italian regulations to try to keep safe and healthy and we have created special WhatsApp groups to support staff and teachers. We are very grateful for the support and advice we are getting from AISLi, Cambridge Assessment English, and IH World. In addition to the support being incredibly useful, it also helps us to feel connected and less isolated," Pat concludes.

"When IH Palermo Language Centre realised that we weren't allowed to deliver face-to-face lessons, it dedicated three full days to finding a valid alternative solution," says Marco Faldetta, Vice Director. As of Monday 9th March, most classes are online including young learner lessons through the Zoom platform. Families and students are responding very well and there is a really positive learning environment." The school has also created a video in Italian which talks about how it works.

Palmina La Rosa, Director of Giga IH Catania, has organised a very fun and creative English cookery lesson online to make traditional English cakes such as carrot cake. Since students will need to stay at home to fight the spread of the virus, they will combat boredom by taking part in fun activities and lessons online. And as they say, 'necessity is the mother of invention' and that really reflects in these innovative solutions to engage with students.

Lucie Cotterill, who works at IH Reggio Calabria and is the DOS Coordinator for IH World, has shared a lovely video for tips for teachers who want to teach online.

Noting that it is a "steep learning curve" for everyone, Roderick Fraser, Director of Studies at IH Jesi - Victoria, says, "We are of course doing our very best to maintain services for our students during this very testing time. This week, we are doing 45-minute synchronistic lessons with our adult and teen groups using the iTeach VLE."

For the school's younger learners, he adds, "For YLs, we are using the 30-day trial of Padlet Backpack to offer an interactive hub for each of our YL and VYL groups (with parents to support). As you may know, Padlet provides 'a wall' where teachers and students can upload materials, exercises, short video lessons, audio messages, pictures, questions, etc. In addition, from next week we will be running 30-minute synchronistic lessons for our YLs on iTeach."

Examinations are also still available. "We are also offering our students the possibility to do the online LanguageCert proctored test," says Roderick. "They can book online 24hours before the exam, and the whole exam, all 4 skills, is carried out at a distance. We are proud that we can continue to offer certification in these trying times."

IH Team Lingue - Lake Como have been uploading themed videos to their YouTube channel for learning English, and are carrying out online courses to students. You can view the videos here.

To support their members worldwide, IH World as an organisation has prepared and delivered webinars about online learning, inviting members to share best practices.

Teaching in the time of Coronavirus has shown us the strength of IH schools, and how innovative, flexible and adaptable they are. In the true IH spirit of 'flow of ideas', all members have been very generous and shared their experiences. Together we are stronger, together we are a part of a bigger community.

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Teaching in the time of Coronavirus - IH Italy fights back

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We are all undoubtedly living in a very difficult time with the new coronavirus. It is impossible to escape the worrying and upsetting rolling news cycle about COVID-19. But today we have decided to share with you a story of success; a story about how International House Italy is fighting back against all odds and...

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Video tutorials for learners by the British Council

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How to use Zoom - Video tutorials for learners

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Several tools

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Virtual Classroom

Lesson content creation

Course content creation

Delivering Online Learning

Onboarding

LMSLearner management system

Bookings

Payments

Self Access Course

Created by Nik Peachey

Data

Payment SystemIn order to run an online school, you need to have a system for taking payments online.This can be done using a wide range of third-part applications that can communicate with your LMS using an API. Which system you choose will depend to some extent on your physical location.Some common payment systems are:https://stripe.com/gbhttps://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/merchanthttps://www.ipayimpact.co.uk/IPI

Self Access CourseThis is the course content that your students will study independently in their own time. You can structure the courses so that students have to study at specific times and include a range of learning objects and interaction types in the courses. You can also add video content and forum type activities where students can communicate with each other asynchronously.The courses are usually created in the LMS and the course content can be created using a range of authoring tools.

The Virtual ClassroomThis is where students from all over the world can meet together to have a live (synchronous) lesson with a teacher. These can be group classes or one-to-one.These applications can be used as virtual classrooms:https://iteach.world/https://webroom.net/https://appear.in/https://bigbluebutton.org/https://zoom.us/

Course Content CreationIn order to create interactive self access courses and materials for students, we need to have some form of authoring tool.In some cases the LMS will have its own authoring suite. Many of the authoring suites that come with the LMS are very poor, but you can plug in a third party application to enable the creation of more interesting interaction types.You can use https://h5p.org/ as an authoring tool and plug it in to most common LMS such as, Moodle, Canvas, Drupal, Wordpress, etc.

Learning Management System -LMSThis is the heart of the technology that supports the building of courses and course structures and enables the tracking of students learning. In many cases, the LMS also includes a booking system so that students can schedule lessons and it controls who can access and teach courses as well as who can author courses.The LMS will also enable you to build the store front for your virtual school.Examples of LMS are:https://moodle.com/https://iteach.world/https://www.instructure.com/canvas/en-gbhttps://www.schoology.com/https://www.blackboard.com/index.html

OnboardingThis is the process of training your students how to use and access the course materials and virtual classroom.You can create video or graphic materials to help students understand this process.You can create video tutorials using: https://screencast-o-matic.com/screen-recorder

Lesson ContentIn order to teach and learn efficiently in the virtual classroom, we need to have some learning materials and content that both we and the students can see during the lesson (like a virtual course book)We can create these materials using: https://genial.ly/Or we can use PowerPoint or some other presentation software.

CustomersThese are the people who pay for your courses.

Booking EngineIn order to enable students to schedule live lessons and for teachers to show when they are available, you will need some form of booking system. The booking system is often built into the LMS, but many of these have limitations.These are a few systems you can use to create an independent booking system:https://calendly.com/https://calendar.google.com/calendar

Director - PeacheyPublications

Role 1

Online Course Designer

Role 2

Content Author

Role 3

Learning Technology Consultant & Trainer

Role 4

Nik Peachey

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Virtual Classroom Lesson content creation Course content creation Delivering Online Learning Onboarding LMSLearner management system Bookings Payments Self Access Course Created by Nik Peachey Data Payment SystemIn order to run an online school, you need to have a system for taking payments online.This can be done using a wide range of third-part applications that can communicate with your LMS using an API.