Best Practices for Remote Teaching during COVID-19

Posted by Texas OnCourse on Apr 14, 2020 4:31:47 PM

Unless you’ve been a remote teacher at some point in the past, it’s likely that the last few weeks have been a serious adjustment period. Almost all educators across the nation have been faced with making their lesson plans and counseling services virtual in addition to keeping up with the rigors of everyday life during a pandemic. Some educators are faced with teaching their students AND their own children, all day long!

To lend a helping hand, we’ve compiled a list of best practices for remote teaching during COVID-19:

  • Take movement breaks.

We’re used to being up, moving, and facilitating. Now we’re doing that from a desk. Take regular breaks to walk around or stretch. Or set up your laptop so that you can stand and work. 

  • Collaborate. 

Educators are natural collaborators, always trying to find a way to work smarter. Now collaboration has gone global. Educators everywhere are crowdsourcing to redesign their curriculum. Use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to find new best practices on the fly.

  • Get hooked up.

Ask your district’s tech department for a Wi-Fi hotspot. There may be some left after giving them to students. Many of us are trying to have our own children do lessons or are keeping younger children entertained while we help our students. This results in a lot of data use and slower internet, so it helps to have a backup!

  • Set expectations and policies.

Put some thought into the following questions, and communicate the answers to students and families:

    • How can students reach you? 
    • What hours are you available?
    • How quickly can students and their families expect to get a response?
    • How often can students and families expect to hear from you?
  • Amp up your tool belt.

Make sure you’re a Zoom pro (tips and tricks here) and that you’re up-top-date on all the free ed tech tools at your disposal. Check out this helpful list provided by the American School Counselor Association.

We know this is an unprecedented time, but we also know we are better and smarter together. If you have some amazing tips for teaching and counseling from home, email us.

Topics: Entrance Exams