Distance Learning: Online Teaching

by Nicole Coppola

Online teaching can be challenging.  One piece that has worked for me is maintaining a routine.  My virtual lessons follow the same format that my classroom lessons did–a warm up, a lesson that includes review, goals, and teacher modeling of the concept.  Then, there is an independent assignment. 

In my district, we use CANVAS, an online teaching platform.  My video lessons, recorded on Zoom.com, often include MS PowerPoints because there is an option to add recordings over the slides.   With Zoom, there is a screen share option, so the teacher can interact with documents and preview the online assignments.  Another helpful tip is that other teachers have added me as an observer to their teacher pages, so I can see how my colleagues are using resources and creating lessons.

My teacher page also includes an OPTIONAL Pandemic Journal Project. By opening a discussion board with several prompts, the students have the option to write about their personal experiences or not.  The next step for me is to create virtual conferences and peer group discussions using my district resources.  Online teaching is still a work in progress for me, but I am adjusting to the change.

Call for Distance Learning Blog Posts

The PAWLP Blog would like to hear from you! What does distance learning look like for you, your students, and your school district? What digital programs are you using? What lessons have you tried out? What routines and expectations are you establishing?

Blog posts will be featured in our Distance Learning column each Monday. Please email the PAWLP blog if you are interested or would like to find out more information.