FAQ 4 During Class

Q) Is taking an online class the same as a regular class? What are some important points to note while taking an online class?

A) Many teachers find taking an online class to be very different from taking a regular class. Some of the important differences seen are

• Lack of audio-visual feedback from the students

• Difficulty in being spontaneous in an online class

• Fear of mistakes being recorded - a fear that is felt equally by teachers and students.

Most of us are used to being in control of all aspects of the class. This may not be the case in an online mode. For example, if you have a student co-learner for the session, she/he may be the one to admit students into the meeting, check if there are messages in the chat and so on.

Also, you don’t know what other tabs the student has opened, where they are looking, what they are doing in a breakout room etc. Learn to let go! Online teaching calls for more responsibility on the part of the student, and they should be given the space to grow and also be given the benefit of doubt.

Remember to ask questions and have planned breaks and activities during an online class - it is easy for students to mentally switchoff if the class is a monologue.

Agreed that silence is deafening, but give the students time to think! Expect to have a silence of about 15 seconds after asking a question before you demand an answer – not only do students need time to think, they need to unmute their mics too. Moreover, often there is a delay in signal relay.

Just because it is an online class does not mean you can't have fun. Have your own fun rituals with your students, as you would in your regular class like spending the first few minutes asking them about what the students have been doing in their leisure. If your class strength is large you can always handpick a different but small set of students to engage with.

You could also ask some or all students to leave their mics unmuted so that the classroom is filled with natural responses. This can be difficult to implement, since unmuted mics normally mean a lot of noise. You have to strike a cautious balance between silence and interactive sounds.

Mistakes being recorded is a genuine concern. Do not put out the recordings for public viewing unless you have explicit permission of all the concerned people. Once this is taken care of, you can always impress up on the students that most learning happens from mistakes being commited. (See for example, greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_we_should_embrace_mistakes_in_school .)

Many teachers find online teaching more tiring than a regular class. Have a glass of water next to you, for you may be doing most of the talking, and without a pause.