The New Normal: Using Online Teaching Experiences as a Catalyst for Change

The New Normal: Using Online Teaching Experiences as a Catalyst for Change

Sammy Woldeab (Toin University of Yokohama )

Face-to-face lessons have always had their challenges. For my after school elementary level English lessons, these challenges specifically relate to classroom management, student motivation and engagement. While the shift to online teaching has also had its challenges, it has given me a chance to approach them from another angle, reevaluate my teaching methods, and gain some new tools and strategies along the way.

A number of changes had to be made when transitioning to online teaching, and these changes brought about some interesting results. For example, lessons were shortened from the usual 50 minutes (face-to-face) to 25 minutes. The length of the lessons and the obvious change in environment meant that many of the students were more focused and willing to participate. The shift in behaviour was also affected by the content of the lessons. In particular, my colleagues and I leaned heavily towards incorporating elements of game-based learning, and the response from students and parents alike was overwhelmingly positive.

In this presentation, I’ll explain what the shift to online teaching looked like for me and discuss the following:

1. What are some examples of sustainable practices gained through online learning?

2. How can technology be integrated into our practice in a meaningful and sustainable way?

I will illustrate these points by showing short portions of a sample lesson and sharing a few resources I used with the hope of giving other teachers concrete examples to use in their own planning, as I’m sure many of us will continue to teach online for the foreseeable future.