We are in the midst of an unprecedented time in history. Almost all students across the country and in many parts of the world are transitioning to online learning, catapulting both teachers and students into unfamiliar territory. Teachers and parents are having to learn new technology and teaching methods to make sure their young learners don’t fall behind. Writing is a crucial life skill and it’s important that online writing classes are taught effectively so that students keep making progress and don’t become disengaged. Use these tips to effectively teach writing classes online.
Be Prepared
When teaching any subject online, it’s important to adequately prepare beforehand. This might include finding the right place in your home with sufficient lighting that is free of distractions in order to teach your lesson. Preparation for online teaching also means to make sure that you are familiar with the technology that you will be using. It becomes very difficult for students to learn when the teacher constantly has to interrupt the lesson to figure out how to utilize the technology. Become adept at your chosen platform ahead of time to ensure this fragmented instruction doesn’t happen.
Slow Down
Renee Moore, a 30-year teaching veteran and recipient of the Milken Educator Award, says in an interview with The Atlantic that her number one tip for teaching writing online is to slow down and spread the content out. Understand that you won’t ever be able to cover everything, especially during the current stressful situation, so don’t put extra pressure on yourself. She recommends that online teachers figure out what the most essential learning task is for each subject, and to focus on helping students to nail that skill.
Have a Good Curriculum
Even while following these tips, teaching writing online will be difficult without the right curriculum and lesson plans. We are currently offering free remote access to our Top Score Writing curriculum, which was developed for teachers by teachers as a Lexile-certified writing curriculum that is 100% online. If you are a teacher or a parent struggling with developing quality online writing lessons, save yourself the trouble and sign up today for instant access to Top Score Writing’s Online Learning Portal.
