The Coronavirus terror has very miserably affected almost all possible aspects. The effect of the COVID-19 outbreak slowly started creeping into the education system as well. After the announcement of lock-down in many countries, all the schools, colleges, and universities were also instructed to shut down in Nepal.
Since the lockdown has extended for more than 2 months already, many schools are starting an approach of online classes in Nepal for their students. Even the government bodies at local levels are making a special approach to conduct online classes for SEE appearing students in their areas. However since no such systems with online classes experimented before, both the teachers and students are facing different kinds of problems.
Pic: Sajani Shrestha of GPHS being helped by her father during online class
Online classes seem to have their own pros and cons. Since most of the people are unaware of the techniques of attending online classes in Nepal, and using third-party software, it has created a lot of confusion among people. Even the teachers seem to lack proper preparation techniques.
The following listed the tips for teaching online classes effectively in Nepal:
Table of Contents
1. Maintaining a short and effective routine of different courses
Since students cannot remain in a long time and continuous exposure of the screen for classes, planning must be made taking their health under consideration. The classes must be very precise and proper routine must be made. Frequent breaks and intervals must be included in the routine. The length of the course can be varied according to the complexity and necessity. It might not be possible to take classes in all the courses so they can be alternately covered.
2. Preparing interesting slides or videos to explain the topics for online classes
Since teaching in an online class is totally different from teaching in a classroom with a whiteboard and marker, the teacher must make an effort to make his/her class effective through a different approach. For this, he/she can use effective visual storytelling techniques related to the course topics that can drive the interest of students. Similarly, creating interesting slideshows or sharing videos can grab and maintain the attention of students. Only text-based approaches should be discouraged and teachers should try to incorporate more visually appealing concepts in their teaching materials.
Following are the few tools that might help you while making presentation slides:
3. Selecting a reliable platform, using a paid tool to conduct online classes if possible
Fig: Online classes being conducted by Golden Peak High School using Zoom
It is one of the most basic and most necessary steps. The online teaching platform should be carefully chosen. With the growing issues of online bombing in webinars and online meetings, it has become very hard to maintain security and privacy. So one must wisely select the proper platform. It is suggested to use paid tools since they have more security options and data privacy has become the utmost need for everyone.
Following are a few popular tools to conduct online classes in Nepal:
4. Learning to use tools for online classes in Nepal
Since the practice of using online teaching doesn’t have a long history in Nepal, not only the students but also the teachers are facing problems using the applications properly. However, since students always look up to their teachers, the teacher must properly learn to use the app before starting any online classes. It is only then he/she will be able to confidently guide the students as well. Teachers can provide proper tips to effectively join online classes for students if they themselves are well-prepared.
5. Asking interesting questions randomly to students to maintain alertness
Online classes can either be very interesting or can be equally boring. It all depends on how you teach students. If there is only one-way communication then students will gradually lack interest. So, the teacher should ask random interesting questions to revive the energy of students.
6. Assigning online works and keeping track of the effectiveness
Giving assignments and keeping track of student progress is totally necessary. Otherwise, students might not take the classes seriously. There are many platforms out there where assignment submission can be simple and very easy. While taking online classes in Nepal, the teacher can make effective use of the following free platform:
- Google classroom
- Zoho, etc
7. Managing time effectively
The teacher must be alert about time. He/she shouldn’t keep teaching students for very long while taking online classes. Particular topics should be separated and covered within a given time frame. This helps to maintain the effectiveness of both teaching and learning. This is one of the very important tips for teaching online classes in Nepal.
8. Recording the lectures
Because many areas in our country lack proper access to electricity and the internet, some students might, unfortunately, many students cannot attend online classes in Nepal. To stop them from getting demotivated, the teacher should record the classes and email every student the recording. This will help students keep himself/themselves updated about the classes
9.Motivating students for academic activities
The lockdown has restricted the students to go out of their home, visit any friends, or play outside. Therefore, apart from focusing on courses, teachers should also keep motivating the students. He/she can sometimes conduct online games as well and provide an environment to reconnect them with their friends. This will boost their energy level and they remain motivated as well.
10. Getting feedback and suggestions from students and parents
While teaching online classes in Nepal, apart from trying from your side, it is also good to directly ask students about the feedback. Teachers must create an environment where students can easily ask any questions to the teacher or speak up their problems. Effective measures should be taken to solve various problems being faced by students. Sometimes it is also better to take feedback from their parents as well.
So, these are a few steps you should follow to make any online teaching process effective. Don’t forget to share among your colleagues if you find these points helpful. You can also add some more points that you think can be useful tips for teaching online classes effectively in Nepal, in the comment section below.