Features and Comparisons

7 Teaching Strategies For An Effective Remote Classroom

As educators navigate the shift to online instruction, there has been an increased focus on developing effective teaching strategies for the virtual classroom. However, there emerges a question, how do we adapt our teaching strategies for remote learning?

While searching for an answer, not only must we consider our methodology, but also how best to support and foster positive relationships with students.

By utilizing these 7 teaching strategies, instructors will have the tools necessary to develop an effective remote classroom that meets curricular objectives while building strong student-instructor relationships.

7-teaching-strategies-for-an-effective-remote-classroom.jpg

toc

1. Inquiry-based learning

Through inquiry-based learning, learners can uncover what inspires them! It’s a powerful teaching method that encourages people to ask questions and follow their interests. Who knows? The answers they find could lead them on a journey of self-discovery. As they ask questions, they discover what they love, what they are curious about, and their interests.

According to a study from the Association for Psychological Science, inquiry-based learning makes it easier for learners to understand topics and perceive information. It ensures they are actively participating and, as a result, understanding what is being taught. Get them involved in discussions about the topic: it will help spark their creativity and stimulate engagement with knowledge.

The main benefits of an inquiry-based learning strategy are:

  • developing critical thinking
  • encouraging curiosity
  • giving students self-confidence
  • developing more practical thinking

In your remote classroom, you can apply the inquiry-based learning strategy by adding quizzes or necessary discussion topics to your course flow.

2. Project-based learning

Project-based learning strategy is another strategy that provides active participation of the learner. You can plan projects that take a few days or a few weeks, depending on your curriculum.

Projects include all the benefits of group work. In this process, learners take real responsibility. They learn how to work together and they exchange ideas. They explore complex topics and become autonomous in their learning process.

At the end of the process, they exhibit their projects and convey what they have learned. Explaining the acquired knowledge to others is one of the best ways of learning. In this way, they both gain self-confidence and their knowledge becomes more permanent.

3. Student-led classroom

Student-led learning on the rise in recent years, especially as more and more classes move online. This approach to education puts the responsibility for learning squarely on the shoulders of the students, who are empowered to choose their own teaching strategies and materials.

In a remote classroom, this can be especially effective, as it gives students the freedom to learn at their own pace and in their own way. Additionally, it can be a great way to build learner confidence and ownership of the learning process.

Of course, student-led learning is not without its challenges. Without the close supervision of a teacher, it can be easy for learners to fall behind or become frustrated. But with your full support and good guidance, student-led learning can be an immensely rewarding experience for both learners and educators.

4. The gradual release of responsibility

This strategy begins with you providing explicit instruction and modeling the desired behavior or task. Next, the learners practice the skill with you providing guidance and support. Finally, the learners apply the skill independently.

The gradual release of responsibility aims that the learner gains autonomy in the process.

This model can be adapted to a remote classroom setting by using a variety of digital tools to

  • provide explicit instruction,
  • model the desired behavior or task, and
  • provide guidance and support.

With the right tools in place, the gradual release of responsibility strategy can be an effective way to teach in a remote classroom setting. Sign up for Perculus for free to see how it can help you with this.

5. Fishbowl discussions

The fishbowl discussion is a teaching strategy in which a small group of students discuss a topic while the rest of the class observes. This can be an effective remote classroom teaching strategy as it gives all learners the opportunity to participate, whether they are comfortable speaking in front of the class or not.

It also allows for more introverted learners to process the information and form their own opinions before contributing to the discussion.

To facilitate a fishbowl discussion in a remote classroom, you can choose a group of learner volunteers to be the inner circle. You can use breakout rooms to create groups. The rest of the class will be in the outer circle and will observe the discussion. The inner circle will discuss the topic for a set amount of time, after which the outer circle will have the opportunity to ask questions or share their thoughts.

The benefit of this teaching strategy is that all learners are engaged in the course and are given the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas. This can be especially beneficial in a remote classroom setting, where it can be difficult to keep all learners engaged.

6. Cooperative learning

The cooperative learning strategy is a teaching strategy that involves dividing learners into small groups and having them work together to complete a task or activity. This teaching strategy is effective in both face-to-face and remote classrooms.

Cooperative learning is a group work-oriented strategy. Nevertheless, in cooperative learning, learners both work with group members and have their own tasks to accomplish individually. In this way, learners both learn to take personal responsibility and participate in teamwork.

The contributions of this strategy to learners are as follows:

  • improves social skills
  • teaches them to take responsibility
  • teaches teamwork
  • Shows the importance of task distribution

In a remote classroom, the cooperative learning strategy can help learners feel more connected to their classmates and ensure that everyone is actively engaged in the course.

When using the cooperative learning strategy in a remote classroom, it is important to provide clear instructions and to give learners time to discuss the task or activity with their groupmates before starting. By using the cooperative learning strategy, you can create an effective remote classroom that engages all students.

7. Modeling

In order to be an effective remote educator, it is important to have a teaching strategy that can be consistently applied in the classroom setting. Another teaching strategy that is known to be beneficial is modeling.

This teaching strategy involves you demonstrating how to complete a task or activity for your learners. You can do this with the use of video conferencing features. After you have demonstrated the task or activity, you can then provide guidance and support to them as they attempt to complete the same task.

This teaching strategy shows how to be particularly effective in remote classrooms. As it allows learners to see how tasks should be completed and provides them with the opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback in real time. As a result, modeling is an effective teaching strategy that can be used in remote classrooms.

When choosing a strategy, consider your class’s knowledge level and what will best help them learn the curriculum. Once you’ve selected a strategy, make sure your virtual classroom platform has the features needed to support it.

Perculus is dedicated to providing educators with the tools they need for success in remote classrooms. Our platform includes features like breakout rooms and video conferencing that allow you to easily put these teaching strategies into practice. Sign up for our free today to see how easy it is to use Perculus in your next remote course.