Online teaching? Easy innit... I'm a classroom teacher, I can teach online. I
have a computer, I can compute...
Hi my name is Jema Perry and welcome to Mooncake ESL teaching made easy. If
you're new here then you need to know that I make weekly ESL teaching tip
videos to help you improve your English teaching. So if you are teaching ESL
abroad make sure you subscribe below and hit that notification bell for weekly
ESL teaching tips. Also real quick if you are new here say hi in the comments
below and let me know where in the world you are teaching. The world as we know it
is changing and as the world changes so does the way we learn. Technology is
taking over the world! Because of this many classroom based teachers are
suddenly being asked to teach English online, but fear, not because today I'm
giving you my top five tips to teaching ESL online so you can give the best
class to your students. So without further ado let's get started with
tip number one, the setup. Now you would think that getting ready for your online
ESL class is easy. Simply turn on your camera and go, but without a little
effort you're in danger of looking like this. Trust me darling, nobody wants to
see your nostrils. But worry not because you can avoid this look by
thinking about a few simple points starting with the camera angle. The
camera angle is really important. Most teachers will simply put their laptop on
a table and hit record. However this tends to leave you with an upward angle
that's not likely to show off your best features. Try raising your laptop by
placing some books underneath and raising that camera up to eye level. This
will give you a much more natural appearance on a camera. If you're using a
phone then the same principle applies but you need to make sure your phone is
in a fixed position so that it doesn't move and wobble as you're teaching.
There's nothing worse than giving your students motion sickness. You don't need
big fancy lights to make yourself look good on camera
but you do need to take light into consideration. There's nothing worse than
looking like a mysterious goth to your students. The cheapest and easiest light
source is the Sun. Filming by a window gives you all the natural light needed
to make you look good. However, try to make sure that you're facing the window
as much as possible so that that light falls onto your face. If you're filming
with the window behind you you're likely to look angelic and students won't be
able to see you. The background of your set is also really important. You don't
need to make your apartment super fancy, but dear
God tidy up! Nobody wants to see your dirty underwear or your family photos so
try and pick a spot that's plain and tidy so the students can focus on you
and not what's going on behind you. Now it goes without saying that sound is
really important for your online ESL lessen. Where possible try and include
a mic in your setup. Luckily though your laptop and your phone will have a
relatively good mic if you don't have access to a professional one.
Try and limit any background noise by closing windows, turning off air
conditioners, and asking any roommates or family members to be quiet. Now just like
your classroom based lesson you need to plan your class. Depending on whether
you're teaching students individually or as a group it's quite likely that you
won't be able to see or interact too much with your students. This means that
when we're planning we need to think about what we want to say and how we
want to say it. Our lessoa plan it's going to become a bit like a script. You
should still follow the standard structure for an ESL lesson, but you'll
need to plan the presentation of each section carefully. Tip number two,
presentation. Now if you have ever watched a kids TV show then you will have noticed
how enthusiastic and energetic the hosts are, and there's a reason for this. If you
think about your students sat at a computer watching you on screen then
unless there's something visually appealing for them, then its easy to lose
their attention. So all of our movements needs to be exaggerated and our energy and
enthusiasm needs to be at 150%. Now if you are someone who is shy on camera
then don't be afraid to practice before your class. Take your phone and record
yourself a couple of times see what you're doing well and what you can do
better. The more you practice, the more comfortable you're going to become. Tip
number three, TPR. Most especially for those lower level students TPR is
essential. Now if you're not sure what TPR is you can check out my video on TPR
linked below. Also when teaching lower level students it's important to cut
back on incidental language. These are phrases like 'can you say' or 'now we're
going to talk about the weather' This kind of language might be too much for
students and if they don't understand you're at risk of losing their attention.
Instead try giving students visual cues so they know what you expect from them.
For example, cupping your ear to in the listening when you want students to
speak. Tip number four materials. Now just like any other ESL lesson we need to use
materials to help get our message across. Now these materials can come in the form
of flashcards, drawings or ideally props such as puppets. What's up doc. If
you don't have access to many materials right now then stop and take a look around
your apartment to see what you can use. For example, if you wanted to teach a
kitchen unit then you could use the pots and pans and knives and forks from your
kitchen to teach different vocabulary. If all else fails don't be afraid to try it
sock puppet. What's up doc. Tip number five feedback. Just like with any ESL class
feedback is really important. In fact online it's even more important because
it's much harder to keep students happy and engaged. So let students know when
they're doing well and remember to be about 50% more energetic as you do it.
Also good be afraid to try things like the online high five online high five. So
there you have it my top five tips for online ESL teaching. If you like this
video let me know by commenting the word helpful in the comments below
and by sharing with your fellow teachers. If you're looking for more fun ESL
teaching tips and make sure you check out some of my other videos right here.
That's it for this video thanks so much for watching. You can find me on Facebook
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mug you can find them linked below and of course remember to subscribe and hit
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