Teach English in Shangjia Zhen - Zibo Shi

Although I have many years of experience teaching English in a traditional classroom, recently I began teaching English online to Chinese children. As a result, I have realized that unique techniques are needed when teaching online, especially to young learners! To that end, my summative response will address several teaching techniques I believe are useful for online ESL instruction. Because online teaching lacks the critical in-person aspect, teachers need to use multiple techniques to build rapport with students. Perhaps most relevant is that teachers must connect to students from behind a small camera, so expressing positive energy is critical! One way teachers can portray their enthusiasm online is to use their voice to animate the lesson. Teachers’ voices should sound excited but they should also vary their tone and pitch. For example, teachers can talk loudly, whisper at times, use funny voices, and even chant or sing. Additionally, it is also important to remember not to talk too quickly or the students will not be able to follow instructions well. Another valuable online teaching technique (especially to young students) involves teachers using their bodies as a tool. Again, ever mindful of being behind a miniature camera, teachers are encouraged to use a variety of hand gestures, lean forward and backward, and dare to make exaggerated and silly faces. Such antics keep young learners interested which creates a better learning experience. Additionally, the use of props is a highly encouraged technique for a variety of reasons. One of the primary purposes is that diverse props create excitement and help maintain students’ attention. At my new company, we are expected to use a minimum of 4 props in each 25 minute lesson. In my case, I use the following props: a whiteboard I draw on, a magnetic board where I place letters and demonstrate simple sounds as well as phonetic blends, real objects (such as balls, toy trucks, etc.), animal puppets, people figures, and small representations of large objects (like a house or skyscraper). These props work well when teaching young students as they often can relate to these universal visual objects. I also consider my classroom setting as a large “prop” and visual aid to learning. Although my classroom is small because it is limited by a camera view, it definitely sets the educational tone. Looking like a professional teacher online is important to my company’s image and also influences the opinion of the parents of my students. What parents and students can see behind, and surrounding, me are deliberately selected instructional materials including: a welcome banner, a map of the world, a map of the United States where I live, the English alphabet, puppets, books AND very important: the student’s reward board. The reward board is both a prop and a teaching technique. Because of the literal distance online, teachers are encouraged to give frequent rewards to students for good work. For instance, if they correctly repeat or identify a vocabulary word, then they receive a visual reward (such as a star or fish). It is placed on a magnetic “reward board” and is prominently displayed in the virtual classroom. The rewards are great motivators for student participation. Another online teaching technique is using the computer platform’s interactive tools. In my case, I can ask students to draw a line to match items, to circle objects, to drop and drag words or objects, etc. Young learners can get bored easily, so whenever they can participate physically online, it is useful. Traditional classrooms obviously offer the person-to-person advantage, but dedicated teachers can use creative techniques to teach students successfully - even across the globe, from behind a tiny camera!