Teaching is tough. It takes a long time to master a subject and some extra courage to share the knowledge you’ve gained.
Also, you’ll need special skills to deliver the message so others can get it and implement what they’ve learned from you.
Online teaching is even more challenging. In a classroom, you can trace non-verbal signals from your students and use your body language to express your ideas and affect their different senses.
But online, you are placed in a video box with fewer resources to make your message heard.
How can you teach others online in this case? Or, if you are a student, how can you find someone who can teach you something?
What are the tips and tricks to know if you’re interested in how to find a math tutor or a literature tutor?
Let’s unpack what makes a good online teacher, see 7 tips on how to tutor effectively online, and show how you can prepare for your online classroom.
What Makes a Good Online Teacher? 7 Tutoring Tips and Techniques
If you want to know how to become a good online teacher, it’s better to start with developing skills and qualities that will make you a personality suitable for mentoring others.
Among all, you should be open-minded, patient, knowledgeable, passionate, and motivating. It’s hard to learn from somebody who doesn’t seem to know much, acts angry, and criticizes instead of providing constructive feedback. These qualities are equally crucial for a good teacher offline and online.
On this important note, here are seven tutoring tips to help you succeed in your online classroom.
1. Create Engaging Online Lessons
Dynamic lesson plans are among the most popular tips for tutoring online, and there’s no surprise. Since you’re limited in resources, all you have is your subject, and it should be engaging by itself.
Be creative and adaptive: include technology, games, and alternative tutoring techniques in your online lessons from time to time to keep things fresh. If your students don’t feel entertained by the subject they are learning from you, they are likely to leave your class and pursue something more interesting instead.
2. Work on Your Communication
As you can only deliver your message online verbally, your communication skills are crucial. Good communication means explaining your concepts and ideas clearly, effectively, and in simple terms so that others can grasp the message behind your words and understand it.
Another important communication aspect is being open to ideas and opinions of your students. You should make them feel safe and free to train their critical thinking, learn from their own mistakes, and participate in group activities under your lesson plan. If something doesn’t work, your communication style may be the problem.
Remember that an online classroom is the best place to learn something; your task here is to teach your students what they should learn. Keep this in mind, and your language will naturally adapt to our recommendations.
3. Create a Supportive Environment
Life is harsh, so the chances people will come and stay around you are higher if you establish a supportive environment in your classroom. Aim at making your online class a comfort zone and a welcoming environment that tolerates imperfections and mistakes. This way, you can fuel collaboration and teamwork, which are essential for the study process.
There are not many places in the world that can provide the strong sense of belonging to a supportive community. If you succeed in building it, your students will love coming back to your class again and again—even if you haven’t tried any other tips for tutoring listed here yet.
4. Be a Partner, Not an Authority
There is a thin line between being a friend and a teacher. If you want your students to be engaged and feel your support, you should act as friendly as possible within your tutoring role. Remember that you’re a mentor who motivates students, but do it gently and with fun so it doesn’t feel stressful and harsh to them.
What makes a good tutor online is feeling the exact moment to step up and fix the frustration in online conference calls. Sometimes, it’s not about a long motivational speech but a little push or a joke to make your students share their thoughts again.
5. Stay Positive
Staying positive is crucial, as most tips for tutors recommend patience, a welcoming attitude, and availability. If you’re not in a good mood, it’s tough to follow these recommendations.
To keep calm, remember that people have different learning speeds and may not be familiar with the technologies you use. It shouldn’t be a big deal for you. Whenever you feel frustrated, try to find some reason to share your enthusiasm and passion instead. This will switch the focus from the current problem and remind your class of the joy of learning.
6. Show Your Teaching Expertise
Trust is hard to gain online, so make sure you have some proof to showcase your teaching expertise.
The evidence can include:
- Certifications
- Reviews on your personal website
- Recommendations shared on social media
- Professional networking diploma
To become a successful online tutor, it’s worth investing in your personal brand, teaching skills, and area expertise.
7. Improve Your Professional Skills
Constant learning is at the heart of your professional growth, so always look for opportunities to become a better online teacher. It’s a great idea to join a professional community or find other places where your colleagues share tutoring best practices.
Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much, as Hellen Keller once said.
If you’re wondering where to grow your skills, searching other online platforms and connecting with your colleagues on social media is a great idea. This way, you can turn your competitors into your supporters and mentors.
How to Prepare and Teach Online Classes
Now that you know how to be an effective tutor, you can get ready to teach online classes.
For your convenience, we’ve summarized all the tips mentioned above into an action plan you can use to prepare for your next online class:
- Create an overview of your lesson roadmap
- Include a warm, welcoming intro that ensures safety and community within a classroom
- Make sure you explain all the complex concepts simply and clearly
- Add at least one interactive activity to your lesson plan
- Be ready to change the plan and work with frustration in class
- Prepare to collect feedback and share results to strengthen your online tutor brand
Good luck with your next online class!
