If we do go back to Zoom teaching, a few little things that helped me with my 6th form classes. A thread…

If you can, have a little chat before the ‘proper learning’ takes place. Goes some way to keeping the good vibes that make teaching so enjoyable.
I tend to use PowerPoint and share slides. Usually, one slide of explanation followed by one slide of practice. Keep it short and simple. Short tasks keep the pace of the lesson and keep kids on their toes.
The big challenge with remote learning is checks for understanding. How do I know they’re focussed? How do I know what they know?
Obviously, you’ve got the chat box, which is particularly good for one-sentence answers or letter answers to multiple choice or true/false statements on your slides.
You’ve also got the ‘cold-call’ using the mic. Just make sure you give students time to think about the answer: it’s quite intimidating when you know you’re being broadcast into people’s kitchens!
In school, I say ‘I should see 100% hands up’ when I ask a question. On Zoom, I’ve changed to ‘I should see a screen of little blue hands!’ Find that in the ‘manage participants’ bit.
Something that can also work quite well (with smallish groups) is a shared Google doc with a table. Put student names in one column. They write their answer in the other.
That way, you can pose questions and see the whole group writing answers in real time. It also puts them under a bit of pressure because they can see others writing.
It also gives you a break. In the first lockdown, I underestimated the intensity of Zoom teaching and started off with too much teacher talk. Make sure you stop for a sip of coffee.
Everyone loves a star chart (even my 6th formers). Very important that you’re praising kids for their effort while maintaining high standards. We all like to know our hard work is being noticed.
Important to say – and I can’t stress this enough – this is MUCH easier with small groups. When I teach groups of 30 on Zoom, I keep things very simple.
Hope that helps. Whatever you do, you’re an absolute hero: Zoom teaching is a lot more difficult than people think it is!

More from Education

Chicago Public Schools are supposed to open for some special needs and pre-K students Monday

The Chicago Teachers Union is now threatening to refuse to return to work in person.

https://t.co/MgDgNe6REj


Meanwhile
https://t.co/FIij8J3r7z

Dr. Fauci: "The default position should be to try as best as possible within reason to keep the children in school or to get them back to school [...] if you look at the data the spread among children and from children is not really big at


UNICEF: "Data from 191 countries shows no consistent link between reopening schools and increased rates of coronavirus

You May Also Like

Following @BAUDEGS I have experienced hateful and propagandist tweets time after time. I have been shocked that an academic community would be so reckless with their publications. So I did some research.
The question is:
Is this an official account for Bahcesehir Uni (Bau)?


Bahcesehir Uni, BAU has an official website
https://t.co/ztzX6uj34V which links to their social media, leading to their Twitter account @Bahcesehir

BAU’s official Twitter account


BAU has many departments, which all have separate accounts. Nowhere among them did I find @BAUDEGS
@BAUOrganization @ApplyBAU @adayBAU @BAUAlumniCenter @bahcesehirfbe @baufens @CyprusBau @bauiisbf @bauglobal @bahcesehirebe @BAUintBatumi @BAUiletisim @BAUSaglik @bauebf @TIPBAU

Nowhere among them was @BAUDEGS to find
I’m torn on how to approach the idea of luck. I’m the first to admit that I am one of the luckiest people on the planet. To be born into a prosperous American family in 1960 with smart parents is to start life on third base. The odds against my very existence are astronomical.


I’ve always felt that the luckiest people I know had a talent for recognizing circumstances, not of their own making, that were conducive to a favorable outcome and their ability to quickly take advantage of them.

In other words, dumb luck was just that, it required no awareness on the person’s part, whereas “smart” luck involved awareness followed by action before the circumstances changed.

So, was I “lucky” to be born when I was—nothing I had any control over—and that I came of age just as huge databases and computers were advancing to the point where I could use those tools to write “What Works on Wall Street?” Absolutely.

Was I lucky to start my stock market investments near the peak of interest rates which allowed me to spend the majority of my adult life in a falling rate environment? Yup.