Author: Hafsah Aminu (edited by Gary Motteram) | Published on 26 February 2024
Objective
The objective of this plan is to guide teacher educators in effectively supporting remote learning for educators, by creating a course plan to ensure a seamless transition to online teaching and learning environments.
Introduction/prompt
Conduct a technology readiness assessment:
- Identify the technological skills and resources available to educators
- Evaluate their comfort level with online tools and platforms.
- Assess educators' familiarity with online pedagogies.
- Identify areas where additional training may be required.
Create a survey for educators:
- Develop a survey to gauge their preferences and concerns.
- Include questions about preferred modes of communication and learning in the survey.
- Ideally, this survey will be conducted as a part of the planning process for the workshop/ course you plan to run.
Step 1: Customising professional development
a. Analyse assessment results
- Use data gathered to identify common areas of need.
- Prioritise topics based on urgency and relevance.
b. Develop tailored training modules
- Create modules addressing identified needs using the platforms that will be used for the online trainings.
- Include interactive elements and practical exercises.
c. Provide flexible learning opportunities
- Offer webinars, video tutorials, and asynchronous resources.
- Allow educators to choose the format that suits their schedules.
Step 2: Establishing a supportive community
In addition to materials you create for the course and tools you make use of to run the course, you could in addition:
a. Create online forums
- Set up discussion forums (E.g. WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook community) for educators to share experiences.
- Facilitate collaboration and resource sharing.
It may be that you are using one of these social media tools to create your course, so this could be both the space for teaching, as well as for community building.
b. Schedule virtual check-ins
- Conduct regular virtual meetings for educators to express concerns.
- Share success stories and best practices on the forums.
c. Foster peer mentoring
- Pair experienced online educators with those who need support.
- Encourage the exchange of ideas and strategies.
Step 3: Monitoring and feedback
a. Implement continuous feedback mechanisms
- Collect feedback on training modules and support initiatives.
- Use feedback to make ongoing improvements.
b. Monitor implementation of remote teaching strategies
The most successful teacher education happens when people who are a part of a course make use of the ideas in their own practice. You could ask the course participants to create a course and feedback on its implementation.
- Encourage educators to share their experiences with implemented strategies.
- Identify challenges and offer timely solutions.
c. Adjust support strategies as needed
- Be flexible in adapting support mechanisms based on emerging needs.
- Provide additional resources or training as necessary.
Step 4: Celebration and recognition
a. Highlight success stories
- Showcase examples of successful remote teaching.
- Recognise and celebrate achievements within the community.
b. Organise virtual recognition events
- Host online events to acknowledge educators' efforts.
- Provide certificates or badges for accomplishments.