5 Mistakes to Avoid When Teaching Virtually

If you are teaching virtually this year, you won’t want to miss this post! Read on to avoid common mistakes made by beginning virtual teachers. If you will be teaching in your physical classroom, no worries! I have a post, 5 Easy Student Engagement Strategies, for you to check out right here!

Teaching Virtually with Inadequate Lighting

We all want engaged students that are hanging on the edge of their seats just waiting to hear what we have to say next.  However, no matter what kind of genius lesson you are teaching virtually…if they can’t see you well they are going to be checked out.  You need to make every effort to let your bright beautiful self shine on that screen!  

There are a few ways to do this.  You need to light your face.  The easiest and cheapest way to do this to sit facing a window to capture indirect light.  You don’t want to be right up against the window because that can add harsh lighting and shadows.

Another option is to purchase a ring light. During distance learning, I had to teach in my basement.  This did not give me any options for natural light, so I decided to buy a ring light. The ring light that I own plugs right into my computer and has several options for brightness.  This ensures that even if it is a cloudy day, I can still have a light and bright video feed for live teaching.

 Having a Boring Background

Don’t make the mistake of sitting in front of a beige wall with nothing to attract the eye!  Creating a fun background can make your students excited about signing on to your live virtual teaching lesson.  Some teachers like to go digital with this.  The platform Zoom offers a way for you to create a green screen background of your choice to add aesthetic appeal.  I pinned a tutorial video that I found helpful to my Distance Learning board on Pinterest.  You can check it out here.  

I even saw some teachers use a photo of their actual classroom as a background to help their students feel like they were actually teaching from school!

A second option is to create a beautiful physical backdrop in your teaching space. This is especially important if your camera faces a blank wall.  During quarantine, when I was teaching virtually from my basement,  I hung grey barnwood wrapping paper on the wall behind me and added a colorful pop pom bunting near the top.  

Here are some other things that I took on and off of my wall:

• Anchor charts
• Posters
• Pocket charts

What I liked about having a pocket chart on the wall is that I was able to change out the items easily without creating holes.

Finally, you could just allow students to see your home environment.  Students love to get a sneak peek into their teachers’ homes.  Here’s a silver lining to virtual teaching…gone are the days when students think you actually live at school! LOL!

Being a Debbie Downer

Nobody likes hanging out with a Debbie Downer, especially your students.  Let’s face it, we are living in a world filled with anxiety.  Will I get sick?  Will my family get sick?  Is my job safe?

However, just as you do in the physical classroom, you need to cast those worries and stresses away when you get in front of students to teach.  You need to be extra cheerful and energized on video so that your students see it and feel it.  That being said, it is not always as easy to get excited in front of the camera as it is when you are actually with students.  

Here are some ways you can energize yourself before a live or recorded lesson:

• Do a quick exercise like some jumping jacks
• Blast a favorite upbeat song
• Drink your favorite beverage
• Practice recording one minute of video and watch it back to see if you are bringing that energy and fun!

Just be yourself!  Remember, the more often you do something the easier it will become.

Forgetting the Hook

If you are teaching virtually, you may not have as much time with your students, so you must make the most of every moment.  Don’t forget to use a hook to capture their attention!  Think of ways that you can visually direct your students’ eyes to the screen.  Here are some things that I like to have nearby to grab the attention of my primary students:

• Puppets 
• Fun hats
• Silly glasses
• Photo booth props
• Stuffed animals

Adding visual appeal is a great way to keep your students coming back for more because they will be wondering what fun things you are going to show up with next!

Not every hook has to relate to a tangible item.  You can also engage students with a joke or amazing fact!

 Not Providing Rewards

Some teachers love student rewards and others do not, but I have found that using occasional rewards is beneficial to my students.  I don’t know about you, but I love getting my paycheck!  Students should also have a way to be recognized and appreciated for their hard work.

When I am teaching, I want my students to stay engaged throughout the whole lesson, so I want the reward to be released bit by bit.  I like to use a puzzle for this.  I print a fun picture that students would like such a favorite character from a book or a tv show and cut up the picture like a puzzle.  Every few minutes throughout the lesson if students are being attentive,  I add a piece to the puzzle and students try to guess what the picture is.

This adds a layer of fun and excitement and rewards children for staying online throughout the lesson.

Brain breaks can also be a fun way to reward students for working hard. Throw on some music and have a virtual dance party together.  All the better if you are a terrible dancer.  🙂

Another fun and easy reward is having a mystery guest at the end of your lesson.  This works especially well if you have a cute baby or pet to show off!

Remember, rewards do not have to be expensive to be fun!

To recap, here are the mistakes to avoid when teaching virtually:

1. Using inadequate lighting
2. Having boring backgrounds
3. Being a Debbie Downer
4. Forgetting the hook
5. Not rewarding students

Best of luck to you this school year, whether you are teaching virtually or in your physical classroom.  I taught first grade at a virtual school a few years ago, so do not hesitate to contact me with any questions!  Helping teachers is my jam!

I also especially love to help teachers prepare for those stressful teaching observations.  If you haven’t yet, download my free guide here!