Virtual Learning: Tips and Techniques: Tips and Techniques

By Larry Banks

Teaching remote students in virtual classrooms is an art and a science. It does not matter if the course is blended (hybrid) or online, student outcomes depend upon an instructor's ability to motivate, engage, and provide confidence-building feedback. Topics in this book include removing learning barriers, c

• Language: English
• Publisher: EduShare, LLC
• Release date: Apr 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781087958125

Book preview

Virtual Teaching

Tips and Techniques

Larry Banks, PhD

EduShare, LLC

Copyright – EduShare, LLC

Contact Information:

EduShare, LLC

Larry Banks, PhD

[e-mail]

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise with the prior written permission of the copyright holder.

Print ISBN: 978-1-0879-5803-3

eBook ISBN: 978-1-0879-5812-5

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Acknowledgments

Although it is not possible to recognize all the people that have influenced my approach to teaching, some deserve special mention. I am indebted to Robin King who stepped forward to assume the role of editor and helped me to self-publish. She provided advice and helped with the many details of publishing a book. Her contributions were essential to making it happen.

I am appreciative for the contributions of professional teachers who influenced my thinking. To Dr. James Dorris, thank you for our discussions on the purpose of lectures. Thanks to Jana Colyar, we have spent years of developing faculty together. As I have had the opportunity to train many instructors, thank you for your feedback and encouragement. You are responsible for shaping some of my thoughts and teaching skills. A special shout-out to Nicolette Watkins, Dr. Arthur Waller, and Eric Evans. Collaborating with each of you motivated me to write content and to share my talents with others.

Larry Banks, PhD

Contents

Chapter 1

Brick, Click, or Brick and Click

Teaching is a Profession, Too

Great Teachers Have Plans

Great Teachers Remove Learning Barriers

Great Teachers Provide Confidence-Building Feedback

Chapter 2

Virtual Teaching

Backstory

What is Blended Learning and Virtual Classrooms:

Learn It, Practice It, Discuss It and Do It

Summary

Chapter 3

Motivation, Engagement, and Interaction

It’s About Learning—Not Teaching

The Challenges of a Virtual Classroom

Recommended Practices for Remote Teaching

Virtual Classroom Facilitation

Summary

Chapter 4

Instructional Methods and Learning Plans

What Is Microlearning?

Digital Best Practices

Summary

Chapter 5

Lo = (Lp + Lt) Li

Chapter 6

Inspirational Micro-Lectures

Let's Practice

Summary

Chapter 7

Confidence-Building Feedback

Characteristics of Quality Feedback

Practice It

The Confidence-Building Feedback Formula

Summary

Chapter 8

Putting It All Together

A Bird’s Eye View of What We Have Covered

Look, Sound, and Feel

Wrap Up

Notes

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Appendix 3

Appendix 4

Appendix 5

About the Author

Consultant Services

1

Brick, Click, or Brick and Click

I wish I could tell you that all the ideas in this book are my inventions and that I am some kind of teaching and learning genius. The truth is, I am a collector of ideas. I rarely invent anything, and when I do, it is rarely worth writing about.

The secret of my success is to model things that are known to reliably work rather than try to reinvent the wheel. Reinventing the wheel requires you to be a genius and even then, it carries with it a high probability of failure. I am no genius, and I hate failing, and so I closely copy the things that made others successful . . . at least until I have got a good handle on the basics. This tilts the odds in my favor and gives me a high probability of success. Steve Jobs and Pablo Picasso used to say, Good artist copy; great artists steal. Regardless of whether you consider me a great artist or a thief, I want you to benefit from a trove of proven teaching and learning strategies.

This book contains teaching and learning basics, some come from my own experiences, but most come from people who have influenced and mentored me. Some have been personal mentors to me, while others have been mentors to me through publications and other works that they produced. When you collect ideas over a period of many years it can sometimes become a blur when trying to recall where it once originated. For that, I apologize in advance. 

If I had to summarize the essence of this book in one sentence it would be, The fastest path to effective remote teaching and learning.

Teaching is a Profession, Too

This book is unashamedly about improving student learning and experience—It is about virtual learning, not teaching. What is teaching? Thoughtful decision making about how best students can learn skills and competencies.

It is one thing to know how to fix a car, frame a house, or change out computer parts, and it is another to know how to effectively transfer knowledge. Just because a teacher has job skills, does not mean he or she can effectively help students to transform knowledge into skills and competencies. Your success as