Doggy Paddling in the Deep End: 5 Things I Didn't Know I Knew About Teaching Online

asderknaster via Pixabay

I'm not a fool. I know this post would have been a lot more useful six weeks ago.

But six weeks ago, I was too awash in the flood of changes to know any of these things.

Well, that's not entirely true. I knew them. I just hadn't given any thought whatsoever to how they applied to online instruction.

That's one of the problems with getting tossed into the deep end of the pool. It takes even good swimmers a moment to regain their equilibrium and make the transition from being on land to being in the water.

At least I assume that's the case, as I'm a terrible swimmer.

But I'm a good instructor. Easier than I think I am and tougher than some would like me to be, I have 35 years of experience with face-to-face instruction. And, while I have some experience with online learning, I have zero experience with online teaching.

Correction. I now have one month's worth of experience with online teaching. That and the online course I took in January, meant to be a primer for online teaching, are just enough to leave me doggy paddling in the deep end.

As it turns out, though, the advice I'd give to new classroom teachers is the same advice I should have given to myself a month ago.

You don't have to know everything. I did embrace this one, and admitted my tech insufficiencies to my students at the outset (they'd already had me in class, so this didn't exactly shock them). In fact, I dubbed the first two weeks (which, at the outset, was the planned duration of online instruction) our "online experiment."

Give plans a chance, but don't be afraid to change things up. I've tried several new things since this little experiment began. Most have worked. A few have not. I've sent an SOS to IT on more than one occasion, re-vamped one assignment mid-week and created a Plan B for one that went inexplicably awry. I do so each time with apologies and a sense of humor. On the other hand, one online tool, suggested to me by a student, was not only a fantastic addition to my online arsenal, but helped my daughter with a project as well.

Gerd Altmann via Pixabay

Be yourself. Many of my colleagues have gone with Zoom lectures/instruction but I was uncomfortable with that. So, I opted to go with an asynchronous approach -- one where students can tackle the work whenever they want, while being expected to meet certain weekly deadlines. Depending upon the guidelines to be followed (I was lucky to have a choice), teaching online can afford tremendous freedom to do things in new ways -- and to perhaps learn a lot in the process.

Be flexible. My rule of thumb is that I will do my best to help every student, and will go the extra mile for anyone who asks for help. While I'm not usually flexible with due dates, that was an essential adaptation under our current circumstances. My students are dealing with much more than just the switch to online learning and I'm more concerned about what they learn than when they learn it.

Steve Buissinne via Pixabay

Take care of yourself. This includes, but is not limited to, setting a schedule, creating a routine, being patient with the learning curve, remembering to get up and move, drinking enough water, eating well, getting enough sleep and co-existing pleasantly with your office mates. Perhaps the most important thing is being patient with yourself on the days you fail to do some -- or any -- of these things.

Sometimes, that moment where we feel disoriented and don't know whether we're on land or in the water can feel like it lasts an eternity. But, once we realize where we are and what we need to do, a little doggy paddling can take us a long way.