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Little late but to teachers/professors who are semi-unexpectedly tackling teaching virtually for the first time: I was homeschooled & took 4 yrs of online English classes. Online can work. Humbly, here are some observations about what worked well for me (1/):
Regular feedback on student's work that is specific, encouraging, and constructive is the most important thing. It's how I grew as a writer AND a thinker ( @johnrobinson gives incredible feedback btw) (2/)
Feedback gave me momentum. When I was struggling or getting stuck, feedback breathed meaning into my work--not just because it honed skills/instincts but because it strengthened trust between my instructor and me. They were real, reading my work and they cared (3/).
Forums can feel like busywork. Tell & show students how it's valuable and make expectations clear. Incorporating their forum work into class time if you can is a great way to do that (4/).
Keeping up the regularly spaced goals of a normal school week is good. Extending grace per individual student's needs is also good. But generally, I did a much poorer job of staying on top of things when everything was due on the same day (5/).
That's all I have. Teachers, you know way more about this than I do. You are all better equipped for this than you may feel. (6/6)
Jk, I have one more! I didn't even have the benefit of video instruction (recorded or live). I know we're all Zoom-weary but man, I would have been pumped to have that in any capacity when I was 15!
