We've all attended online workshops and webinars that have bored us to the point of checking our emails or cleaning our desk. Perhaps the content wasn't what we were expecting, or maybe the presenter was just reading word for word from a set of busy slides.
In this blog post, I'll share some of my top tips for delivering awesome teacher training online. These are tips and tricks I use myself and that I've learned through watching other experts in the field at work.
Make it count
In any training session, we want participants to feel like they have invested their time wisely. Time is precious, especially for teachers. No one wants to waste it on a poorly researched session delivered in monodrone. We need to make each second count and aim to have delegates leave feeling like they've really learned something transformative.
Know your topic
To make the session count, you need to be knowledgeable about your topic. Make sure your information is up to date by joining groups on social media, watching webinars, listening to podcasts, and chatting to colleagues as well as reading research, articles, and blogs.
It is often best to choose something that you have lived experience with or a subject that you have researched passionately. Your enthusiasm will shine through if you choose to speak about something that really excites you.
Value the audience
Every teacher brings their own unique skills and experience to the session. As teacher trainers, our role is to help teachers share their ideas, tips, and activities with each other.
Harry Waters, one of my teacher training idols, once made the point that teacher trainers give teachers ideas so they can add their own spin to them and make those ideas bigger and better.
Allowing the training room to be a sharing space lets teachers capitalize on the expertise of the trainer as well as their own and their peers'.
Be interactive
Making sessions interactive gets the audience involved, makes them feel valued, and helps them learn through each other by sharing their expertise. It also avoids turning an online workshop into a lecture. One of the simplest ways to do this is through posing questions in the chat and reading out any interesting and helpful ideas.
Depending on the size of the audience and the learning platform, you could also make use of online tools such as:
- Polls: Ask questions and get people voting in Zoom or via Mentimeter or perhaps even with an Ellii Poll.
- Reactions: Ask participants to share their thoughts using emojis in the chat or the reactions tool.
- Annotation: Have participants interact on screen using text, drawings, or icons by using annotation tools.
- Breakout Rooms: Give attendees time in pairs or groups to share their ideas, solve a problem, or create an activity.
- Shared Documents: Use Google Docs, MS Word Online, or Padlet to have participants collaborate.
- Whiteboards: Complete tables, add information in visual templates, or create mind maps using interactive whiteboards such as Canva, Miro, or Mural.
Use minimal text
Too many words on a slide can be distracting. Participants will naturally aim to read the text, which can be quite confusing if they are also trying to listen to what the presenter is saying at the same time. This can often lead to neither textual nor oral input being comprehensible.
Instead, use text sparingly to remind yourself of points you'd like to make. A few clear bullet points will support the participants to follow your talk. Alternatively, use icons, images, or doodles as visual cues.
Use engaging visuals
Visuals are an impactful way of generating discussions, simplifying complex information, and helping your audience think more deeply about a topic. Some of the best workshops and webinars I have attended used only images to express information, add a touch of humor, and generate questions to get the audience involved.
For example, say you are delivering a session on student well-being. Instead of presenting a comprehensive list of challenges that may affect a learners' mental health or confidence, you could display this image of "Storm Man."
Then you could have people write their own ideas in the chat or by using annotation tools. This way the activity is more interactive and you can actively involve your audience in the session.
Encourage movement
As in face-to-face training, sitting still for too long can make us stiffen up, feel sluggish, and even induce aches and pains. Online English language classes are more fun with a bit of movement and so too are training sessions.
You could try these techniques to re-energize:
- Doodling: Describe or demonstrate how to draw something and have participants draw their own image. For example, have them draw their own "Storm Man."
- Movement Voting: Host an interactive poll where participants stand up for yes, shake their head animatedly for no, lift their arms in the air for maybe, and bend to the right or left for not sure.
- Pass the Pen: Hold a pen and introduce yourself or share a teaching tip, and then pass the pen remotely to another participant. They have to pick up the pen and add their own input to the task, and then pass the pen to the another person of their choice.
- Chair Yoga: Do some gentle stretches from your chair.
- Movement while Brainstorming: If you'd like to give participants five minutes to think about something, have them walk around the room as they do it and then come back to share their ideas.
Get the lighting (and tech) right
Make sure your face isn't in a shadow. Aim to have the light source in front of you. Natural light is best so sitting facing a window can often be the best option. However, a strong lamp or ring light can be just as effective.
It is a good idea to arrive a little early in case you need to play around with curtains, blinds, or lamps. This is also a good opportunity to check that there is no clutter (or anything embarrassing) in the background and that all your tech is working correctly. Check your mic, camera, and screensharing capabilities as a minimum.
Be yourself!
I'm sure everyone has their own online teacher training idols. These are people whose sessions you attend with awe and aspire to be just like them. The reality is that everyone is different and will present in different ways. Some speakers are natural comedians, others are fantastic at telling stories, and some even use singing, drawing, or drama to bring their sessions to life. Share your own unique self and shine as brightly as only you can!
What are your top tips for delivering teacher development sessions online? Who are your teaching training idols? We'd love to know what makes an awesome webinar to you.
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