Online teaching strategies, a question of didactics

Elearning a question of didactics
Table of contents

Your commitment as a teacher is to develop competences that respond to the demands of the labour and social market.

In this sense, what online teaching strategies do you use in class? Are you using the right resources to achieve meaningful learning?

Read on and find out!

What are the online teaching strategies?

When we talk about online teaching methods, we are referring to the way in which we plan our training to ensure that our students learn in a distance learning ecosystem.

Traditional strategies for online teaching are the foundation on which we will concretise our training project and where we will set the learning methods and objectives.

For this reason, it will be crucial to know perfectly the profile of the students, the subject to be taught and the academic context.

However, when we refer to effective online teaching strategies, we not only keep those guidelines of the face-to-face, but we devise the teaching with the focus on the e-learning platform.

As you know, e-learning is completely different from face-to-face teaching.

That is to say, the training is done through an educational platform ‘enriched’ with didactic resources, tools and instruments designed to be consumed through a computer, tablet or mobile phone.

Moreover, the needs of students are different, hence online study techniques and online teaching strategies must also be different.

In short, we are faced with a new landscape that forces us to plan teaching in a completely different way.

Let’s take a look at it below!

Types of online teaching strategies

Types of elearning strategies

So, what effective online teaching methods will we use?

Within the digital environment, the elements that interact in the didactic act are:

Together, these components make up the two types of strategies that we will see below.

Successful online learning strategies

Learning strategies are a procedure or set of steps that a learner internalises and employs to learn and solve academic demands.

In other words, they are what the learner practices.

An example of a learning strategy would be the making of a concept map.

Teaching strategies

In turn, online teaching strategies are those aids offered by the teacher to facilitate a deeper processing of information.

In other words, we refer to the teacher’s proposal.

As you can see, being an online teacher implies knowing the subject matter and being a specialist in the application of digital content.

An example of online teaching methodologies could be a teacher-led discussion on a topic.

Which innovative online teaching methods to apply to an e-learning course?

In this respect, there are online teaching strategies focused on autonomous, group and cooperative learning.

Let’s get to know them!

Learner-centred e-learning strategies

This time we refer to the use of techniques that are exclusively adapted to the needs and interests of the individual learner.

Thus, you will use certain tools of the digital environment with the idea of:

Online teaching strategies focused on group learning

On this occasion, the strategy focuses on the construction of group knowledge based on the information offered.

Likewise, two roles are involved in this category:

In this case, it can be the teacher, expert or student.

The latter will be responsible for carrying out activities individually and then sharing the results with the group.

Online teaching strategies based on collaborative work

Finally, we find those based on the construction of knowledge in groups, but using communication structures centred on collaboration.

In other words, the results must always be shared by the group and the active participation of all members will be essential to achieve a balanced and open cooperation with regard to the exchange of ideas.

On the other hand, the teacher must provide the rules and structures of the activities, and carry out continuous monitoring and subsequent assessment.

How to teach online using these strategies

Once you have defined the online teaching methods (for children, teenagers or adults) to be implemented in your online course, the only thing left to do is to find the appropriate didactic techniques to comply with them.

Best teaching strategies for online learning

Although you can source many of them, even the most innovative ones, it does not mean that all of them are feasible.

However, here are some examples for the different types online teaching strategies discussed.

Keep in mind, however, that each group is and adapts differently and you should always know how to motivate distance learners.

Collaborative glossaries

With regard to glossaries, the idea is for students to build a guide with terms related to the subject that they do not know.

With this exercise, you will encourage critical thinking, collaborative work and the evaluation of ideas. (Obviously, you will have to take into account the number of students you are addressing in order to make it viable).

Discussion groups in forums

Equally important are collaborative work strategies related to discussion.

Depending on the active participation shown by students, this element may or may not be successful.

For more information, you can consult the importance of forums in e-learning, a very complete reading where you will find clarifications and tips on how to use them in class.

It is also important to underline that showing interest in the voice of the learners is very important to build knowledge through their ideas and conclusions.

Have discussions among them!

Brainstorming

On the other hand, we find brainstorming.

Basically, to carry them out, students have to share their knowledge on a topic and the teacher makes a synthesis of the different ideas.

This is undoubtedly a group exercise that will give the teacher a lot of information about the level of the students.

Concept and mind maps

Similarly, there are different types of diagrams that help to understand and visualise a topic in terms of related ideas and concepts.

Using any of these in class will be great for helping students to understand an issue perfectly and for promoting group learning.

Research case studies

At the same time, we can use a type of exercise in which students have to analyse and solve a real or fictitious event. The approach can come from a reading, a video or any other resource.

Creative presentations and work with multimedia resources

Something similar happens with exhibitions.

Simply put, they are oral or written activities on a topic of study that are developed using a medium or resource that stimulates the students.

For example, recording a song, a video, making an infographic…

Resolution of group activities

Likewise, we find group activities.

The aim of e-learning is to promote collaboration and teamwork so that learners are able to find a common result.

M-learning

Indeed, M-learning, or mobile learning, is a technique that is popular and works.

In particular, it helps learners to develop digital skills, increases interaction between student and teacher and among the learners themselves.

In addition, mobiles provide a very user-friendly learning environment in which to play games.

Group dynamics and games

In addition, these types of activities come from online teaching strategies that aim to enhance creativity and social skills.

If you wish, you can find more information in the post 10 effective online group dynamics in e-learning.

Questions and prizes in class or in the forum

Finally, this strategy consists of launching a question during class or in the discussion forum to encourage the learner to answer it correctly.

There is nothing better than offering a benefit in terms of grades!

All in all, it is important to be clear that these types of online teaching strategies are not able to generate knowledge on their own and do not work in all cases.

Don’t forget that your work as a teacher and the learning platform where you implement them will be key to their effectiveness.

Others articles

Start delivering online training with the best LMS

The simplest system with everything you need