1) Incorporate Active Learning (Interweave active learning with your lecture for peer interaction)
Simple Activities
Polls
Think-pair-share via breakout rooms
Student mini-presentations
Bigger Activities
Debates and share outs
Mini-projects and group evaluations
2) Plan for Breaks (Create literal ones, and ones for the eyes)
Battle Zoom Fatigue
Have regular breaks once an hour are highly suggested
Suggest the ‘turn off the self-view’ feature in Zoom
Move Offline
Remember, your online class doesn’t mean everything needs to happen online!
Ask your students to write their response to something for a few minutes
Create moments where needing to be on camera isn’t necessary
Use different multimedia for readings
3) Make a Rhythm (Have consistency and leave time for questions and an open space for students to guide the direction of the class)
Create Time Blocks In Your Class
Use time blocks, which is helpful if this is your first time teaching a 3-hour Zoom class
Share the schedule of time blocks with your students
Brand Certain Hours/Days for Certain Activities
Create ”workshop days” or the last hour of each class is for group work
Take advantage of the fact students are in class for 3 hours so work on bigger projects
Sample 3-Hour Class (Class topic: Learning Taxonomies)
Hour 1
15 min: Housekeeping and Intro
20 min: Lecture about taxonomies
15 min: Taxonomy ’Quiz’ – students answer via chat
10 min: Break
Hour 2
10 min: ‘Best Class You’ve Ever Taken’ individual worksheet
15 min: Share out, discussion
25 min: Breakout rooms, designing a class based on a taxonomy
10 min: Break
Hour 3
10 min: Group share out
10 min: Lecture tying everything together
25 min: Create a new taxonomy together
15 min: Share out, tying together lessons learned
Formula for 3-Hour Zoom Session (Keep in mind that this is not prescriptive!)
Lecture + large class discussions/interaction to pique interest (use polls, chat, raising hands)
Breakout rooms and small group work
Share out of small group work + tie it all together