Challenges Teachers Face When Teaching Online

The pandemic was an extremely challenging time for teachers. From teaching in a physical classroom for years, they suddenly had to adapt, almost overnight, to the online mode. Without access to training and the right tools, teachers had to embrace technology on their own. Today, thousands of teachers continue to teach online without access to proper platforms, which enable them to host live sessions, track their student’s processes, and access their homework. 

For teachers of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), the challenges are even higher. The ability to perform experiments and work on projects collaboratively helps children understand the fundamentals. They also enable a passion for STEM subjects. 

This article reviews STEM teachers’ challenges and how access to technology can solve some of these limitations.  

Keeping students motivated

It’s always a challenge to keep children motivated in any classroom. With remote learning, children can experience a level of cognitive fatigue because the traditional lecture style may not work. Teachers struggle when students are bored or are busy on another window playing a game. Students may also not understand how to mute themselves, and class can be a disruptive experience. 

The success of remote learning depends on being able to nurture the right remote learning environment. Teachers must have access to the right tools to enrich the learning experience with live demos, presentations, and other interactive elements. 

When it comes to STEM learning, this is even more important. Children learn better when they engage in learning by doing, through game-based learning solutions, online quizzes, and other interactive learning modules that help them strengthen their fundamentals. Access to engaging video content is also a great way to supplement learning. 

Tracking student’s progress

Grading tests have always been an important metric to help teachers gauge how much knowledge students are absorbed in the classroom. Remote education has disrupted this model. The new normal has nudged teachers to look at other ways of tracking a student’s progress.

For instance, online learning platforms enable teachers to track whether students engage with online learning resources and how they score on online quizzes and in gamified environments.

For example, data is available on how many children are logging in to watch an animated video of how a robot is built. Remote education also enables teachers to build stronger one-on-one rapport with students and respond to their questions online. It creates space for shy children to reach out to teachers for extra support.   

Lack of student interactions with one another

One of the things children love about going to school is the ability to engage with each other. With remote education, social engagement has been deeply reduced, and many children feel isolated. However, advances in online tech-enabled systems have responded to this challenge through innovative engagement opportunities.

For instance, by design, virtual schools enable children to engage with each other seamlessly, work on projects, and collaborate as teams on assignments. As part of their robotics curriculum, they can work together on hackathons and build innovative solutions. This is a great opportunity, where self-learning plays an important role. Students build analytical thinking, communication, and creative skills. 

Lack of infrastructure

Another top challenge is that teachers do not have access to new-age online learning tools that create the right environment for learning. Several teachers still use messaging apps, or video conferencing platforms to conduct lectures. They also share notes, assignments, and content via messaging apps. 

This means that children do not have access to one centralized source of information, and online learning resources, which are searchable and track their engagement. Today, virtual schools leverage a state-of-the-art, tech-enabled learning platform to deliver a seamless learning experience to students worldwide. Teachers can deliver classes online.

They can continue creating content and enriching the database of online learning resources. Due to the slick video conferencing capabilities, they can invite experts to deliver motivational guest lectures. Teachers can also grade students’ work online and use analytics to determine a learner’s progress.  

The takeaway

Though the pandemic triggered a disruptive experience for teachers, tech-enhanced remote learning is now an accepted way to learn. Online learning can deliver a superior quality of education.

It creates access to rich-media learning resources, collaborative opportunities, access to international curricula, and it is also cost-effective for parents.

Teachers worldwide are embracing digital skills to teach newer generations of students, who could be based anywhere around the world.