7 Teachers Share Their Best Tips On Remote Learning

Here are some tips on how to keep your digital classrooms fun and engaging! If you’re a teacher and part of an educational or professional organization, you could save money with GEICO. Click here to see if you qualify for discounts.

We spoke to teachers working remotely (either full time or part time) and asked them to share tips about enhancing distance learning. Here is what they said:

1. "Zoom backgrounds are not only a great way for you to keep your privacy, but also a fun way to interact with your students."

Courtesy of Danielle @survivingthemiddle / Via instagram.com

"In PowerPoints or Google Slides you can create fun backgrounds that can include a quote of the week, important announcements, or fun photos that relate to your content. Like the popular Bitmoji Classrooms, you can also add in elements that make it look like your classroom. Just be sure to leave space for yourself! Once you are finished, you can save the slide as a JPG and use it as a virtual background within Zoom. I like to use Screencastify to record my screen while using Zoom and a virtual background, so I can create fun and engaging videos for students during asynchronous learning. The possibilities are endless!"

—Danielle, middle school teacher

You can even make a copy of the background pictured above for your own digital classroom. Visit Danielle's Teachers Pay Teachers page for more resources.

2. Themed "class meetings" can help get your students excited to learn.

Courtesy of Juan @teaching3rdwithmrg / Via Instagram: @teaching3rdwithmrg

"This new era of teaching is filled new possibilities because it’s never been done before. We get to make our new norms.

During distance learning, I realized more than anything that my students wanted to be seen and heard. My themed class meetings were the best thing that came from my experience with virtual teaching this past spring. I created various virtual events like pajama night, game night, and flashlight talks!

The students and I gathered online and used the weekly themes to guide our discussions as a class.

This gave our virtual meetings purpose, brought in laughter, and reminded the students that we were still together. The success from these meetings reminded me to continue challenging what I’m used to doing and try something new."

—Juan, 3rd grade teacher

Visit Juan's Teachers Pay Teachers page for more resources.

3. Create a "home classroom" that's inviting and shows off your teaching style.

Courtesy of Patrice @talesofpattypepper / Via instagram.com

"In order to start my virtual school school year off with ease, I'm revamping my home office into my classroom. I hope this will give other educators ideas on how to turn a small space in your home into a space to motivate and engage your students!"

—Patrice, elementary school teacher

Watch a tour of Patrice's home classroom setup on YouTube, and visit her Teachers Pay Teachers page for more resources.

4. Create easy ways for students to contact you with email templates.

Courtesy of Ty @cook_in_the_classroom / Via Instagram: @cook_in_the_classroom

"During distance learning in the spring, I realized that a lot of my students had never sent formal emails before to communicate with their teachers. When I stumbled upon mailtolink.me, I was more than excited. This website allows you to create a pre-drafted email that you can link for your students. You can input your email address, a suggested subject, and then give them formatting and writing prompts to help guide them in writing an email. Not only does this support our students, but it also ensures that your email address is correctly addressed and simplifies the process for our students. After I created my email draft, I simply copied the code and linked it in my Bitmoji classroom scene. I think my students will appreciate this feature as much as I do!"

—Ty, middle school teacher

Find Ty on YouTube, listen to his podcast, and find more resources on his Teachers Pay Teachers page.

5. Checking in with your students is important, even virtually!

Courtesy of Kayla @thelitteacher_ / Via Instagram: @thelitteacher_

"I'm a middle school language arts teacher who believes in the importance of building relationships with my students — even if it's behind a computer. One of my favorite ways to do this is by using a "Let me Know How You're Doing" survey on Google Forms. This is a short questionnaire that helps let me know how my students are doing, and whether or not the students would like to do a virtual meet with the teacher for a more personal follow-up."

—Kayla, middle school teacher

Check out her Teachers Pay Teachers for the survey and other digital learning resources!

6. "One of my best tips for remote learning is to try to take advantage of the fact that so many people and organizations are making their content available online right now."

Courtesy of Megan @toocoolformiddleschool / Via instagram.com

"Some websites offer free ebooks for students, and this might make reading even more accessible for your students than it was before. Some museums are offering virtual tours and online webinars, which means you could go on a field trip all the way across the country! Maybe you could invite an author or a speaker to do a Zoom session with your class. There are definitely limitations to learning online, but try to look for the ways that it could actually open up more opportunities for you and your students!"

—Megan, middle school teacher

Visit her YouTube and Teachers Pay Teachers site for more resources!

7. Augmented reality is a fun way to bring the classroom to your students!

Courtesy of Tanya @giftedteacher305

"I love using augmented reality tools like Merge Cube, Quiver Edu, and HP Reveal to bring the world to my students. What's fabulous about all of these tools is that they are transferable to our current digital and remote teaching situation. Merge Cube offers a free paper cube that works exactly like the regular cube. You simply open the app and point your phone's camera to the cube and your students could be holding the solar system, a burning log, a pumping heart or even a growing flower in their hands! If you're teaching remotely you can share your screen and the kids will get the same experience as they would in the classroom. Augmented reality allows students to literally hold the world at the tip of their fingers, and it makes me the modern version of Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus!"

—Tanya, elementary school teacher

Check out her Teachers Pay Teachers page for more resources.

Inside and out the classroom, GEICO appreciates all the hard work teachers do! If you're part of an educational or professional organization, you could save with GEICO. Click here to see if you qualify for discounts.