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Techniques for Teaching English Online with Skype
Written by: Leyla Norman, Edited by: Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch
These tips can help you learn how to teach English using Skype. Learn how to deal with connection problems and how to make the lesson as much like a face-to-face tutoring session as possible. Your students will enjoy the flexibility of online learning through Skype.
Download
After downloading Skype, which is free, choose a username that is professional and easy to use. Remember that your online presence should be guarded carefully, so choose a name that is not your real name. The name should be simple for students to remember, however. For example, if you have a business name, you could use that as your username. You might also use something like "EnglishTeacher1" so that students can more easily identify you.
Advertise
Advertise your business on online ESL teacher job boards and online teaching communities where teachers can post their profiles to attract students. Fortemall and Buddy School are two such online teaching communities. You can advertise your Skype teaching service for free on some sites like ESL Teachers Board, but others require you to pay a fee for advertising your profile. You can also advertise your online teaching in free online classifieds sites. Target college towns in your advertising. International students are more likely to be tech savvy and want to learn from home on their computers. They also have an immediate need to learn English for school.
Your profile should briefly describe your services, teaching credentials and background and how to contact you. Send students to your English tutoring website, if you have one, in your online profiles. Your website should describe your teaching style, your services, your background and education, your rates and your tutoring policies. It is important, for example, to have any extra fees you charge for travel time outside of a certain radius from your home. Students can refer to your website, and you can avoid having to answer the same questions about your policies over and over from new students.
Techniques
Use video conferencing with your students whenever possible. Online teaching and learning is difficult by nature, but video conferencing allows students to see the body language that goes with the language they are learning, and it allows teachers to see if students are still talking or if they are confused. The lag in online communication software can create situations where teacher and student talk when the other is still talking or thinking. Give your students several seconds to think over the answer to a question you have asked them before you jump in to help them. You will likely face situations where you interrupt them inadvertently if you do not.
You can also use Skype to share files. If you want to share a photograph with your student to define a word, send it using this feature. You can send homework or essays you have graded as well. You can also send exercises for students to practice on their own after class.
Use a land line/cable Internet connection whenever possible for your Skype lessons. Wireless connections do not do well with video and audio conferencing. If you experience a connection problem while you are using your video, whether you are using cable or wireless, turn off your camera and have your student do the same. Connection quality sometimes improves with the video off. You may also have to both exit Skype and log in again.
Establish a time limit for trying to fix technical problems. If, say, after 20 minutes of trying to establish a good connection, cancel the class with the student. Offer a free class at future date to make up for missing the previous class. This policy should also be in writing on your website so students clearly understand your refund and makeup lesson policies.
Whiteboard
Skype also has a free tool called Talk and Write that features an interactive whiteboard and drawing tools to better facilitate your Skype lesson. Students can actively participate in the lesson by writing on the board. You can also upgrade and pay for Talk and Write that features more tools to help your online English lessons be more interactive and like being in a regular classroom.
These tips can help you better teach English using Skype. Remember to improve your lessons based on each session and on students’ feedback. Maintain open communiciation with your students throughout your lessons to learn what is working well for them and what is not. Adjust your lessons and teaching techniques accordingly to improve your overall online teaching ability. Prepare talking points and files to share ahead of each lesson as well. The more prepared you are, the better your classes will go. You can teach a variety of types of lessons on Skype. Conversations and new vocabulary and grammar lessons can all be taught online, so do not limit yourself to just one type of lesson. Get creative, and have some fun with your lessons.
Resources
British Council: Teaching Online, http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/teaching-online
Online Tutoring World: Tutors Guide, http://www.onlinetutoringworld.com/tutoringguide/index.htm
Buddy School, http://www.buddyschool.com
Skype, http://www.skype.com
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