English classes via Skype: how to organize your time properly. How to organize a foreign language lesson via Skype. Technical side
Do you want to try learning English via Skype? Then you are probably interested in the process of registering for classes, as well as the equipment and programs necessary for classes. Today we will give you step by step instructions, it will tell you how to sign up for lessons and what equipment and programs you may need in class.
Step 1: Choose a school and teacher
online schools in English There are quite a few on the Runet, new language courses are opened almost daily. How to choose from this abundance the right one for you? We believe that design and tempting offers do not color the school as much as good teachers. A competent, experienced teacher is the most necessary thing for learning English. How to choose the right mentor? We have covered this issue in detail in the article "". From it you will learn that you need to pay attention to the experience of the teacher, his manner of teaching the lesson, as well as feedback from real students. We have also indicated some points to pay attention to in the introductory lesson - they will give you an idea if you can achieve your language learning goals with this teacher.
Is it difficult for you to immediately determine which of the teachers you would like to study with? You can entrust this to account managers, go to the next step.
Step 2: Make a rough schedule
You will significantly speed up the process of selecting a teacher (in case you have not chosen one yourself) if you make an approximate class schedule before contacting an online school. Choose the hours that are convenient for you and inform the school manager about them: you will be offered a teacher with a schedule that suits you.
Do you have a rotating schedule and can't make a fixed schedule? It's not a hindrance. You can adjust the schedule of classes in the learning process, the main thing is to inform in advance about the cancellation or the possibility of a lesson.
Step 3: Determine the purpose of learning English
If you have not done this before, now is the time to set the goal of the classes. You will need to inform your client managers about this goal - they will select a suitable teacher. And at the introductory lesson, tell the teacher why you are studying - he will adjust the lesson program based on your goals.
Step 4: Determine your level of English
When accepting an application for training, managers will clarify your level of English knowledge. You do not need to know it thoroughly, in any case, at a free introductory lesson, the teacher will test your knowledge. However, the approximate level will need to be said. If you have a few minutes to spare, we advise you to take a look, it gives fairly accurate results by testing three skills: reading, writing and listening. The introductory lesson will test your speaking skills. So the teacher will have a complete picture, and he will draw up the most accurate training program aimed at working with gaps in knowledge and consolidating the acquired skills.
Step 5: Apply for lessons
After completing the steps, sign up for the school of your choice. Usually within a day you will be contacted and clarified all the nuances of the classes. We advise you to prepare a list of questions in advance, for example, regarding the cost of training, discounts, rules for conducting lessons, the possibility of free cancellation of classes, etc. After the conversation, the managers will select a teacher for you, contact you and set a convenient date for the introductory lesson.
Step 6: Prepare the Equipment
To learn English via Skype, you will need the following equipment:
- Computer: desktop or laptop/netbook. We do not recommend the use of smartphones or tablets in class, as they are usually specifications are not allowed to quality classes. The speed of mobile devices compared to a computer leaves much to be desired: the connection can be interrupted, and you risk losing valuable lesson minutes. Moreover, by mobile device it is quite difficult to establish eye contact, which can also interfere with the lesson. However, in an emergency, you can also use your tablet/smartphone.
- Headset. We advise you to purchase quality headset for lessons. In the article "" we told why it is so important to study with headphones and a microphone, as well as how to choose the best technique for lessons.
- Webcam- its presence is optional, but according to the feedback of our students and teachers, we can say that working with a camera is much more productive. We receive up to 70% of all information visually, which is why it is so important to see the interlocutor.
- If desired, you can put near the computer notepad or notebook with a pen: You may want to make some handwritten notes.
In addition, don't forget to install free program Skype, you can do this at skype.com. Install the program on your computer, and then tell the school managers your login: the teacher will call you via Skype at the agreed time and conduct an introductory lesson.
Teaching aids and materials are provided by the school completely free of charge, so you do not need to look for them on the net. If you yourself have chosen some kind of manual (not from among those that are offered to you in the courses) and want to study exclusively on it, then inform the teacher about this. The teacher will offer you a personal English course using your textbook.
As you can see, the 6 steps to learn English via Skype are very simple and accessible to everyone. Therefore, if you want to improve your level of English, go through 6 easy steps and start improving your knowledge.
The Internet connects different parts of the planet and opens up new opportunities for those who wish to provide professional services remotely. Among those who have already appreciated the convenience of the global network, of course, are teachers of various disciplines. Online lessons have become commonplace in many countries of the world, everything is opened every year large quantity online courses and even universities.
Currently, one of the most popular areas of teaching via the Internet is distance learning of foreign languages. The leader among programs for online classes and trainings can be called the free Skype video communication program (Skype), which has united millions of students and teachers around the world.
Every day, on specialized sites for the selection of teachers, tutors and tutors, applications and offers from those who want to give or take lessons via Skype appear.
Many specialists in the field of foreign languages have already appreciated the convenience of teaching via Skype. First of all, these include the ability to work without leaving home, which, you see, is very important for those who, for some reason, cannot visit students or host them, who live in small settlements and is limited in the choice of students, as well as for those who wish to independently regulate their work schedule.
Secondly, Skype is absolutely free to download and use, simple and needs only high speed internet. Thirdly, the program allows the teacher and student not only to see and hear each other, but also has a nice additional functionality, which will be discussed below.
Many teachers who want to try teaching via Skype, but do not yet have such experience, have a distorted view of distance teaching: some teachers boldly post their resumes on specialized sites and respond to applications from potential students, not quite understanding what they will have to face, others, on the contrary, feel insecure and do not dare to expand their practice through online lessons.
We assumed that the readers of this article are already familiar with the basic functions of Skype. What else do aspiring distance teachers need to know? Perhaps a few tips from experienced Skype educators will help you decide in favor of this. convenient way conduct classes or improve the quality of teaching.
The first thing you will need to do is to provide yourself with digital material for your classes. These can be scanned textbooks, which can be divided into separate pages for convenience - you can send the exercises and texts you need by right-clicking or dragging objects into the program's chat window.
Foreign language teachers know how important it is to continuously provide the student with the necessary material during the lesson, changing types learning activities(reading, listening, speaking, etc.) Prepare all the material in advance (for example, collect it in a separate folder on your computer desktop) so that there are no pauses during the lesson. Add all the sites you need to your browser bookmarks.
Use well-known document formats such as PDF and Office. Make sure the student has them installed. Agree on which dictionary (electronic, paper or online) he will use. Think about what changes you will need to make to your teaching methods in relation to distance learning. You may have to abandon your favorite teaching techniques and learn new ones.
You will see your student, but you will not be able to look into his notebook and correct spelling mistakes. If your student uses a tablet, ask them to send you a snapshot of the handwritten assignment (scanning usually takes longer and takes several minutes of the lesson).
Use Skype-chat to give tasks and receive answers. However, typing large volumes via chat is inconvenient, so they will come to the rescue online exercises and tests. Bookmark in advance those sites where your student can test their knowledge or practice.
The teacher can show various exercises on the screen if it is not possible to send necessary material. But the most convenient feature for the teacher is real-time tracking of how the student performs online tests.
Keep in mind that in Skype there is no way to listen to an audio task or watch a training video together through a shared screen. Place your video or audio in advance in social networks or on a personal website and share the link via chat.
At present, it is very convenient for teachers to use networks such as Vkontakte, where it is easy to upload video and audio material. You can also create your own group, share material with several students at once, and post useful links and news.
If you are used to writing on a whiteboard, a small graphics tablet connected to your computer will be an important and useful purchase for you. Even the most inexpensive models of such tablets allow you to display what you write with a special pen (it is inconvenient to write with the mouse cursor).
You can do this through graphic programs or WindowsJournal (which also converts handwritten notes to text). You can save your notes and send them to the student.
One of the most convenient services on the Internet are virtual whiteboards. Several people can connect to them at the same time, or they can be used through screen sharing. In addition to handwriting, whiteboards usually support document placement. different formats, tables, links and even videos.
Virtual whiteboard sites such as https://realtimeboard.com/ , https://tutorsbox.com/ru/ or browser app Google Chrome WebWhiteboard are free and intuitive. Prepare such a board in advance, placing the materials necessary for the lesson on it, share the link, and success is guaranteed.
The place for the lesson should be well lit - the student should not see dark spot instead of your face. During the lesson, try not to be distracted by phone calls, before class, check the operation of the camera and microphone. Speak clearly and clearly.
Built-in webcams are inferior to headphones with a microphone in sound transmission. Extraneous sounds can cause noise and rattle during the lesson. Send a message to the student a few minutes before the lesson that you are ready for the lesson to make sure the connection is good and the student is also ready. In practice, a few online lessons are usually enough to gain self-confidence and the necessary skill. Good luck!
Traditional teaching methods, proven by centuries of practice, today are significantly enhanced by the results of development modern technologies associated with new communication opportunities for communication between the student and the teacher.
Today, with the advent of the World Wide Web and the development of appropriate application software (a program such as Skype), there is no need to organize a personal meeting between a teacher and a student. It can easily take place remotely, as they say, online.
There are different opinions about this way of teaching, but practice clearly shows that the effectiveness of such classes conducted remote way, is practically in no way inferior to classical lessons, and in terms of convenience (no need for a personal meeting), it significantly surpasses them.
Look detailed information about teaching mathematics via Skype is possible on a specialized website http://profi-teacher.ru/obraz-predmety/matematika-skype.html.
Organization and planning of the educational process.
- Quality education is possible only with regular classes. Therefore, firstly, the teacher needs to try to systematize the process and, first, draw up a schedule. It is the schedule that will help the tutor organize the learning process, plan his day and avoid unplanned “windows” that cause loss of time. When scheduling, it is necessary to take into account the time sufficient to complete homework student.
- The plan of an online lesson in mathematics should include the following activities that have been worked out in the classical education system. First, the material given at home is checked, then new topics are studied, and at the end of the lesson, the acquired knowledge is consolidated on carefully selected practical examples in advance.
- Assignments are issued by the teacher in electronic form. Since the opportunities for each student are not the same, more tasks need to be prepared. The complexity of these examples should be varied so that you can start with simple material, gradually moving to more difficult levels.
- When learning happens theoretical material, it is advisable to send to email student a file with relevant information so that the perception of a new topic is more effective and easier for the student. Even more The best way to improve the perception of information, this is its processing in any program and showing it to the student via Skype, using the appropriate function.
- For demonstration text file best to use Microsoft editor word. If the new topic contains various graphs or charts, there are tables and calculations, then Microsoft Excel is well suited to display such material.
- There are other software products, but these are the most commonly used. In order to demonstrate various mathematical operations or, if necessary, draw any drawings that explain the material, there are a large number of services on the Internet for these purposes. In fact, these services provide tools for presenting material as close as possible to classic look. So-called interactive whiteboards.
By the way, before starting practical work on teaching mathematics using Skype, you can view similar examples on the Internet.
What do you need to prepare for Skype lessons?
It is clear that without the presence of the Internet, the very idea simply will not come true. So, it is necessary to have a technique that will allow it to be obtained and used.
This, of course, is a computer that is either connected to the Internet via a cable or powered by wi-fi, a good sensitive microphone and headphones or speakers.
Naturally, it is necessary software, which will access the Internet and will participate in the lesson. The equipment must be of high quality, otherwise the effectiveness of the lesson may decrease. The main program for communication - Skype, is free. It is downloaded from the official site (www.skype.com) and installed on your computer automatically. During installation, you need to answer some questions, but all this does not take much time. The main thing is that the student should be able to see and hear everything clearly, so it is necessary to conduct classes in a quiet room.
Where is the administrator Rudnik Daria, gave us detailed instructions for beginner online teachers.
Step 1. Write a detailed summary of each video lesson
Skype lessons in their structure should not differ from regular lessons at school or at the institute. Before each video meeting, a tutor, especially a beginner, must write down:
Lesson objectives;
List of tasks with a detailed, extended plan;
Homework for a student.
This applies to absolutely any subject, as if mathematics, chemistry or physics does not matter.
The summary allows you to clearly understand what and how you need to learn in this particular lesson. Having detailed plan work, the tutor does not waste time searching for the right tasks during the lesson, but follows a clearly drawn up schedule. The abstract should certainly be at hand during the Skype lesson.
Step 2. Choosing the best materials and teaching aids for studying the subject
A tutor cannot teach without materials. Skype training is no exception. It is necessary to provide yourself with a full range of manuals, textbooks, Internet resources. The student must also have access to any material. Incidents often occur when a student has not fulfilled homework, simply because he had no way to find a job.
The materials should be accessible to both the tutor and the student!
Step 3. Constant control
Each new lesson must begin by repeating the previous one. It is best to do this in the form of a question and answer. This allows you to understand how fully the student has mastered the topic, what questions he has left. Repetition of the learned material should not take much time. Optimal -7-10 minutes.
If during this stage of the lesson the tutor found that the student did not master something from the previous topic, you need to make a note in your notebook. Depending on the importance of the information, a conclusion should be drawn: whether this material needs to be studied again or not.
If the information is important, it concerns the basics of the subject, it is best to devote part of the next video lesson to re-learning the topic, but with the help of other tasks.
If the student has not learned only an insignificant part of the lesson, then you can not dwell on this in detail, but move on.
Constant monitoring also implies regular checking of homework. You can do it selectively. For example, from exercise 1, the student reads the correct answers to questions 1, 3, 5, etc.
Some subtleties of teaching on Skype
1. Important visual aids. Online lessons should contain a lot of visual information: diagrams, tables, pictures.
2. Speak clearly and loudly. Don't use stop words, don't let the conversation go on distant topics. Only useful and necessary information.
3. Create a working atmosphere. It is unacceptable for outside interference in the lesson process, first of all, a call mobile phone! Your attention should be directed completely to the student and vice versa.
4. Make tasks bright, non-traditional. The more interesting the presentation of the material, the greater the chance that the student will learn it.
5. Focus on the student. Don't overdo the information. Everyone has their own level of knowledge, and what one easily learns, another only half understands.
Teaching via Skype standard view teaching is hard daily work, which not every tutor can master. Methodology and discipline are the main criteria for good and quality videos lessons.
Tutoring is a vocation, talent and love for your work. Do you want to know how to teach English via Skype so that your students achieve deep knowledge quickly and with pleasure? Use our tips in practice, and you will surely be satisfied with the result!
Tip #1
Good equipment and high-quality high-speed Internet. Use headset headphones with a microphone: then during the lesson there will be no sound interference.
Tip #2
Training program. A good tutor will develop it himself, without using one book downloaded from the Internet. 60 minutes of training should be filled with several types of activities that will allow you to consolidate grammar, pronunciation, learn new words and even have fun. The Internet gives you a great opportunity to teach English via Skype in a productive and fun way. Serve audio, video, text materials. Start with a light 10-minute warm-up, then dedicate 40 minutes of intense work to consolidate and assimilate the new, and finally give a game task.
Tip #3
Homework analysis. Outline the deadline for its submission so that you can check it for the next lesson. First, take 2-3 minutes to discuss with the student. If the work is done poorly, look for reasons. There can be a lot of them - from the disinterest of the student to poor-quality teaching of English.
Tip #4
Use an electronic board to control knowledge. Many tutors do not like Skype due to the fact that remotely they cannot fully control the situation and check the correctness of the student's assignments. The electronic board will enable such verification.
Tip #5
Success control. Strive for complete assimilation of information, only after that move on to the next topic. Many people show shyness in the first Skype English lessons, not daring to interrupt the tutor and say that they did not understand the material well. Do not be lazy to ask from time to time: "Is everything clear?".
Tip #6
Skype is communication, so 70% of the lesson should be devoted to speaking practice. You will be required to win over and lead the student out of the so-called cocoon. Many people read and understand what they hear without problems, they write well, but they find it difficult to take part in a conversation. The task of the tutor is to remove this block and force the person to conduct a relaxed dialogue.
Tip #7
Learn to listen to the student's needs. Someone needs spoken English for a round-the-world trip, and someone wants to update their knowledge in a couple of months for important interview. Build an individual training program so that the student sees the result that interests him. And your task is to make success more than expected.
Tip #8
Video conference. Practice has shown that periodic classes with a group of 3-5 people contribute to the improvement of conversational skills and remove the conversational block. The habit of communicating only with a tutor is a bad habit.
Tip #9
Look neat - like a professional who is being looked at. Even if you mainly use audio communication during the lesson, the greeting, introduction and conclusion should be with video.
Tip #10
Video and audio recording. A high-quality recording of the lesson will allow you to view or listen to it several more times and consolidate the material covered.
An experienced tutor has his own secrets and tricks. We talked about the main ones - as you can see, for effective learning not much is required. Follow our advice and you will definitely achieve the desired success!
