Around March 2020, Lebanon was under total lockdown after the COVID-19 hit. All schools closed, and we were forced to start our online teaching experience. No one was ready for that, although the school that I work at is considered to be one of the best in terms of technology. But that doesn't mean that we haven't gone through many trials and errors concerning what works best for the students, parents and teachers. After finding the right combination of synchronous and asynchronous teaching and having a strong platform for the parents, students and teachers to communicate with each other, things began to run smoothly.
Now talking more about what this all was
for me and how did I was able to manage. Even before COVID, I was already
preparing PowerPoints for my classes at school and already using a lot of
virtual labs and simulations to make my lessons more interesting. So when COVID
hit, nothing changed concerning the lesson preparation part except for the fact
that I had to buy a graphic drawing tablet to be able to clarify ideas more for
my students.
As for the method of teaching, I used to
make weekly pre-recorded videos and prepare a worksheet application on that
lecture. Then during the week, I go live with the students to review the
lecture fast and solve the worksheet with them. At the end of each week, I made
a small quiz or a homework that was directly related to the solved
worksheet.
This was my new normal and it was hard
adjusting and managing my time at home. But I would say that my online teaching
experience was a success. Now sure it was tiring and exhausting but I was able
to self-improve, work on my skills and gain new ones. So I am happy with how
everything turned out and I am grateful that I was able to adapt quickly, work
under stress and make the best out of a bad situation.
