“How to Teach Online without Selling Your Soul: Build Your Own e-Learning Business,Create Unique Content and Work from Anywhere”
Published by André Klein
Smashwords edition
Copyright 2012 André Klein
How to Teach Online without Selling Your Soul: Build Your Own e-Learning Business,Create Unique Content and Work from Anywhere
4th
revised and annotated edition
Copyright André Klein, 2012
first
published May 23, 2011
cover illustration byFrits
Ahlefeldt licensed under CC
BY-ND 2.0.
This is an independent
publication via learnoutlive.com
optimized
for e-reading devices
Reviews & Praise
“The most important thing about this book is
that Andre unflinchingly spells out the simplicity of teaching
online, and strips bare the misconceptions surrounding bells,
whistles, toys and technology. After reading this, you will no longer
feel overwhelmed about teaching online, and you’ll avoid the many
pitfalls of teachers like myself who dived into the online world
without Andre as a guide.” – Sylvia Guinan
“A shortcut
to your overwhelming expedition to the
get-the-knowhow-to-start-teaching-online world. Extremely interesting
and easy reading articles. Great tips and sound advice that helped me
feel less threatened by the challenge of this new journey!” –
María Inés Brumana Espinosa
“How to Teach Online Without
Selling Your Soul is a response to the changes happening to education
due to technology. It is a superb volume!” - Angy
I. Preparing Ground
Introduction
When I first thought about online learning I was working in a private school teaching languages to teenagers with attention deficits and a general disinterest in school.
While getting them to focus on reading and writing sometimes seemed an arduous task, they nevertheless showed a continuous fascination with video games and everything online.
Getting them interested in technology mostly wasn’t a problem. Getting them interested in something else was!
So I asked myself: what if we could meet somewhere else, a place they are already familiar with, where they feel comfortable: the Internet.
I’d been working with computers for many many years but didn’t have a clue how to go about it, or if it would work as well as I imagined. But I just somehow felt that it was possible. There had to be a way. So I set out on an online expedition to find out once and for all.
It was a journey full of expectations, false promises, success and failure, falling and getting up again, during which I met all kinds of amazing people from all over the planet and whose findings are documented in this book.
At first, the confusion was overwhelming. There was a creeping sense that I had jumped in too soon. Was I looking for a ghost?
But after a while of experimenting, it suddenly started to work so well (technologically, didactically and financially) that I had to quit my job at the “brick and mortar” institution called school and became a full-time online teacher.
I know it almost sounds too good to be true, but since then I have been moving freely between countries, taking my job with me wherever I go. No more commuting. No more board meetings. In fact, it finally felt like I could do whatever I want.
This little book is a compilation of articles which have appeared on my blog over the last two years, re-edited and annotated here to produce an immersive reading experience for both novices and seasoned “edupreneurs”.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. This is not a dishwasher-manual. In other words, you will not find any technical explanations here. If you need to find out more about these things, Google is your friend. The reason for this limitation is that a) there’s more than enough information about stuff like setting up a blog with contact forms and payment buttons, for example, already out there in the shape of tutorials, forums, etc. and b) they keep changing faster than I can update this book.
2. The fact that we’re talking here about online teaching doesn’t mean that there is some kind of magic push-button solution. Teaching is still about communication, first of all, and there is no technology or gadget in the world that can fully replace human interaction, not yet, at least. We’re talking about general strategies here, not about programming web pages or “how to get rich quick”.
3. Far from being a “guide for dummies”, or a step-by-step manual that doesn’t require any real work on your part, you nevertheless will find here simple and practical instructions to get you started making a living by teaching online. This book is based on the premise that once the right understanding is in place, it will get easier to take the right actions.
In short, the following writings aim at developing a deeper understanding of online learning, ditching the myths, deconstructing the hype and reclaiming a common-sense approach. You won’t find any guarantees here of a “such and such figure income per year”. And to be quite honest, I can’t even guarantee you that you will like online teaching. A serious teacher committed to his work will inevitably find his very own unique route to success. There’s no pre-packaged “success formula” - I might as well tell you right now. I’m simply sharing my excitement and experiences about online learning here to encourage you (yes, it’s possible and it works great!) and hint at general strategies.
4. This book is not a pedagogical manual. It doesn’t claim that one kind of didactic approach is better in all situations for all learners at all times, nor do I believe that such proclamations are of great value to anyone. Also, while I will talk about the changing role of education in the 21st century, I can’t give any advice on how to conduct actual lessons because it depends too much on the individual context of students, teachers and topic.
5. Last but not least, I should point out that my background is in language learning but you can use any of the insights in this book for your particular subject, whether you are teaching Math or want to give guitar lessons.
Having said that, let’s begin our journey.
3 Reasons Why Guerrilla Education Is The Way Of The Future
From 2009 to 2010, there was a growth of one million students in online education in the US according to the Sloan Consortium Report. It is the biggest growth measured so far and whereas traditional on-campus classes have been growing at only 2%, online education jumped ahead at a whopping 21% growth-rate.
First, people were afraid that this growth would vanish during the recession. So far the numbers show that exactly the opposite is the case: While overall business was going down, demand for online classes only increased (and is still increasing).
The reason for this is that online education is often far more affordable and convenient than in-class education, but more about that further down.
Institutions vs Individuals
On the one hand we see a growing number of institutions like universities providing online courses. On the other hand more and more individuals are appearing: teachers and tutors are offering classes online, working independently of location or institutions, either part-time or as a full-time commitment.
Those are what I call Guerrilla Educators:
They don’t belong to any highly hierarchical staff structure.
They don’t adhere to fixed curricula or styles of teaching
They sit everywhere around the world: they are globally informed
And they’re challenging the very idea of what education is about!
What are We Learning For?
In the factory-approach to education, the conveyor-belt mentality of learning, the raw product (a human being) goes into the education facility where it is processed and then leaves the factory as a finished product, ready for the market with standardized skill sets.
This is just another way of saying: I’m going to school to get a degree to get a good job to get good money to get a good life. (One has to wonder whether that formula still applies in a world with increasing disparities between formal education and job opportunities.)
Unfortunately, not everybody is the same and our education system often favors those most willingly conforming to the “factory standard”.
We could also say: there are temporary periods of learning for a target (degree, job, etc.) and then there’s “lifelong learning”. The latter is not just somewhat unfashionable, it also seems devoid of any rewards and therefore often doesn’t come with that same sense of urgency and importance as passing a formal test or course.
But is it really less important?
Sages of all times and places have claimed that lifelong learning is actually the key to a happy and fulfilled life: “Learning is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” - Albert Einstein, or: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” - Mahatma Gandhi.
Lifelong learning refers to a variety of different modes and methods, inside and outside the classroom, about topics both mundane and abstract, indoors and outdoors, on your own and with a tutor. Simply speaking, it is more of a mindset than an action. One could also call it “holistic learning”, in the sense that learning is not something scattered or isolated but a fundamental lifestyle choice.
Professor John Field from the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (England & Whales) states that “a lifelong learning system [...] takes well-being as its primary purpose” and “is likely to differ significantly from present models.” (source)
How could this be more different from the factory-approach? Suddenly our individual well-being is at stake: we’re now looking at ourselves and our lives as open-ended processes, not products.
And it is through online education that this lifelong, holistic learning may experience a revival.
Guerrilla Education & Its Evolutionary Advantage
Traditional education is slow to adapt to a changing world that demands more and more education and continuous adaptation in the name of staying competitive. And while there are examples of universities offering courses online, they often don’t fundamentally change the game but just transfer the same old rigid concepts from offline to online methodologies.
Guerrilla education however is a lot more flexible:
1. The right private tutor can teach
you whatever you need and whenever
you need it
2. Courses aren’t built around
normative standards but around individual requirements
3. Private tutoring is the most specialized
and personalized way of learning
A university degree may be an entry ticket to that dream job. But once we’re in, new skills and knowledge will be demanded from us. Instead of sitting through classes and books after-hours, waiting for the pieces to come together, we can now go online and find a private tutor who will coach us step by step. And this is just the normative part. Ever wanted to learn the guitar, read Shakespeare or create quilts like a pro? There’s not just “an app for that”, there are actual people that we can talk to and learn from, just a click away.
When I first came up with the concept of the “Guerrilla Educator” I was slightly concerned that it would conjure up images of jungle warriors and torched buildings. And while I’m still not sure this is the best term, there’s a transgressional element to it which is very apt. Working in governmental or private education entails a lot of politics, rules, regulations and enforcement. Even when teachers have the best of intentions, the way the system is built often makes it impossible to break through and try something new. The idea of the “Guerrilla Educator” however is not one of opposition: its subversion is not of the destructive kind; it’s about seeing alternatives and grabbing them by the tail, not fighting the time-tested.
The 3 Most Common Myths
1. Online Teaching is impersonal
One of the most common responses I get when I tell people what I do (teaching & coaching online), is that they say they would miss the “real connection” to people around them. That this would not be for them, because they need a personal connection to people!
What do you think? Can an online class be as personal as a class in a brick & mortar school?
When I started doing this I had the same question. “Isn’t it a bit impersonal to teach on air?”
My experience actually showed that the opposite is the case: teaching online can sometimes be far more personal than its offline variety. Here’s why:
Psychological barriers (your “guard”) to communication aren’t that active when learning from the comfort of your home or familiar environment. People don’t feel exposed or uncomfortable in the same way they would while sitting in a classroom. This may encourage a very personal way of communicating and increase learning receptivity.
The paradox: distance creates personal proximity.
Physical proximity of bodies around us may suggest a more personal atmosphere. But neither is it a guarantee (people might be sitting right next to you and are light years away, internally) nor does it mean that distance learning necessarily has to be cold and impersonal. And let’s be honest: How personal were our university lectures and lessons in school, really?
2. Online Teaching is complicated
When people think about online learning they sometimes imagine a person wired straight to a computer with endless cables and contraptions like some kind of cyborg. The assumption is that people without or only little IT-knowledge can’t learn and especially not teach online. It’s only for computer specialists and major geeks, isn’t it?
In recent years technology has developed far enough that it can make itself invisible. The best technology is one that you don’t even notice. And we have these kinds of tools for online teaching, ready to use.
In a world of wireless networks and mobile Internet devices, online teaching is actually easier than ever! It’s not more complicated than making a phone call but many times more powerful, transmitting not just audio but visual information, as well.
3. Online Teaching is distracting
This is linked to the second myth. Some people say that becausethe technology is so complicated or unnatural, a certain amount of our concentration is always locked up in dealing with it. In addition to that, our computing devices have multiple functions: we check emails, watch videos, book flights, chat and are constantly distracted ... how is online teaching supposed to fit in there? It can’t possibly help us focus, or can it?
There is a certain truth in that. But it implies that students or teachers a) don’t have any self-control and b) can’t separate the different functions of their devices but feel compelled to use them simultaneously instead of according to the task at hand.
In other words, it is the responsibility of a teacher or student not to play Angry Birds or binge-check his emails during lessons. If someone chooses to distract himself, then either the lesson is boring or it’s his own loss. But it happens offline, too.
Reading this article now I think I might have missed one of the more unspoken prejudices regarding online teaching: awkwardness. Talking to some people about live online teaching or coaching sessions, they shuddered at what to them would be an incredibly uncomfortable, even uncanny situation: communicating to a stranger many miles away. On a somewhat related note, I have to admit that after teaching online now for a few years, I’m still no fan of webcams. And most of the students that I worked with by definition don’t activate their video feeds in class, either. It may be a personal preference (some of my colleagues always use their webcam) but I find it very distracting to see a live feedback of my own face while trying to focus on a student. It’s a bit like standing in class while holding a mirror up to your face. The most efficient use of webcams in online teaching I’ve witnessed with children, by the way. Younger students (age 7 or 8) generally choose the privacy of a deactivated webcam, but they aren’t above employing it when there’s an actual need, for example showing off a recent Christmas gift or drawing. It seems to me that they swim more naturally in these waters and instead of going for a default on or off, they use technology selectively. I try to follow this more balanced approach as much as I can. Since this way of teaching is still relatively young, the best advice I can give here, just like in the offline classroom, is to attune oneself to the learner, and adapt methods and technologies accordingly and individually.
Five Types of Online Learning
When you think back to your childhood days, chances are that your memories are very similar to those of many other people and look something like this:
“Sitting in rows, facing a teacher and blackboard, we were pretending to pay attention, hunched over worksheets, surprise exams or (mostly boring) books until the bell rang.”
Although pedagogues and fresh school teachers are bristling with new and exciting “alternative” ideas, most of the time learning in school is not much of a mystery. We know the drill: written performance, presentations, appearance in class, grades, etc. Been there, done that.