Online Language Teaching Tips

IU Community Questions and Suggestions

This page displays lists of questions and suggestions for online language teaching and learning. These questions and suggestions are shared by language teaching community at IU. We believe that these resources are helpful for language faculty who are teaching online, collecting scaffolding materials for their students, and designing online teaching materials.

Moving Online

This workshop discusses making the shift online quickly and seamlessly. The presenter talks about effective strategies and important questions to ask during such a shift. Dr. Karolina Serafin, Senior Lecturer, and Director of Language Instruction of Italian, Indiana University, has been teaching Italian online for many years at IU. She is also an officially qualified Quality Matters Peer Reviewer.

Watch the Recording #1

Creating an engaging and effective virtual language class meeting

This workshop discusses using tools and strategies to enhance student engagement in virtual (Zoom) language class meetings. Finnish instructors Elisa Räsänen and Sanni Törmänen demonstrate using Padlet, Kahoot, and Zoom from a student’s perspective. Also, they introduce a sample lesson plan for a virtual language class.

Watch the Recording #2

Copyright questions

Wondering how to best translate the authentic materials and multimedia you use in class to the virtual setting?  Don’t stress—fair use is designed for circumstances like these, and CeLT is here to help you navigate all of the technical and copyright aspects during the swift move to online teaching!

 

Tips for Teaching Students Abroad

Are you facing challenges to teach students abroad? We believe that all students should have equal opportunities to learn and strive for creating an inclusive environment. On the right side, we provide tips for teaching international students online.

2020 Summer Unconference Days

An unconference is a participant-driven event where attendees decide on the topics and agenda, mostly consisting of breakout sessions participants are interested in talking about instead of keynote speakers and pre-planned presentations. The IU Language Teaching Unconference will empower language instructors to share their expertise with colleagues, encourage the unfiltered exchange of innovative ideas, and promote collaborations. Below are resources for those who couldn't attend Unconference days. Click interactive panels to read the compiled notes and find suggested solutions.

Virtual Pet Peeves Event

In the Spring semester of 2020, many foreign language teachers have unexpectedly found themselves offering their classes online for the first time and have encountered a new set of unforeseen challenges on their end of the camera, on the student's end, and on the technology in between.
A roundtable discussion features a panel of guest experts (some experienced on-line instructors, some who are new to the game) who will answer questions from the audience about their recently discovered "pet peeves" (i.e., especially annoying frustrations) from teaching language on-line to students whose homes have become their classrooms (and teachers whose homes have done the same). Watch the recording of the event here.

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

~Nelson Mandela