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March 17, 2020, first distance learning course with my students at Sciences Po. Accustomed to using a classroom, I find myself very small in front of my camera: how can I capture someone's attention without staring into their eyes? How do I pace my speech without walking around the room? How can I illustrate a concept without making a gesture? I wasn't a fan of lecterns, but I'm discovering that it's particularly difficult to gain height when you're confined to a 3-centimeter video thumbnail.
How do you reinvent a remote "teacher" posture?
Since that first experience I've taught around 200 virtual classes with NUMA and kept a diary to record what I've learned. This synthesis of my failures and discoveries has helped me to appreciate the positive aspects of this new form of teaching.
An initial observation was key for me: at a distance, 50% of energy is lost between the limitations of non-verbal communication, the instability of connections and the impossibility of controlling the context in which each person will receive our words.
A few minutes before each connection I get myself in condition to transmit energy and enthusiasm from the very first minutes. Do you remember Robin Williams in "Good Morning, Vietnam"? Always start with energy, even if there's a war going on: a health crisis, children playing darts with your screen as a target, neighbors re-tiling during the week, Amazon delivery men who can't find your keypad. If you don't start with energy, no one else will.
Don't be afraid to do too much: be happy to see your guests (students, participants), welcome people who log on by quoting their names, use the camera to create a connection by asking what's the name of the cat that just passed behind Justine or where Matthieu is talking from with such a beautiful backlight.
Mark the start of the course with two sentences that you've prepared as if you were launching a radio show by announcing the theme of the day. The question I've probably heard most from teachers, presenters and managers over the past year is: how do you get everyone to turn on their cameras? Since it's impossible to impose this, I've observed a good practice that makes all the difference: explain in advance that you'll be asking participants to turn on their webcams for the sake of conviviality, and to carry out exercises that require them to react to the screen. Knowing this beforehand will enable participants to choose which angle of their apartment (or virtual background) they're going to share in public, and avoid plunging views of a bathroom or bedroom that look like the day after a garage sale.
Talking about "Visio" is misleading; teaching at a distance is less like a TV show than a podcast: the voice is your main tool. Varying your intonation, pacing your speech, pausing at the right moments and using an engaging speaking style is far more important than having great lighting or an impeccable hairstyle.
Your voice replaces your gaze: to make someone understand that you'd like them to intervene, you can't just suggest it with a nod of the head; you'll have to name them to pass the floor. This may seem uncomfortable at first, but it's a new role for a facilitator, and it involves rules that are more directive than implicit gestures or subtle suggestions.
Less visible, gestures still play an important role. Even if you're not fully visible, using your gestures is still the best way to pace your voice. If you can't follow yourself, you're probably too monotone. Having a clear voice from a distance is the equivalent of writing legibly on a blackboard. Having a bad sound is like using a dried-up felt-tip pen.
Two hours at a distance is the equivalent of a day in the classroom. This can be a promise of quality, or it can sound like a threat, announcing an overdose of soporific content. The difference between the two is in the score and the rhythm.
As far as the agenda is concerned, the simple sequencing of "theory then practice" doesn't work. What works is the alternation of engaging lecture styles and practical sequences, plenary moments and sub-group moments.
The "virtual rooms" functionality offered by leading videoconferencing tools can make online courses more interactive and engaging than traditional ones. Forget time spent organizing groups, concentration lost due to neighboring tables talking too loudly, plans sabotaged by "I'll just have a coffee before we start again", online everything becomes instantaneous, you decide how long the sequences last and you can visit each group without moving.
After several trials, we at NUMA have come up with our golden numbers for distance learning.
Twelve people: a group small enough to get everyone involved, but large enough to have lively exchanges and be able to have diverse sub-groups. Two hours: long enough to cover a topic with precision, but short enough to keep a steady pace. 25%-75% : the balance between "conference" sequences and interactive or sub-group work sequences.
Not everything has to be interactive, but if more than a quarter of the course consists of listening to you speak, it's best to record it as an e-learning video or podcast. Teaching today also means knowing how to choose the right communication channel according to format and objective.
Distance learning has disturbed students and teachers alike. Now that the tools have been mastered, the quality of distance learning requires a change in posture and a change in the way a course is designed. So that distance learning is not just a downgraded version of face-to-face teaching, destined to replace it in times of crisis, but a new format that opens up opportunities not available before.
March 17, 2020, first distance learning course with my students at Sciences Po. Accustomed to using a classroom, I find myself very small in front of my camera: how can I capture someone's attention without staring into their eyes? How do I pace my speech without walking around the room? How can I illustrate a concept without making a gesture? I wasn't a fan of lecterns, but I'm discovering that it's particularly difficult to gain height when you're confined to a 3-centimeter video thumbnail.
How do you reinvent a remote "teacher" posture?
Since that first experience I've taught around 200 virtual classes with NUMA and kept a diary to record what I've learned. This synthesis of my failures and discoveries has helped me to appreciate the positive aspects of this new form of teaching.
An initial observation was key for me: at a distance, 50% of energy is lost between the limitations of non-verbal communication, the instability of connections and the impossibility of controlling the context in which each person will receive our words.
A few minutes before each connection I get myself in condition to transmit energy and enthusiasm from the very first minutes. Do you remember Robin Williams in "Good Morning, Vietnam"? Always start with energy, even if there's a war going on: a health crisis, children playing darts with your screen as a target, neighbors re-tiling during the week, Amazon delivery men who can't find your keypad. If you don't start with energy, no one else will.
Don't be afraid to do too much: be happy to see your guests (students, participants), welcome people who log on by quoting their names, use the camera to create a connection by asking what's the name of the cat that just passed behind Justine or where Matthieu is talking from with such a beautiful backlight.
Mark the start of the course with two sentences that you've prepared as if you were launching a radio show by announcing the theme of the day. The question I've probably heard most from teachers, presenters and managers over the past year is: how do you get everyone to turn on their cameras? Since it's impossible to impose this, I've observed a good practice that makes all the difference: explain in advance that you'll be asking participants to turn on their webcams for the sake of conviviality, and to carry out exercises that require them to react to the screen. Knowing this beforehand will enable participants to choose which angle of their apartment (or virtual background) they're going to share in public, and avoid plunging views of a bathroom or bedroom that look like the day after a garage sale.
Talking about "Visio" is misleading; teaching at a distance is less like a TV show than a podcast: the voice is your main tool. Varying your intonation, pacing your speech, pausing at the right moments and using an engaging speaking style is far more important than having great lighting or an impeccable hairstyle.
Your voice replaces your gaze: to make someone understand that you'd like them to intervene, you can't just suggest it with a nod of the head; you'll have to name them to pass the floor. This may seem uncomfortable at first, but it's a new role for a facilitator, and it involves rules that are more directive than implicit gestures or subtle suggestions.
Less visible, gestures still play an important role. Even if you're not fully visible, using your gestures is still the best way to pace your voice. If you can't follow yourself, you're probably too monotone. Having a clear voice from a distance is the equivalent of writing legibly on a blackboard. Having a bad sound is like using a dried-up felt-tip pen.
Two hours at a distance is the equivalent of a day in the classroom. This can be a promise of quality, or it can sound like a threat, announcing an overdose of soporific content. The difference between the two is in the score and the rhythm.
As far as the agenda is concerned, the simple sequencing of "theory then practice" doesn't work. What works is the alternation of engaging lecture styles and practical sequences, plenary moments and sub-group moments.
The "virtual rooms" functionality offered by leading videoconferencing tools can make online courses more interactive and engaging than traditional ones. Forget time spent organizing groups, concentration lost due to neighboring tables talking too loudly, plans sabotaged by "I'll just have a coffee before we start again", online everything becomes instantaneous, you decide how long the sequences last and you can visit each group without moving.
After several trials, we at NUMA have come up with our golden numbers for distance learning.
Twelve people: a group small enough to get everyone involved, but large enough to have lively exchanges and be able to have diverse sub-groups. Two hours: long enough to cover a topic with precision, but short enough to keep a steady pace. 25%-75% : the balance between "conference" sequences and interactive or sub-group work sequences.
Not everything has to be interactive, but if more than a quarter of the course consists of listening to you speak, it's best to record it as an e-learning video or podcast. Teaching today also means knowing how to choose the right communication channel according to format and objective.
Distance learning has disturbed students and teachers alike. Now that the tools have been mastered, the quality of distance learning requires a change in posture and a change in the way a course is designed. So that distance learning is not just a downgraded version of face-to-face teaching, destined to replace it in times of crisis, but a new format that opens up opportunities not available before.
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