Teaching Yourself to Teach: Smart Online Learning Strategies for Education Majors

Key Infor­ma­tion:

• Online teach­ing degree pro­grams pro­vide flex­i­bil­i­ty, afford­abil­i­ty, and qual­i­ty while prepar­ing future edu­ca­tors with both the­o­ry and practice.
• Edu­ca­tion majors must devel­op a teacher’s mindset—becoming self-direct­ed learn­ers, reflec­tive thinkers, and life­long learners.
• Suc­cess in online edu­ca­tion requires mas­ter­ing time man­age­ment, study rou­tines, and dig­i­tal teach­ing tools like Google Class­room and Canva.
• Build­ing real-world teach­ing expe­ri­ence through vir­tu­al tutor­ing, micro-teach­ing, and sim­u­la­tions bridges the­o­ry to prac­tice and pre­pares stu­dents for licensure.

The rise of online edu­ca­tion is reshap­ing how aspir­ing teach­ers learn to teach. The shift toward dig­i­tal class­rooms has made online teach­ing degrees more com­mon, too.

The online pro­grams offer­ing teach­ing degrees deliv­er flex­i­bil­i­ty, qual­i­ty, and con­ve­nience. Many of them also offer more afford­able tuition and fees, as well as low­er indi­rect costs.

For edu­ca­tion majors, learn­ing how to teach—and teach­ing yourself—are equal­ly impor­tant. You must become an effec­tive self-taught learn­er so you can be an effec­tive teacher, too.

So, if you’re inter­est­ed in online learn­ing strate­gies for edu­ca­tion majors, read on. We’ll cov­er the mind­set, meth­ods, and tools for suc­cess, too.

Relat­ed:

• Accel­er­at­ed Teach­ing Degree Pro­grams Explained
• Dif­fer­ences Between Accel­er­at­ed and Tra­di­tion­al Teach­ing Degrees
• Accel­er­at­ed Teach­ing Degree for Spe­cial Education
• Top Edu­ca­tion Degree Programs
• Top Online Bach­e­lor of Edu­ca­tion Degree Programs

Understanding the Unique Needs of Education Majors Online

Adopt­ing effec­tive study tips for online teach­ing degrees can lead to your suc­cess. But it’s impor­tant to under­stand the unique needs of online edu­ca­tion majors to adopt them, too.

• Unlike some majors, edu­ca­tion requires mas­ter­ing both the­o­ry and teach­ing prac­tice. You must under­stand learn­ing psy­chol­o­gy, ped­a­gogy, and instruc­tion­al design, among oth­ers. Then, you must have the skills for their real-world teach­ing applications.
• Edu­ca­tion stu­dents must learn how peo­ple learn and apply that knowl­edge them­selves. Moti­va­tion, cog­ni­tive devel­op­ment, and dif­fer­en­ti­at­ed instruc­tion are part of it.
• Online pro­grams demand extra effort to devel­op teach­ing skills, too. These include class­room man­age­ment and stu­dent engage­ment skills. The suc­cess of your teach­ing career will part­ly rest on them.

And then there are the unique chal­lenges that online edu­ca­tion stu­dents face. 

• Lim­it­ed field experience
• Dig­i­tal distractions
• Solo study habits

Indeed, edu­ca­tion majors must adopt tar­get­ed study habits to succeed.

Creating a Teacher’s Mindset for Self-Directed Learning

This is the foun­da­tion of our online learn­ing strate­gies for edu­ca­tion majors. If you want to be a teacher, you must first learn to think like one.

For starters, suc­cess­ful edu­ca­tors are life­long learn­ers and reflec­tive thinkers. You must con­stant­ly grow cur­rent skills and devel­op new ones. Then, you should reflect on your expe­ri­ences dur­ing the process.

If you want to build a teach­ing mind­set as an online stu­dent, adopt these strategies:

Set goals that align with learning outcomes.

You’ll have a stronger sense of pur­pose instead of just meet­ing degree requirements.

Keep a reflective learning journal.

You’ll have a per­son­al record of your jour­ney and growth. Write down what, why, and how you learned teach­ing prin­ci­ples and practices.

Teach what you learn to others to reinforce retention.

You can explain in your own words a teach­ing con­cept to your peers or rel­a­tives. This way, you’ll have a deep­er under­stand­ing and reten­tion of its applications.

Cre­at­ing a teach­ing mind­set demands self-account­abil­i­ty, per­se­ver­ance, and empa­thy, too. You’ll build emo­tion­al intel­li­gence and pro­fes­sion­al integri­ty in the process.

Time Management and Study Routines for Aspiring Educators

Self-paced learn­ing for edu­ca­tion stu­dents is a dou­ble-edged sword, so to speak. While it offers flex­i­bil­i­ty and con­ve­nience, it demands dis­ci­pline and deter­mi­na­tion, too.

This is why effec­tive time man­age­ment skills are crit­i­cal in online pro­grams. You can bal­ance your aca­d­e­m­ic and per­son­al oblig­a­tions and stay on track.

Here are time man­age­ment tips for edu­ca­tion majors to remember.

• Block sched­ul­ing using Google Cal­en­dar or Trel­lo. Assign spe­cif­ic blocks of time for tasks, such as les­son plan­ning or reading.
• Use the Pomodoro method for sus­tained focus. Work for 25 min­utes, take a 5‑minute break, and resume work. Take a longer 30-minute break about every four sessions.
• Do week­ly course check-ins and goal track­ing. Review your progress and adjust your to-do list and goals, as needed.

Also, struc­ture your study time as if you’re plan­ning a real class­room sched­ule. Set spe­cif­ic start and end times, as well as reg­u­lar breaks. Sched­ule time for review and reflec­tion, too.

Smart Use of Online Teaching Tools

As a future teacher, you should mas­ter the tools that you’ll teach with. This is, indeed, a vital part of how to suc­ceed in online teacher pro­grams. You’ll build your con­fi­dence in your teach­ing skills and be more prepared.

Here are the best online tools for teach­ing stu­dents you must know:

Google Classroom or Microsoft Teams

These plat­forms are pop­u­lar for man­ag­ing assign­ments, com­mu­ni­cat­ing with oth­ers, and orga­niz­ing materials.

Canva for Education

Use Can­va for Edu­ca­tion to cre­ate eye-catch­ing les­son visu­als. Think info­graph­ics, work­sheets, pre­sen­ta­tions, and more.

Kahoot!, Flipgrid, and Padlet

These inter­ac­tive tools are best for boost­ing stu­dent engage­ment and voice. Use them, too, for col­lab­o­ra­tive learn­ing and for­ma­tive assessments.

When­ev­er pos­si­ble, use course projects to explore these tools active­ly. You’ll build your con­fi­dence and com­pe­tence in edutech in the process.

Active Learning and Participation Strategies

While online learn­ing may seem like it’s only about watch­ing lec­tures and read­ing books, it isn’t. As an online learn­er, you must engage more active­ly in your studies.

Here are tips that you can use to become a more active learn­er and aspir­ing teacher:

Start or join virtual study groups.

Being an online stu­dent can be an iso­lat­ing expe­ri­ence, but it does­n’t have to be. You’ll find aca­d­e­m­ic and social sup­port from vir­tu­al study groups.

Record yourself teaching short lessons for practice.

Doing so can build your con­fi­dence in your teach­ing skills. You’ll also be able to iden­ti­fy areas for improve­ment and find your teach­ing voice.

Use discussion forums to test pedagogical concepts.

Dis­cus­sion forums may sound like busy­work. Their repet­i­tive respons­es, forced inter­ac­tions, and low engage­ment make them so. But don’t dis­miss them either — use them to chal­lenge and explore. Share your insights and inter­pre­ta­tions with your peers and professors.

Fur­ther­more, apply “see one, do one, teach one” in learn­ing. You can trans­form pas­sive knowl­edge into an active skill.

Building Real-World Teaching Experience Online

Gain­ing real-world teach­ing expe­ri­ence is vital for aspir­ing teach­ers. But we under­stand if you’re hav­ing issues with it as an online stu­dent. You may have, for exam­ple, lim­it­ed access to in-per­son classrooms.

If you do, con­sid­er these vir­tu­al class­room strate­gies for future teachers.

Virtual tutoring

Offer free tutor­ing ses­sions to K‑12 stu­dents, even out-of-school youth. You can do so through local libraries, non­prof­its, and after-school pro­grams. Being able to teach oth­ers while being a learn­er your­self is a great experience.

Online micro-teaching sessions with peers

Prac­tice teach­ing lessons with your class­mates. Short and struc­tured lessons will rein­force your learn­ing and boost your confidence.

Role-playing teaching scenarios through Zoom or Google Meet

Sim­u­late teach­ing sce­nar­ios in vir­tu­al envi­ron­ments, too. You’ll have bet­ter skills in the class­room and behav­ior man­age­ment, among oth­ers. By the time you’re in an in-per­son teach­ing practicum, you’re more prepared.

In all these activ­i­ties, you must be open to feed­back and iter­a­tion. Feed­back is a valu­able input toward improve­ment in your teach­ing skills. Iter­a­tion aids in refin­ing your teach­ing skills by test­ing new strategies.

Connecting Theory to Practice in Online Settings

Keep in mind these online learn­ing tips for aspir­ing teach­ers to achieve it:

Connect educational psychology and learning theory to digital practice.

Start by find­ing ways to incor­po­rate active learn­ing tech­niques into vir­tu­al lessons. Use break­out rooms, inter­ac­tive tools, and col­lab­o­ra­tive projects.

Use case studies and lesson plans as lab work.

Think of them as your lab­o­ra­to­ry to test the­o­ries and their prac­ti­cal appli­ca­tions. Be sure to reflect on out­comes so you can adjust your teach­ing approach.

Create sample teaching materials based on your course content.

Design work­sheets, lessons slides, and activ­i­ties using the top­ics you’re study­ing, too. You’ll not only have a bet­ter under­stand­ing of the con­tent, but your port­fo­lio grows, too.

You should also use apps and sim­u­la­tions to explore class­room sce­nar­ios, including:

• GoRe­act
• Class­room Sim­u­la­tor by TeachLivE
• Sim­School

Real-world appli­ca­tions of teach­ing the­o­ries abound. Your respon­si­bil­i­ty is to find and allow them to enrich your learn­ing experience.

Preparing for Licensure and Student Teaching

The best remote edu­ca­tion degree suc­cess strate­gies pre­pare you for these penul­ti­mate steps. If you adopt them well, you’re more pre­pared for suc­cess in your stu­dent teach­ing and licensure.

Many online edu­ca­tion pro­grams lead to state licen­sure. But many stu­dents don’t know what it means either. Here’s what you need to know now.

• Licen­sure require­ments, such as course­work, field­work, and tests, vary by state. Check your state’s Depart­ment of Edu­ca­tion website.
• Not all online pro­grams fol­low state stan­dards. Con­firm if your pre­ferred pro­gram has state approval.
• Online pro­grams must still com­ply with field­work, stu­dent teach­ing, and test­ing requirements.

Be sure to start ear­ly with test prepa­ra­tion. These can be Prax­is tests and/or state-spe­cif­ic tests (e.g., edT­PA in New York).

Work close­ly with pro­gram advi­sors to secure practicum place­ments. You may need extra time and effort to do so.

Build a dig­i­tal port­fo­lio to show­case les­son plans and class­room readi­ness. You’ll have con­crete proof of your skills to show to employers.

Conclusion: Becoming a Self-Taught, Professionally Prepared Educator

In con­clu­sion, teach­ing your­self to teach online demands:

• Being proac­tive. Set SMART goals and grab teach­ing prac­tice opportunities
• Stay­ing orga­nized and struc­tured. Cre­ate a study rou­tine, use cal­en­dars, and adopt time-block­ing techniques
• Main­tain­ing strong engage­ment with your peers and professors
• Being reflec­tive in your jour­ney. Keep a jour­nal and keep track of your progress.

Online edu­ca­tion can pre­pare you just as well as in-per­son if approached intentionally.