Many people think that "online learning" is for college students or adult learners only. This is definitely not the case. There are many state-supported virtual high schools. The amount of learning that takes place online is growing phenomenally and the opportunities for all age groups and subject topics are wide and varied. High schools, especially though, are taking education online in a big way and as a result, teachers are taking online courses to learn how to teach online. In all cases, virtual high schools require prospective teachers to complete an online teaching course and in most cases these are graduate credit courses. Here are some links to virtual high schools across the country:

Virtual High Schools
http://www.vhs.ucsc.edu/vhs/
casestudies.htm#vhs.nonca

Virtual High Schools in California
http://www.vhs.ucsc.edu/vhs/casestudies.htm

Generally there are two types of online courses in virtual high schools. The least often used is simply a correspondence type course. The students access their reading and assignments online, complete the work, email assignments to the teacher and then move on to the next unit. This is fine for some students but the majority of students need and want the interaction that is an integral part of interactive online courses.

Interactive online courses, by necessity, involve communication through discussion and group work. Teachers do not "lecture" but rather must find other means by which to convey the content to the students. Students take responsibility for their learning by communicating with each other and with the teacher. Teachers who teach online learn to use specific strategies to facilitate communication and interaction among students in an online learning environment (OLE). These strategies, in turn, enhance their traditiona teaching as well. Many teachers find that these strategies are extremely effective in both learning environments.

So what are some of the strategies used in the OLE that transfer well into the traditional classroom? First and foremost is interactive communication, often called "teaching by discussion." Online, a teacher cannot "command" the attention of students while lecturing or presenting lessons to the entire class. Instead, content is presented by several alternative means, all of which require a certain degree of responsibility on the part of the student.

One alternative is simply using the textbook in a variety of different ways. When teachers lecture and assign text readings, too often students don't bother to read. However, if the teacher does NOT lecture but instead requires students to discuss text readings, then students have no choice but to read the text. Readings can be assigned to individuals or groups and then presented to the rest of the class. Designing discussion questions that require summarizing assigned readings is another strategy for ensuring that students read the text. Teachers should always assign an activity that requires students to synthesize and apply information from assigned readings. In this manner, students often must research further information on the text content in order to discuss issues.

Another alternative is to assign readings from the web. A list of readings can be provided from which individuals or groups choose. From that point, they share the information in discussions and "teach" each other the new material. The teacher's role is that of a guide rather than a lecturer. There are also videos relating to curriculum content that can supplement assigned readings. Again, individuals or groups can summarize the information and all students learn more from discussing issues related to the content topics than they would ever learn from simply reading the text.

Another strategy that is used in online teaching that can be transferred to traditional teaching is the use of learning contracts. Each student is different and brings into the classroom (OLE or traditional) varied experiences and prior knowledge. When have you ever taught a group of students anything that at least one student didn't already know all of what you were teaching, several students already knew something about what you were teaching and at least one other student knew something about what you were teaching that YOU didn't know? I don't know about you -- but it happens to me all the time.

One way to differentiate instruction (and there are many ways) is to use learning contracts. The students take some time previewing the lesson or unit content and then decide what they already know, what they need to learn, and what further information is required beyond the text material. Once this has been clarified, then the student writes a learning contract detailing exactly what s/he will do during the course unit. The learning contract states what will be learned, how this will be accomplished, the time period required, and the assessment criteria and method. This allows students to take responsibility for and ownership of their learning. It should not surprising that students are far more motivated to learn when they have designed their own learning process.

Among other strategies are group work, collaborative learning, mentorships, peer teaching, project based learning, case studies, guest speakers, forums, interviews, debates, and discussions. All of these are currently used to some extent in traditional classes, but teaching online brings a new element to the design of these learning activities. In all cases, the students are the ones who are responsible for choosing and completing the learning activities. Obviously, when one has a direct involvement in the learning process, one will be more motivated to successfully complete the learning activities.

In online classes, students, by necessity, take far more responsibility for the learning process than they are allowed in traditional classes. This changes the roles of both students and teachers (see "The Role of the Student and Teacher in the Online Classroom," Teachers.net Gazette, May 2001, http://teachers.net/gazette/MAY01/bowman.html). As teachers take part in their own classes learning how to teach online, they invariably transfer some of these techniques into their traditional classes as well. The end result is a wealth of instructional strategies that enhance students' learning through increased student responsibility and motivation in the learning process.