Key takeaways
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Define success and align to standards: Set clear expectations for virtual classroom instruction, then translate them into concrete look‑fors.
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Build capacity with effective PD: Anchor training in effective professional learning and onboard using modeling, co‑planning, coaching, reflection, and goal setting.
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Design for learning: Apply a single planning lens, balance core and supplemental tools, and track key metrics for continuous improvement.
Across the U.S., teachers are challenged to develop student skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving that will help learners succeed in a technology-rich society. School systems are also packed with technology, and teachers and support staff need to acquire specific knowledge and skills to help them teach effectively using classroom software. However, the virtual classroom experience will not match the physical classroom experience, even if the software tools are the same.
Educators leading virtual classrooms should still be able to deliver student-centered instruction to positively impact student outcomes if they receive the right support and training. What does the right support and training involve? Based on a review of 35 studies, the Learning Policy Institute (LPI) identified seven characteristics of effective professional learning:
- Is content focused
- Incorporates active learning
- Supports collaboration
- Uses models of effective practice
- Provides coaching and expert support
- Offers feedback and reflection
- Is of sustained duration
Using these seven characteristics as a foundation, you can use the following step-by-step approach to train teachers to use virtual classroom software successfully in your school or district.
Step 1: Define Virtual Teaching Success
To start, how will you and your staff know what “successful” looks like? If you define a baseline of expectations for teachers, then it will be clear when they meet or exceed it in job performance. One useful framework for setting expectations is the National Standards for Quality (NSQ) Teaching standards, which provide guidance with flexibility to work in different contexts. These standards are grouped into five categories:
- Standard A: Professional Responsibilities
- Standard B: Digital Citizenship
- Standard C: Engagement and Belonging
- Standard D: Learner-Centered Instruction
- Standard E: Instructional Design
Each standard has indicators of what high-quality online teaching looks like as well as the why and the how behind the standard, giving educators “actionable insights for implementation.”
Step 2: Onboard New Staff (30/60/90‑Day Plan)
Days 0–30: Orient & Baseline
- New staff orientation: Cover norms and policies for the online community of teachers and students, privacy, academic integrity, accessibility expectations and resources, and student data protections.
- Baseline on teacher knowledge and skills: Have your team complete a self‑assessment using Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) to help identify needed supports.
- Model lesson library: Create two or three short, recorded exemplars showing engagement routines, formative assessments, and feedback cycles in a virtual setting.
- Quick wins: Set up small-group practice using available technology, such as facilitating breakout rooms and moderating discussion boards.
Days 31–60: Guided Practice & Coaching
- Mentor pairing with weekly co‑planning: Tie this to NSQ indicators and ask mentors to model first and then observe a 10- to 15-minute segment.
- Design one mini-unit: Require a clear assessment rubric.
- Feedback loops: Have teachers review video clips of their own lessons and reflect on them using ISTE Standards for educators.
Days 61–90: Independent Delivery & Reflection
- Full lesson delivery with recorded segment: After delivery, conduct mentor debriefs using NSQ “Engagement & Belonging” look‑fors (e.g., wide-ranging participation, community norms).
- Data check: Analyze student engagement and formative assessment results, then set growth goals for the next grading period.
- Change‑management supports: Use the Learning Accelerator’s resources for sustaining routines and troubleshooting adoption hurdles.
Virtual Classroom Teacher Onboarding Checklist
- Staff complete privacy/ethics module and accessibility mini‑course.
- Teacher TPACK self‑assessment completed; coaching plan created.
- At least one modeled lesson viewed; one micro‑teach accomplished.
- One mini‑unit designed, taught, and reflected upon with mentor.
- Student engagement and progress data reviewed; goals set.
Step 3: Advance Pedagogy Beyond Tool Fluency
Although technology plays an essential role in virtual classrooms, learning goals and pedagogy should always precede technology selection. If you can standardize a simple, shared design framework, this will reduce cognitive load for your staff. For example, when planning lessons, it’s best to choose one lens and stick with it, training your team and referencing it in both PLCs and observations to strengthen coherence. Examples of lenses include:
- TPACK—for planning lessons that align technology choices with content‑specific pedagogy.
- SAMR, Triple E, or PIC‑RAT—for assessing how technology changes learning.
Repeat a “design for learning” mini-cycle for each unit to improve engagement and instructional efficacy. A mini-cycle requires you to:
- Clarify outcomes and evidence: Prioritize standards and success criteria for the unit; identify what students will create online or offline.
- Plan for belonging and access: Embed community‑building routines, multiple means of engagement/expression, and UDL checkpoints.
- Select tech intentionally: Choose a small set of platform features and supplemental tools that directly support feedback, collaboration, or differentiated practice.
- Prototype and test: Build one lesson, pilot with a peer, and refine using a short checklist (lesson “look-fors” below).
- Deliver and reflect: Capture quick data (checks for understanding, completion patterns) and adjust the next lesson.
Lesson “Look‑Fors” (From Walk‑Through or Video Review)
- Student‑to‑student interaction (breakouts, forums) is structured and equitable.
- Formative assessment is evident and frequent (polls, exit tickets, low‑stakes quizzes) with timely feedback.
- Materials are accessible (captions, alt text) and instructions are chunked and clear.
- Tasks are authentic and allow choice in demonstrating learning (multimodal).
- The teacher uses data from the platform to adjust groups, materials, or pacing.
Step 4: Balance Core Curriculum & Supplemental Tools
Begin with the fundamentals—what students must learn and how you will assess their progress—to evaluate core curricula and then carefully consider what supplemental software tools may provide to fill instructional gaps. Build a transparent process for selection, implementation, and evaluation so that everyone involved understands the criteria for decision-making.
Suggested 3‑Step Alignment Process
- Map outcomes to experiences: For each upcoming unit, map the standards, core tasks, and required assessments. Only then identify gaps (practice, intervention, enrichment) a supplemental tool might fill.
- Screen tools with evidence & fit: Use a resource guide or service to evaluate claims and research basis, privacy, and fit according to your needs, preferring tools that align to your instructional goals.
- Define use cases & guardrails: Write short “how we use it here” statements to avoid tool sprawl. Example: “This tool provides fluency practice twice weekly for ≤15 minutes. Teachers review the dashboard every Friday.”
Take note of the technology owner (whether administrator, teacher, or coach); when you start using the program or tool; review dates for decisions on retention, scaling, or retirement; and when you stop using any software.
Step 5: Include Coaching & Professional Learning
In the guide “Improving Professional Learning Systems to Better Support Today’s Educators,” the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) notes that districts and schools get better results by treating professional learning as a coherent system with clear definitions of quality, sustained coaching, funding from multiple sources, and evaluation—not as one‑off trainings. Develop your own coherent system by incorporating elements such as coaching cycles tied to NSQ and ISTE competencies, PLCs that analyze video clips and student work, a unit design calendar, mentors, and change management supports.
Step 6: Measure Results & Emphasize Continuous Improvement
Just like students have different strengths, needs, and preferences, your teaching team will follow their own paths to success in a virtual classroom. By tracking three sets of metrics, you will have a much better understanding of what’s working well and what needs adjustment. This ensures that not only are students receiving effective instruction but also that your teachers are growing professionally, which can improve satisfaction and retention.
Teacher Practice Metrics
- Observation notes keyed to NSQ indicators such as learner‑centered instruction and timely feedback.
- PLC-reviewed unit plans, discussion protocols, and revised rubrics aligned to your chosen design framework (e.g., TPACK).
Student Impact Metrics
- Engagement indicators, like attendance in synchronous sessions, participation rates, and on‑time submissions.
- Formative learning data such as exit tickets and platform dashboards, disaggregated for fairness checks.
- Product quality via rubric scores for authentic tasks, including evidence of collaboration and reflection.
PD Effectiveness Metrics
- LPI’s seven features of effective PD for auditing each term.
- NSQ Online Programs standards for transparency, evaluation, staff and learner support (school‑level).
Once you have all your systems and technology in place and operational, the challenge is sustaining it over the long term. However, you will have plenty of flexibility to adapt to new challenges and changing virtual classroom software, when necessary.
Explore Discovery Education Programs and Resources
A perfect fit for virtual classrooms, Experience combines ready-to-teach lessons, activities, and engaging content with research-backed instructional strategies and user-friendly tools. In its Curriculum Aligned Resources section, teachers have content directly aligned to popular K–8 literacy, math, and science curricula.
DreamBox Math can be used for core instruction, intervention, or enrichment in your school or district, where it will empower your students to think critically, solve problems, and dream big when learning mathematics. It builds deep understanding through a rigorous curriculum with personalized, scaffolded instruction and engaging lessons that can help all students achieve proficiency.
That’s not all! Discovery Education offers literacy, science, and social studies programs along with helpful education resources that you can rely on to drive measurable student progress.
