The coronavirus outbreak in China has had a continued impact on China and the industry of online teaching. In fact, online teaching is experiencing a sort of economic boom as parents leverage the convenience of online education for their children.
For numerous quality online platforms like VIPKID, teachers are getting a surge in bookings as China at this time has extended the holiday break for students.
Chinese schools are also embracing online class
As students in China need to complete their studies in order to move onto university, high school which typically don’t offer an online learning option like universities do are now implementing various changes to allow student to complete their studies.
The education ministry of China has begun plans to launch a national internet cloud classroom starting on February 17. The goal of this national classroom is to provide students in first grade up through high school learning materials for their classes they are unable to attend in person.
The coronavirus has show how useful and popular online teaching is in China
Online teaching as an industry has continued to grow year over year and in China this is no exception. Online teaching for example grew by an amazing 25% back in 2018 according to iResearch Consulting group.
Online teaching provides Chinese students with numerous benefits. It allows them to attend class and even if their school does not have a native English speaking teacher and now with the COVID-19 virus outbreak it allows students to get on with life and have some normalcy in their day.
Older teachers however have difficulty adjusting
One small issue to note however is the reluctance of older teachers to learn and embrace live streaming for their students. The setup is quite easy, though it does require specific technology most average users don’t have.
Technology like a a good webcam with a microphone, a quality pair of headsets and a decent laptop for online teaching.
Any online teacher or prospective online teacher already knows this, but for your average, established Chinese classroom teacher this can prove to be a learning curve when trying to conduct an online class.
Regardless, online teaching is proving to be an essential part of China as the country tends to have difficulty attracting English teachers for long term stays as well as having a nationalistic culture
Spotlight Wuhan – A VIPKID initiative
Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 virus is the focal point for a new initiative for current VIPKID teachers to show love and support for this city.
Under the #staystrongwuhan, VIPKID is currently encouraging it’s teachers to create a short supportive video for students and families in Wuhan (not required, totally optional).
What is spotlight Wuhan?
For current VIPKID teachers, through the VIPKID teacher portal you can show your support for Wuhan and affected students and families by uploading a short supportive video.
The video will be displayed on the activity page of the parent portal and your profile page. It’s completely optional but if you’re concerned about the well being and safety of VIPKID students and their families it’s a small way to express support.
What are VIPKID teachers encouraged to say in their spotlight Wuhan video?
According to the spotlight Wuhan page within the VIPKID teacher portal teachers simply encouraged to give any type of support. Students and their families would appreciate any kind words so no need to over think what to say specifically.
It’s also encouraged for teachers to end the video with the phrase “stay strong China” or “stay strong Wuhan” as appropriate. If you’re feeling ambitious you could also attempt to pronounce Zhong Guo Jia You” or “Wu Han Jia You” which is the Chinese pronunciation for “stay strong China” and “stay strong Wuhan” conversely.
Example videos:
To find more videos simple search for “stay strong Wuhan VIPKID” on YouTube. If you would like to signup to VIPKID you can do so here (American or Canadians with a Bachelors degree only – no exceptions).
