Are you letting your members flinch?

Written by Ainslie on January 4, 2012 | Filed Under: Engaging Online Learners

The students are hunched over their desk. One has scrunched up their paper and is starting over. Another is scribbling out the answer. Again. Sammy, in the corner, has finally stopped asking me her help and is giving it a go.

I wait. Finally I hear that perfect phrase.

I’ve got it.

The rest of the group look up, sigh, and then get back to work.

You see my students know the truth: That the only way to improve, it to do what they are most scared of and most frustrated by every single day.

My class of students with learning disabilities walk towards their own flinch every day. In fact I have taught them that they are wasting their time and mine if they shy away from what they can’t do. My students know that the only way to improve their maths, spelling or reading ability is to be aware of their own struggles, and then to work at them, every single day.

You might think I am tough on them. Well damn straight I am. But they are tougher. And together we know that if they put in the effort then the results will speak for themselves.

It’s all about the Flinch

Last night I read The Flinch by Julien Smith. This wonderful book is a call to action for all of us to face our fears without hesitation and reap the rewards. If you need a push in the right direction to make 2012 a year that matters then I highly recommend it.

But that’s not why I am talking about the book today.

If you have an online course, or are writing an online course then you must read The Flinch.

Because this book will show you why it is so important to create tasks and activities that are difficult and involve a lot of hard internal work.

Does your course embrace the flinch?

Think for a moment of the activities you have designed for your course. How would you rate them? Simple? Fun?

That’s great. But what about difficult tasks? Ones that would make your students groan. Ones that can’t be completed by just answering a few questions.

Do you have those types of activities?

Well you should.

I know why you don’t. Because as Julien puts it: “Facing the flinch is hard. It means seeing the lies you tell yourself, facing the fear behind them, and handling the pain that your journey demands – all without hesitation.”

And in order to get your students to face their fears, you need to first face your fears – your own personal flinch or self-doubt.

Once you do that, you can then redesign learning activities that allow your students to push through their own barriers.

And then you will see a major shift inside your course

A course with learning activities that get students to confront what they are most afraid of is very different to anything you have ever seen. Julien describes it perfectly in his book:

“Those who fight it are easily identified – you can see the fire in their eyes and the determination that practically courses through them. Their determination is like an auro; it can be felt just by being neat them.

Those who are unwilling to face the flinch are obvious, too. Their eyes are dead. Their voices sound defeated. They have defensive body language. They’re all talk. They see obstacle as assailants instead of adversaries. Their flinch is the elephant in the room, and they don’t want to hear about it.”

Does that sound like your forum or learning community? Well it should because what Julien is describing is a real classroom – one full of triumphs and struggles. And it is your job to celebrate with those that have taken on the fight, and then keep working with those who are still unwilling to face their flinch.

An online course, just like in the classroom, is full of flinches for both the teacher and the students. And if you want to make a difference you need to embrace all of them.

No. You need to do more than that. You need to create opportunities that will allow your students to face their own flinches.

So how will you make that happen? I would love to hear your ideas below.

Reject the Internet Marketing Model and Remember School

Written by Ainslie on December 14, 2011 | Filed Under: Business of Online Education

The formula is simple enough. Start blogging, create a list and then a free report. If you find enough readers sell an ebook. Then wait until that glorious day when you launch the money maker – the membership site.

Really?

Is that the path you want to take?

[Re]ject the Internet Marketing Membership Model

Internet marketers were the first group to show bloggers that money could be made online through teaching. And this was probably your first example of online teaching. Sure, the model worked in the past but it’s sole aim was to create income, not to teach students. But now it is time to move on. And be moving on I also mean rejecting the common tricks:

Trick 1: Only stay one lesson ahead of the student when writing the course

Trick 2: Set your membership on autopilot, create passive income and forget about engagement

Trick 4: Use unrelated bonus materials to promote affiliates and hook new students.

When I look at a membership site that promotes those values I see someone who is only thinking about how to make the easiest buck online. What I see is someone who has completely forgotten all that is great about people and learning.

What I see is someone who doesn’t believe that teaching matters.

[Re]member School

You know what great teaching and learning looks like. So sit back and reflect on that.

Who was your favourite teacher? What did they do and say? How did they make you feel?

Now think of your favourite classroom. What did it look like? What sounds can you remember?

And finally think of the different ways you learnt at school.

Compare those thoughts to the internet marketers’ guide to membership sites. Do they fit?

Now think of the course you are creating. Will your students one day say you are their favourite teacher?

Well Why Not?

Part of the problem is that you probably can’t articulate what was so great about your favourite teacher or class. It can be difficult if you are not a teacher.

So let me help you by giving you a bit of Teaching 101, based on the research of Chickering and Gamson (1987). These two men discovered seven core principles that guided all great teaching, including online teaching.

Encourage student – teacher engagement
Encourage cooperation amongst students
Encourage active learning
Give prompt feedback
Emphasise the importance of completing activities
Communicate high expectations
Respect diverse talents and ways of learning.

These seven principles are how and why people learn, both online and in the classroom. And yet they are rarely seen in our current models of membership sites.

[Re]build your idea of how to teach online

It is time for you to design a model for what great online teaching looks like. Consumers and creators alike need to be the change.

Course creators need to start teaching. Amazing content is a start and the technology helps. But real teaching involves instructing and providing experiences that allow the students to engage with the ideas and transfer the knowledge and skills to their situations.

Consumers have a role to play as well. You need to demand more from membership sites and hold your teachers accountable for providing real learning and engagement. Do not change that expectation just because the teaching is online.

As a teacher I see first-hand the power and goodness that comes from really great teaching. I also see this online, working with clients to create membership sites that really change people’s lives.

That is the business of education: an understanding that students and learning comes before everything else.

So how are you going to show that teaching matters in 2012?

Don’t let your forum be a time waster

Written by Ainslie on December 8, 2011 | Filed Under: Supporting Your Learners

Think back to high school for a minute. Remember the teacher standing at the board. She had just finished giving you a lecture and was about to tell you what to do next.

And she said “now get into groups and discuss the topic”

Yep group work. And it was probably the biggest time waster you ever experienced at school (well that and those study periods)

How do I know it was a time waster?

Well most group work activities had these three characteristics:

No explicit task to complete; you were just told to discuss the topic
The teacher wasn’t available to bounce ideas off; he was probably sitting at his desk
Students were left to fend for yourself

So you either spent your time socialising or just sat there either staring out the window or scribbling in your book.

And guess what – the same thing is happening online.

Forums – time wasters or learning enablers?

Forums are extremely common in online courses and proclaimed to be the place where real learning takes place. Students are told that in the forums they can collaborate and support each other. Students are told that it is an opportunity to discuss and test ideas. Students are told the forum will be engaging.

And yet the students are given very little guidance inside the forum. Sure, many teachers will answer questions. But there are very few examples of teachers actually creating activities that promote discussion and collaboration inside the forum.

And I can’t blame the teachers because the only model they had was probably group work I described above.

So we need a change – we need more engaging forums. And that will only happen if the teacher makes a commitment.

Commit to your Forums

If you want to increase engagement, participation and learning within your course you need to spend more time inside your
forums. You need to:

Have office hours and stick to them. You need to visit the forums often, preferably every day
Be the most prolific commentator. Yep you need to have the most posts inside that forum.
Create activities based on your content that can be discussed inside the forum. Don’t just say “discuss the topic”. Be
specific. Ask questions.
Not just answer questions but keep the conversation going. You need to weave conversations, connect ideas and keep
probing
Draw out the quiet lurkers by emailing them privately

You see the key to a successful forum is you – the teacher. You need to ask questions. You need to be involved. You need to part of the learning process with your students. You need to turn up.

So now it is your turn. Do you think forums are a waste of time? Or have you seen some great examples of online teachers engaging with their students? Please share your ideas below.

The Education of Millionaires

Written by Ainslie on November 6, 2011 | Filed Under: Business of Online Education

“Tell me something that is true that very few people agree with” Peter Thiel

Michael Ellsberg, the author of The Education of Millionaires, is stating an opinion that few people agree with: that a better education can be had in the real world than at university.

But it is one I share with him.

I know. I am a teacher. I also have three degrees – one in Special Education, one in Gifted Education and a Masters in Online
Education. I value the education I received at university.

But I am the daughter of a High School Dropout.

My dad, Allan James Hunter, left school aged 13. He started working with his father on a banana farm and then moved into retail.
He sold curtain materials. He sold shoes. He worked in a newsagency and supermarket. When dad retired in his 50’s
he and I my mother had an incredibly successful supermarket with over 100 staff.

He was a successful businessman because he got his education in the trenches. Dad’s education plan was simple. He worked out what he didn’t know. Then found someone to teach him.

The Education of Millionaires is found in the Real World

It was exactly the same plan used by the millionaires and entrepreneurs that Michael interviewed in his book. And from the interviews Michael was able to identify seven key skills that are found and taught in the real world, and not at University.

Success Skill 1: How to Make Your Work Meaningful and Your Meaning Work

Success Skill 2: How to Find Great Mentors and Teachers, Connect with Powerful and Influential People, and Build a World Class Network

Success Skill 3: What Every Successful Person Needs to Know about Marketing and How to Teach Yourself

Success Skill 4: What Every Successful Person Needs to Know about Sales and How to Teach Yourself

Success Skill 5: How to Invest for Success

Success Skill 6: Build the Brand of You

Success Skill 7: The Entreprenerial Mindset Versus the Employee Mindset: Become the Author of Your Own Life

I don’t know about you. But I don’t remember any university classes on any of these subjects.

Key Takeaways for Online Educators

The obvious message you will take from this book is that if you want to be successful in business you need to study, understand and implement these key skills. My suggestion is to use this book as a self-assessment. Read it and find out what skills you are
currently lacking. Then create your own learning plan for that skill. Find a book or course. Seek out a mentor. Study, learn and practice.

But the underlying theme I see in this book is that education will always be important and will always have a place. People still want to learn practical skills and be guided by experts and mentors.

We just have to find better ways to deliver that education.

So go out and buy The Education of Millionaires today. It is a great read that will give you clear guide on the skills you need to be successful in the business of online education.

What the Internet Marketers aren’t teaching you about Email Courses and Autoresponders

Written by Ainslie on October 13, 2011 | Filed Under: Learning Management Platforms

The simplest way to teach online is through email. The only technology needed is an email account and once your student’s sign up you have direct access to them.

Easy

And that is why internet marketers and bloggers love the strategy. That email address is the holy grail of online business. Once you have that email account you can start promoting your business and your products.

Now I do not doubt the strategy at all. I offer free information as well to encourage sign-ups.

What I don’t like is the current information online on how to set up an email course. Google “Email Courses and Autoresponders” and you will see what I am talking about. The common threads of each article and post are:

Get your tools organised
Use these marketing strategies to capture the email
Create your course by reusing old content from your site.

Wow! If only teaching was that easy. Can you imagine me going into class with my books, some content that I had given the class previously and a book of ‘top tips to teach’.

That information wouldn’t get me past the first 5 minutes before someone was up to mischief.

You see those articles have forgotten the most important piece of the puzzle – the Teaching. I am yet to find a quality resource that teaches people how to:

Plan an email course
Structure and write the course
Design activities
Engage students

And that information is vital – because if you are calling your product an ecourse you better be teaching.

Well I am a teacher – and I do have a product that teaches you how to plan, design, create and manage your own email course. For the past two weeks I have shown you how great email is. You now know:

Why email is the most important tool for any online teacher
How to create your own email course templates

And now it is over to you. Email Courses that Matters starts in a couple of days and I don’t want you to miss out on creating your very own course. So if you have any questions please contact me or ask them below and I will answer them.

Save Time With Email Templates

Written by Ainslie on October 9, 2011 | Filed Under: Learning Management Platforms

In my last post I explained why email is so important when managing your online course. I also agreed with you. Yep. Emails are time consuming.

Well hopefully this post will cheer you up.

What are Email Templates?

Email templates are pre-prepared emails that you will send to your members during the course. Some of the emails will be sent to the entire group as announcements. Others may be to specific members. I highly recommend email templates because they save you a lot of time once the course starts. And you need all the time you can get.

Here are the three types of email templates:

Type of Email Templates

1. General Announcements

During your course you will need to send your members with new information. Forums are a great place for this information, but so is email. With an email you are connecting with your members, giving some information then redirecting them back to the
membership site or forum.

General announcement emails include:

Welcome email
Link to New lesson
Technical Problem
Can you fill in this survey
Final Goodbye

2. Dealing with concerns

The most common emails from members are questions or problems. These emails need to be answered quickly and with a cool head. And the best way to do that is to anticipate some questions and have answers already prepared. Here are some examples:

Where are ……
Can I get some personal advice ……
I am not sure how to ….

Another type of email you may send relate to concerns you are seeing with specific members. These emails aren’t pleasant to write or send, but are important. So it is much easier to prepare them in advance. Examples include:

Tone down your comments
We don’t promote affiliates here
Second warning
Revoking access

Checking In

The final type of email templates you need are for when you check in with your students and see how they are going. Again you can prepare some in advance, especially if you understand which type of learner they are:

We miss you – great for lurkers or students MIA
Really great job – for members who are implementing your ideas
Thanks for helping in the forums – for people who are social in the forums
Quiet Achievers – really appreciate your ideas, and emails – you know that everyone would love to read your thoughts as well

When an Email Template Won’t do

Sometimes you will get an unexpected email with a question you have never thought of before. Great I say. Answer the question then work or what you can do with that information.

Do you need to change the course in some way? Or could you create an email template from your answer.

Either way, make sure you keep every email. You never know when someone else will want the same information.

Over to You

What are your thoughts on email templates? Have you used them in the past? Have I missed any important messages? Will you pre-write any or are you going to leave your emails to chance?

Please let us know below.

Have you heard of Email Courses That Matter? It is my 8 week email course that teaches you how to plan, create and manage your own email course. Just think, you could have your own course to launch for the new year. Details are here and the course starts October 16^th.

Email: The most important tool in online education

Written by Ainslie on September 30, 2011 | Filed Under: Learning Management Platforms

The most common way to interact with your students is via a forum. Forums are quick, easy to use and the teacher’s input and ideas can be seen by everyone. Forums are like a classroom where a student asks a question and everyone gets the answer.

But what about the shy students? The embarrassing questions? The personal questions?

At school we could ask to speak with our teacher’s privately in the hall. But what about online?

The answer is email.

Email is an important communication tool for your students. Email provides an individual personal connection between a student and teacher that is both convenient and private. And that is important. Not everyone wants to air their concerns, frustrations and even successes in public.

The strengths of email communication:

Increases student involvement and motivation
Supports anxious or shy students
Offers privacy
Easily accessible
Low tech, high cost
Easy to monitor
You can attach files and links to them

But emails are time consuming.

Of course they are time consuming. But so it teaching. And quite frankly you have a responsibility to connect and respond to each and every student.

But you didn’t come here for a lecture. Instead you want some strategies on how you can an email system that offers support to your students, but doesn’t suck you into that time hole.

Create a Successful Email Culture from Day 1

1. Create a System

First you need to decide when and how you will use email. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Decide when you will check your emails (only twice a day at the most)
Answer each email from your student as you read it – process it straight away
Save common emails and reuse them (we will talk about this in more detail next week)
Publicise your email system to your students

2. Use Email to Your Advantage

Now you to need to start using email regularly. Try these suggestions:

Write regular emails to all students – start with a welcome message and then write a recap or summary every week.
Use emails for announcements – it will make sure that all students receive it, including the students that don’t hang out in the forums
Use emails as part of class assignments
Email students individually and offer feedback, just don’t do it every week

3. Change Your Thinking

Email is not going away. Whether you like it all not your members are going to be emailing you. So you can either hide your head in the sand or embrace it.

I suggest the latter.

If you create a positive culture of community using email you will find that you get less email, not more. Your shy students will be encouraged by the supportive culture and email you less. Students will be less stressed and more confident, which means fewer
complaints.

Trust me – embrace email. .

What are your thoughts on emails? Do you think course creators use them well?

And on that note I have a new course for you called Email Courses That Matter. It is an eight week course on how to plan, develop, organise and manage your very own Email Course. The course starts October 16^th and I would love for you to join me.

click here

sign up