eTutoring

The following tips may help in organizing and hosting a chat:

• Define the goal and topic of the chat
• Reflect and decide on whether a chat is an appropriate way of communication/facilitating learning
• Communicate to learners the chat date, theme and period as well as the chat goal
• Assign learners with different colours to easily distinguish their contributions.
• Prepare yourself for hosting the chart or appoint a host/co-host among the learners
• Appoint a report/minutes writer
• Decide (if applicable) speech order and turn between learners
• Make sure all learners know their task
• Welcome learners to the chat
• Post discussion points one by one, invite learners’ contributions to the discussion on the point and give them enough time to respond.
• Probe on learners’ contributions
• Post intelligible comments

In a sixty-minute chart, two or three points may be discussed, each for 20-30 minutes, including time to summarise key points raised on each point prior to moving to the next one. Towards the end of the chart, the host summarizes all points discussed and share the summary with participants. Before leaving the chat room, the host clearly closes the chat and present farewells to participants.

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