How to Teach Across a Screen: What Online Tutoring Actually Looks Like
- Mar 23
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 29
When teachers say they’re nervous about tutoring online, they usually don’t mean they’re afraid of learning a new platform.
They mean this:
“I know how to teach in a classroom.
I know how to stand at a whiteboard.
I know how to glance down and see what a student is writing.
I understand that rhythm.
But what does that look like across a screen?”
That’s the real hesitation.
It’s not about clicking buttons. It’s about instructional flow. It’s about supervision. It’s about making sure a student is actually learning — not just passively staring at you through a camera.
The good news?
Teaching online isn’t about becoming someone different.
It’s about translating what you already do well into a different container.
And once you see how that works, it feels far less intimidating.
What Changes — and What Doesn’t — When You Teach Online
Let’s ground this first.
The heart of your teaching doesn’t change.
You still:
model a skill,
scaffold practice,
check for understanding,
adjust in real time,
build trust and connection.
That part is the same.
What changes is the medium.
Instead of turning toward a physical whiteboard, you’re sharing your screen.
Instead of leaning over a desk, you’re watching carefully through a camera.
Instead of handing a worksheet across a table, you’re pulling it up digitally.
The instructional core stays intact. The format shifts.
And format shifts are learnable.
👉If you’re exploring online tutoring more broadly, understanding how to teach across a screen is just one part of getting started. I outline the full process, including how to find students, set up your business, and build momentum, in this guide to starting a tutoring business online.
What Online Tutoring Actually Looks Like in Practice
If you’ve never seen a session unfold online, it can feel abstract. So let’s make it concrete.
A typical session might look like this:
You greet the student and check in.
You share a passage, worksheet, slide, or activity on your screen.
You model a skill directly on that shared material.
The student responds — either digitally or using physical materials.
You give immediate feedback.
You repeat, refine, and reinforce.
The flow is familiar.
The screen simply becomes your shared workspace.
Your Screen Becomes the Whiteboard
This is where the mental shift usually happens.
When you use screen sharing in a video platform, you’re essentially creating a shared instructional space that both you and your student can see clearly at the same time.
You can:
Share a PDF and write directly on it.
Use built-in Zoom annotation tools.
Open a whiteboard app.
Use a tool like Annotate to mark up anything on your screen.
Type together in a shared Google Doc.
Anything you could print can be displayed digitally.
Anything designed for digital use — including materials from Teachers Pay Teachers or other educational sites — can be shared instantly.
And here’s something that surprises many teachers:
When both you and the student are looking at the same on-screen material, eye contact often improves. You’re not turning away to write on a physical board. You’re both facing forward.
Some tutors experiment with document cameras. That can work. But in many cases, scanning or uploading materials creates a cleaner, more seamless experience. You’re both interacting with the same crisp version of the content instead of watching a live video feed of paper.
It’s less about the tool and more about shared visibility.
How Students Participate (Not Just Watch)
Another very real concern is this:
“How will my student stay engaged?”
Online learning works best when students are actively doing something — not just listening.
There are several ways to make that happen.
Students can:
Write using annotation tools directly on your shared screen.
Type responses into a shared document.
Move digital elements when given controlled mouse access.
Work in a notebook while you observe.
Use a small whiteboard and hold it up to the camera.
Follow along in a workbook you’ve recommended in advance.
If you’re using Zoom, you can share only part of your screen so that students have controlled access to specific materials — not your entire desktop. With a bit of early scaffolding, students learn quickly how to use these tools responsibly.
The structure matters more than the software.
When students understand:
when they’re listening,
when they’re responding,
and how they’re expected to interact,
engagement increases naturally.
Just like in a classroom.
You Don’t Have to Reinvent Your Curriculum
One of the biggest myths about teaching online is that you need completely new materials.
You don’t.
If you already use:
workbooks,
printable resources,
slide decks,
passages,
graphic organizers,
You can adapt them.
Anything printable can be scanned or displayed on your screen. Anything digital can be annotated over. Many resources originally intended for printing work perfectly well as shared, on-screen documents.
You are not rebuilding your practice.
You are adjusting how it’s delivered.
It can take time to adapt your curriculum on your own. However, you will find that over the past 5 years or so, many resources are now available for teachers to deliver remote lessons without the prep time, including The Teach-To-Read Blueprint, a structured literacy digital curriculum for online tutors.
Why Teaching Online Can Feel Surprisingly Focused
Once teachers move past the initial hesitation, many notice something unexpected.
One-on-one online tutoring often feels highly focused.
There are fewer environmental distractions.
The shared screen becomes a visual anchor.
Feedback is immediate and individualized.
Students receive sustained attention.
Families today are also far more comfortable with online learning than they were even a few years ago. For many, the flexibility is a major benefit.
Teaching across a screen is not a diluted version of teaching.
It’s a different format — and when done thoughtfully, it can be just as rigorous and interactive as in-person instruction.
The Real Transition Is Mental, Not Technical
Most teachers already know how to:
use video calls,
share a screen,
write digitally,
manage basic tools.
The harder step isn’t learning software.
It’s trusting that your teaching skills transfer.
They do.
After a handful of sessions where the interaction flows and the student responds positively, the anxiety begins to fade. It stops feeling like “online teaching” and starts feeling like teaching.
Across a screen.
Want Help Turning This Into a Repeatable System?
If you’re thinking, “This makes sense, but I’d still like structure around how to set this up,” that’s completely normal.
Understanding how to teach online is one piece.
Building a consistent, sustainable system around it — so your sessions feel organized and professional — is another.
If you’d like support with that process, you can learn more about the Launch & Grow Toolkit here.
You’re Closer Than You Think
You don’t need to become a tech expert to teach online.
You need:
clarity,
structure,
and the willingness to try a new format.
You already know how to model, scaffold, and guide students toward mastery.
The screen is simply the bridge.
And once you step onto it, you may discover that teaching online feels far more natural — and far more effective — than you expected.
About the author:
I’m a dyslexia specialist and creator of The Teach-to-Read Blueprint, a plug-and-play structured literacy curriculum for tutors and teachers. I help educators make research-backed reading lessons effective and engaging—online or in person.
Want to help your own student thrive with a dyslexia-friendly approach? I’ve built a curriculum designed to make decoding easier, lessons more engaging, and instruction fully online. 👉 Teach-To-Read Blueprint
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