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There is something of a paradox in teaching for online learning: the teaching is usually separated in time and place from  the (intended) learning. 

This is often masked by the fact that the online learning can be happening in the classroom in which both parties are present simultaneously.  However the teacher & students are often working in parallel rather than together because online learning is facility dependent: while the learner uses the computer it is common for the teacher to be fully engaged with the rest of the class. 

Indeed, as observed in this project, the limited capacity of classroom teachers to provide timely support to students using ICT is a major constraint on classroom computer use. The notion of 'computer use' that prevails in a classroom may exacerbate or ameliorate this issue. 

If the computer is seen as a single-user device (and learning is seen as a teacher-student activity) the working knowledge available to the user is limited to the working knowledge of the current user unless the teacher is available. 

On the other hand if the computer is seen as a device for shared use and learning is a highly collaborative activity then the working knowledge available to the user is greatly increased and the demands on the teacher are likely to be minimal.

This leads to questions about the respective roles and modes used by various parties. It may be useful to think in terms of modes such as:

• Teaching:
  • establishing rapport
  • choose the learning focus
  • check on prior learning (available knowledge & skills)
  • design the learning task.
• Scaffolding learner activities: the teacher provides direct or indirect guidance and/or support in the use of the materials and equipment being used to undertake the learning task.
• Mediation
  • Proxy tutoring: the teacher arranges for guidance and/or support to be provided by  (or available from) a third party such as a parent, peer or resource person.
  • Online mediation: use of email, instant messaging, online discussion and chat and other net-meeting facilities can all be used to provide some online mediation of learning 
• Independent learning activities (self mediation): the student is carries out the activities in the learning task independently or  any immediate support or guidance:
  • at a low level the learner may be guided by resources through a learning task largely designed by the teacher and based on 'worksheet' resources
  • at a higher level the learner will be selecting the learning tasks and designing the processes, acquiring resources... etc to be used.
• Mediated learning activities: the learner receives responses to his/her actions that prompt learning by the student
• Reviewing: teacher checks with the learner regarding
  • the learning achieved - making learning explicit
  • the efficacy of the processes & resources used
  • insights gained by the learner into his/her learning
  • the potential transference of learning achieved
• Assessment: the teacher &/or learner appraises the learning for future reference, eg, teacher planning, reporting, formal assessments...
• Transference of learning:  promoting the transference of the learning achieved to new situations

This leads on to the what might constitute the teaching skills involved in the above. However 'teaching' is an ambiguous term and may mean what a teacher does while interacting with learners OR what simply what a teacher does and more probably something in-between these two extremes.  Thus it may be more useful to identify teacher skills. This is likely to enable greater clarity to be achieved since skills should be able to be identified and categorised in easily understood ways, eg:

• Planning
• Arranging
• Teaching (various modes such as those listed above)
• Assessing and evaluating
• Transferring learning

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