FOR TEACHERS
From classroom to online.A guide for teachers who want to teach anything they love, to anyone, on the internet
You’ve already done the hardest part of teaching online: you know how to teach. Here’s how your skills carry over, what’s different, and how to start.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Teachers already have the core skills for teaching online: planning lessons, explaining clearly, assessing understanding and managing a group. To make the move, pick a topic and audience (your subject, teaching itself, or a passion), turn one unit into a short course, workshop or set of resources, and choose a platform. The big shift is finding your students, since online learners don’t arrive on a class list.
You’ve been training for this for years.
Most people who want to teach online have to learn how to teach first. You don’t. You’ve planned hundreds of lessons, explained the same idea five different ways until it clicked, and read a room full of faces to know when to slow down.
That’s why so many teachers are drawn to this, and why they tend to do well. Two people in our Library show the range: Bob Greenberg, a retired elementary teacher, built a channel of about 2,000 short lectures from education thinkers, and George Potts, a longtime science teacher, teaches people to save energy at home as Energy Green Grandpa.
What’s different online isn’t the teaching. It’s that nobody hands you a roster. This guide focuses on that shift, and on how to make the most of everything you already know.
How your classroom skills translate
| In the classroom | Online, it becomes | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Unit and lesson planning | Course and module design | The structure most online creators struggle with is second nature to you |
| Learning objectives | Clear promises: “by the end, you’ll be able to…” | People buy outcomes, and you already write them |
| Differentiation | Beginner and advanced tracks, or basic and premium tiers | Serving different levels is how online offers grow |
| Assessment and rubrics | Quizzes, assignments and feedback | Students finish courses that check their progress |
| Classroom management | Community moderation and live-session hosting | Keeping a group on track is the same skill |
| Parent newsletters | An email newsletter | Your most valuable online tool, and you’ve written dozens |
| Professional development sessions | Paid workshops for teachers, schools or adults | You know how a good workshop runs |
| Bulletin boards and handouts | Worksheets, slides and graphics | Tools like Canva make this faster than laminating |
| Google Classroom or Canvas | Course platforms like Teachable or Skool | Same idea: lessons, materials and a place to discuss |
If you’ve used a learning management system, posted assignments online or taught remotely, you’ve already used the core technology. Online course tools work the same way, with more freedom.
What you could teach
You’re not limited to the subject on your teaching certificate. Many teachers do best teaching one of three things.
Your subject, to a new audience: adults who always wanted to understand history, chemistry or grammar; homeschool families; students who need extra help. Your craft of teaching: new teachers, substitutes and parents want to know what you know about managing a class, planning and reaching struggling learners. Or your passion: the hobby, craft or life skill you’ve built over the years outside school.
Pick the one where you have the most energy and the clearest audience, and treat the others as “later.”
Try this
- List one idea under each: your subject, teaching itself, and a passion
- Circle the one you’d still enjoy on a tired Tuesday
- Name the specific learner: who is it for, and what do they want to be able to do?
Ask Claude
I’m a [current / former] [grade level and subject] teacher with [years] of experience. Outside school I know a lot about [hobbies or interests]. Help me brainstorm 10 things I could teach online, grouped into my subject, teaching itself, and my passions. For each, name a specific audience and what they’d want to be able to do by the end.
Paste the prompt into Claude and fill in the [brackets] with your own details.Ways teachers teach online
| Path | What it looks like | Good fit if you… |
|---|---|---|
| Tutoring | One-on-one or small groups by video call | Want income quickly and love individual teaching |
| Live classes for kids | Classes on platforms like Outschool, where teachers create and price their own classes | Love teaching young learners without a district schedule |
| Selling teaching resources | Lesson plans and printables on a marketplace like Teachers Pay Teachers, or your own store | Have great materials and want income that isn’t tied to your hours |
| Short courses for adults | A self-paced or cohort course on a course platform | Have a topic adults want to learn |
| Workshops and PD | Live sessions for teachers, schools or the public | Enjoy presenting and want higher-value sessions |
| Coaching new teachers | Mentoring sessions or a small community | Want to pass on the craft of teaching |
| A newsletter or YouTube channel | Weekly lessons, explainers or stories | Want to build an audience over time |
| Community and adult education | Non-credit classes at libraries and colleges | Prefer teaching in person, locally |
Many teachers combine two: a free channel or newsletter that builds trust, and one paid offer, like tutoring, a course or resources, that grows from it.
GO DEEPERHow to teach what you know online · Teach a class in your own town · How to start a YouTube channel teaching what you know
What’s different online (and what to unlearn)
Nobody is required to attend. In school, students arrive on a schedule. Online, you have to attract learners, which means telling people clearly who your class is for and what they’ll get. That’s a learnable skill, and a newsletter or free sample lesson does most of the work.
Shorter is better. A 50-minute lesson rarely works as a video. Online lessons work best at 5 to 15 minutes, one idea each, with a quick activity or check for understanding.
Adults learn differently. Adult learners want to know why something matters, want to apply it right away, and bring their own experience. Respect that, and they’ll stay.
You set the price. This feels strange after years of a salary scale. Look at what similar classes and courses cost, start modestly, and raise prices as you collect results and testimonials.
Check these before you sell
Who owns your materials? Lesson plans and resources you created for a school or district may belong to your employer, depending on your contract and local policy. Before you sell existing materials, check your employment agreement or ask your district. Creating new material on your own time, with your own equipment, is usually the safest route.
Protect student privacy. Never use student names, faces or work without clear written permission, and be careful with stories that could identify someone.
Ask about your pension and benefits. If you’re retired or retiring, ask your pension system and an accountant how self-employment income could affect your benefits. Our page on common doubts covers the questions to ask.
Try this
- Read your employment agreement or ask your district about ownership of materials
- Create fresh materials for anything you plan to sell
- Book an hour with an accountant before your income grows
Your first 30 days
Week one: choose your topic and learner, and write one learning objective for a short course or workshop. Week two: turn one unit you know well into a 3 to 5 lesson mini-course outline. Week three: start a free newsletter and write your first two issues. Week four: run one live pilot session, free or low-priced, for a handful of people, and ask what they’d want next.
By the end of the month you’ll have an outline, a small audience, real feedback and a clear next step. That’s further than most people get in a year.
Try this
- Week 1: topic, learner and one learning objective
- Week 2: a 3 to 5 lesson mini-course outline
- Week 3: a free newsletter with two issues
- Week 4: one live pilot session and feedback
Ask Claude
I’m a teacher turning one unit I know well, [unit or topic], into a short online course for [audience]. Help me rewrite it for adult, online learners: a course title, one learning objective, 3 to 5 lessons of 5 to 15 minutes each with a quick activity per lesson, one simple assessment, and a one-paragraph description I could use to invite people to a free pilot session.
Paste the prompt into Claude and fill in the [brackets] with your own details.GO DEEPERHow to use AI to turn your experience into a course · How to start a newsletter about what you know · How to run your first paid workshop
Tools that feel familiar
Start with what you know. If you’ve built a Google Classroom, you can build a course on Skool or Teachable. If you’ve made slides and handouts, Canva will feel natural. A free beehiiv newsletter is your new parent email, and Zoom is the classroom you already know from remote teaching.
For kids’ classes, Outschool handles enrollment and payment. For resources, Teachers Pay Teachers has a large built-in audience of teachers. And an AI assistant like Claude can draft lesson plans, quizzes and worksheets in minutes, so you can spend your time on the teaching itself. (Know + Tell is free. Some tool links pay us a commission; here’s how we choose.)
Your next classroom has no walls.
You already know how to teach. Now you get to choose what, who, when and how much. Start with one small class, one short course or one newsletter, and let your students show you what to build next.
The Business Builder suggests a first step in about five minutes, and From Know to Tell walks through the whole journey.
QUESTIONS PEOPLE ASK
Questions people ask.
Can former teachers make money teaching online?
Yes. Teachers earn online through tutoring, live classes, courses, selling teaching resources, workshops and coaching. Income varies widely, so start small and grow what works.
What can a retired teacher teach online?
Your subject to new audiences, the craft of teaching to new teachers and parents, or a hobby or skill you love. Many teachers do best with a specific topic for a specific learner.
Can I sell lesson plans I made for my school?
It depends on your contract and local policy, since materials made for an employer may belong to them. Check your employment agreement or ask your district, or create new materials on your own time.
Do I need new tech skills?
Usually not many. If you’ve used a learning management system, slides or video calls, online course tools will feel familiar.
How is teaching adults online different from teaching kids?
Adults want to know why something matters, want to apply it right away, and value shorter, focused lessons. They also choose to be there, so clarity about the outcome matters.
KEEP GOING