The pandemic has brought about unexpected changes on a global scale. With worldwide restrictions pushing traditional services to shift into home-based, online services, the schooling system is not exempted.
Although it was expected that online schooling as an alternative would have been over by this year, the reality is it’s not going away anytime soon. Remote learning, as everyone could see by now, is going to be part of the new normal.
And because learning shouldn’t stop, especially with all the resources available today, the best thing a learner can do, no matter the age, is to adapt to the alternative methods of education. But how can we get the most out of learning remotely from home?
Homeschooling has long been practiced, but it wasn’t the standard, nor was it the choice of the majority of learners. Now, it’s the only way for students to continue learning. But albeit challenging, this doesn’t mean that learning has to be any less effective.
If you’re a learner or a parent with students on remote schooling, here are three of the best tips to make learning online more efficient:
1. Enroll In Online Tutorials
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The online schooling system has also created more work for parents at home, especially those with young children. Because they’ll be learning from home, most parents will have to play the role of the teacher in most cases, which not all parents will have time for. For working parents who don’t have enough time, enrolling their young students in online tutorials may be helpful.
Online tutorials offer supplementary learning programs for learners who may be having a hard time keeping up with their online school program. Remote learning, although convenient, poses big challenges for learners.
Understanding new materials with no ability to discuss them face-to-face during class has become a real challenge. Besides, studying in groups contributes to the difficulty of understanding and memorizing the materials.
For the most part, they’ll have to make do with shorter discussions without the physical interaction that makes the learning process more interactive. This leaves students with more questions that are only left unanswered.
A tutor will assess your child’s level as a learner, consider their challenges and weaknesses, and use all these to create a tailored learning program that’s designed to help the student improve and learn more efficiently.
If you wish to start looking for an online tutor, you can check out tutorme.com and similar websites in your local area for online tutorial services that may suit your needs.
2. Facilitate Effective Communication
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One of the things that are often compromised in remote learning is effective communication. When online classes are conducted, most students are either distracted or they’re too shy to ask questions. And when there’s poor communication, students will fail to learn properly.
For learners, if you’re not comfortable raising questions during online classes, ask your teacher through chat or email instead at the end of every session. Make it a point to immediately clear out whatever gray areas you may have regarding your current lessons. That way, they won’t pile up at the end of the week when they become harder to deal with.
For parents, aside from talking to your child every now and then, you should also be in touch with their teachers to stay updated about their progress. If you notice your child is having a hard time learning, encourage them to open up to you.
This is often the biggest challenge for many households, especially if both parents have full-time jobs. One way to bridge the gap is to maintain good communication with the teacher, whether you’re the learner or the parent.
3. Enforce Schedules
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To get the most out of remote learning, it would help to establish new learning routines for the students. Although most online classes follow a given schedule, some classes offer flexibility. But either way, enforcing a realistic schedule for the learner will help instill discipline. This includes schedules for doing homework, reviewing for exams, and preparing for online classes.
There are plenty of distractions at home, especially for children. If students don’t manage their time efficiently and are too complacent while learning remotely, they may not learn as much as they should. And if parents aren’t monitoring their children’s online class schedules, they may not know when they’re missing classes.
It may also help to start doing projects or homework after every online class session, instead of putting them aside for another time. With that said, click here for helpful tips on how students can be more effective at tackling homework.
Once your child learns how to manage their schedules properly, they’ll find that it’s less stressful because it helps to finish all school work on time. Eventually, they’ll also learn to be more independent but also productive when it comes to their study habits, which will benefit them immensely as they go through higher academic levels.
4. Collaborate In A Group
Children tend to learn better when in a group, especially if it’s their same age group. Since remote learning takes away the traditional classroom setup, creating a group with classmates, even online, will help facilitate a similar environment.
Smaller groups will engage learners better, where everyone can contribute, learn from each other, share best practices, and solve problems as a group. This may also help children to learn more about using online resources, which is beneficial in remote learning. For younger children, this can be supervised by a parent or a tutor. Groups of older children can be a collaborative learning process with minimal supervision, where each one has a responsibility and an active role.
Conclusion
Remote learning comes with perks and challenges. But for children to learn how to use both to their advantage and to grow as learners, parents should take the time to guide and encourage them towards the right path, especially in the beginning.
Rules may have to be enforced until children become independent and disciplined learners, so parents shouldn’t be afraid to get strict when the situation calls for it. It may be a challenge to adjust to, but by learning how to access helpful resources and managing time efficiently, students will eventually learn how to master the process.
As the pandemic continues, remote learning will remain to be the new normal in the academe. But as the pandemic itself has also made everyone realize, having your family there to help you overcome challenges always works, and it’s all the same in remote learning.
