With recent events that have transpired in the last few months, more and more schools have been turning to remote learning or “blended” learning. However, a good percentage of parents around the world are not quite sure what they have to do when it comes to teaching their children. How will children be setting up their workspace?
Is it necessary to supervise your kids in their learning? We’ll be answering some questions that most parents are struggling with during the “new normal.” Here’s what you’ll need to know.
What Is Remote Learning?
As the name suggests, remote learning or distance learning, as known in some countries, is a way of learning without the students having to go to the classroom to learn. Since we’re living in a digitalised world where almost any type of information can go through the internet, remote learning will incorporate this data highway by hosting virtual classrooms, E-mails, project management platforms, and video-conferencing services.
For many countries, the use of online learning as an alternative to the traditional means of learning has been catching a bit of controversy from different parents. Some parents would argue that it will take up more resources and prefer the traditional learning method. There are also disenfranchised groups that don’t have any means affording a stable internet connection.
In response, several departments focused on education have been reaching a middle ground in terms of both learning methods. Instead of exclusively using online resources, students and teachers will be using both online and offline materials. This has proven to be an effective way of getting the attention of students. These students don’t necessarily have to be online all the time.
Whether the learning method is traditional or online, most families will still find the situation quite frustrating, especially those that aren’t tech-savvy. Since it can be mentally daunting for many parents and children, here are some useful tips that parents and students can do to make things easier.
Distance Learning Tips
Get Information Regarding Your School’s Methodology and Platform
First and foremost, it’s our duty as parents to do some background research on a particular educational system before making some final decisions. Sometimes, remote learning can be a complicated process, and those that are not well-versed with how most applications and software work are going to be “left behind.”
Each school will have its own means of doing video-conferences, project management systems, and group chats. While there’s no problem with using such applications and software, it’s still imperative that you know the methodology of how they operate. Will they use online classes? Are they more inclined to use physical materials, like books?
You can ask yourself the following questions:
- What are some online resources that the child will use?
- If you will be using physical books, will you need to pick-up the designated modules? Will it be delivered to your area?
- What will the grading system be like?
- Will they be following a constant strict daily schedule?
- Is there anybody from the school’s administration that can be contacted in case questions arise?
Focus the Bandwidth
Normally, almost every household will have a steady stream of information through a wireless internet connection. Even though most connections are quite stable, there will be times that a single device might take up a good amount of the bandwidth, and this could slow down the connection, which can significantly impact the learning process of your child. When your child is learning, you should cancel any forms of data streaming, such as downloads, uploads, and streaming from video platforms.
Although most schools will often have their own independent servers, it’s still important that you invest in your connection to ensure that your child will be able to learn without interruptions.
But most school and learning site owners, it’s still important to ensure that the two-way connection between you and your students will remain unabated. Normally, most schools and domains will have their own office IT support to ensure that operations will continue, even in certain circumstances. Having professional IT specialists can help ensure that your systems are up-to-speed and will be able to handle a good amount of activity that usually comes with distance learning.
Create a Schedule
There will be times that your child will need to follow a schedule that’s mandated by the school. If there is one, it’s important to create a routine for you and your child. You’ll need to make a bulletin board and set up a schedule for the entire week.
It’s also important not to forget about your child’s meal plan. Aside from regular meals, it’s also important to give your child much-needed breaks. At least five-minute breaks for every hour can help them concentrate better.
There are several ways of optimizing the learning of your child. There’s really no ultimate strategy when you’re helping your child learn. Still, it’s important to remember that your child will need to rest. Remote online classes can be mentally taxing, and they’ll need to have some much-needed breaks.
You don’t really have to supervise the learning process of your child constantly. They’re bound to get the hang of things in a few weeks to months. However, it’s still important to check up on them and make sure that they’re not tired.