10 Tips For Supporting Remote Learning At Home
Photo by Jessica Lewis on Unsplash
Have your child “show up,” and be on time. Approach the start of the school day as if he/she was actually going to the physical building. This will foster a feeling of belonging to a group of students and hold yours accountable.
Supervise classwork, but resist the temptation to aid in completion. Part of the learning process is for your child to consider information and translate it in their brains. Letting your child work out a particularly difficult point for a bit before offering help will encourage him/her to strengthen their problem-solving skills.
Students should dress as if they were going to school on a regular day. This may include jeans, or be more casual in sporty clothes, but it will allow them to take their schoolwork more seriously than if they stay in their pajamas. It may also help them work more efficiently.
Encourage short, active breaks: running around outside or playing with some toys; having a drink of water and a snack while listening to music; reading a book for pleasure or coloring a picture, etc. These breaks allow a student’s brain to reset and come back refreshed. Students normally get short breaks while they move to other subject areas, eat lunch, and have recess or free time. This is very important.
Give your child a chance to set up a communication system with friends and/or other students in their class. Typically, he/she would be able to discuss work with classmates during the school day. Sometimes, this helps students understand things better, especially if a classmate approaches work from a different perspective. Also, the benefits of talking to a friend are enormous.
Try to maintain a positive or neutral attitude when talking about virtual or remote learning with your child. It may be frustrating and stressful, but your demeanor will affect how he/she approaches the schoolwork. Many students will struggle with doing their work at home, so as adults, we need to provide positive support.
Listen to your child and let them know that you are hearing his/her successes and worries. Even if parents can’t change the situation we are all dealing with right now, children tend to feel and behave better when they know that adults aren’t dismissing their concerns.
Consider enlisting a friend, relative, or neighbor to help look over classwork if the teacher asks for adult guidance. Even an older child or teenager could be a good mentor. Often, children respond differently to someone other than their parents when working on schoolwork.
Help your child set up a system to keep track of their charging cords, pencils, folders, and anything else that he/she may need so that working isn’t derailed by a search for something small but critical. In the classroom, students are given responsibilities throughout the day. Taking care of their own belongings strengthens their sense of independence and maturity.
No matter what your school district’s plan for students and families is, everyone is feeling the strain of many months of uncertainty and restrictions as we respond to the COVID-19 situation. If at all possible, try to work “small joys” into your family’s day. Even something like singing a song after dinner, taking out a book from the library, playing a game in the yard, or asking your child to help you cook might help alleviate some feelings that children and parents may need to cope with as we “return to school.”
This post was written by Jacqueline Gravina-Wohlleb. She holds an M.Sc. in Education, a B.A. in Art and has 20 years of experience teaching Pre-Kindergarten through adult levels. Jacqueline is the Community Program Coordinator at Project MOST.