The pandemic has changed the way we do a lot of things. With the threat looming over us, most of us were forced to retreat to the safety of our homes. Remote work and distance learning have become the new norm. Although most of us still prefer in-person interactions, for the sake of safety, we have resigned ourselves to this new way of conducting our affairs in the online realm.
It is a bit more challenging for parents because they need to juggle responsibilities at work and help their kids out with distance learning. This really isn’t a problem if you have a college kid who’s taking up a degree in family dentistry, political science, or any degree, for that matter. They are already old and responsible enough to handle their academics.
We’re talking about kids who are a lot younger and have a more difficult time focusing on online schooling. To help parents of these kids out, we have listed a few tips that can increase their child’s online productivity.
Increase Their Child’s Productivity and Improve Online Performance
Tip #1: Set a routine.
A routine gives a child a sense of normalcy and stability. These two are important for children to function properly. Establishing a routine and following a schedule as much as possible helps kids manage their expectations for the day. It gives them an idea of when classes will start, when they should take breaks, and when it’s time for them to play and relax.
Tip #2: Make the environment conducive to learning.
One of the key elements in ensuring success in a remote learning set-up is the learning environment. Do your best to make your child’s workstation one that’s conducive to learning. Take out anything that could potentially be distracting but still make it a fun area for learning.
Tip #3: Don’t teach. Help them understand the lesson.
Leave the teaching to the professionals. That’s what teachers are trained and paid to do. Your job as a parent is to make sure that your child learns and understands the lessons being taught.
Simplify concepts and use illustrations that are age-appropriate so that the child can have a better grasp of the topic.
Tip #4: Teach them to check for messages and reply to important ones
Communication is very vital at this time. Since in-person interactions are prohibited at this time, everyone has to rely on messages for communications.
What’s good about a remote learning set-up is that the teacher-student communication is incorporated into the system’s design. You need to teach your child how to use the app, check for messages, and reply to those messages.
Make it a part of their daily routine to always check for important messages and get back to their teachers ASAP.
Tip #5: Identify the different barriers and challenges.
Learning, whether it’s face-to-face or online, has certain challenges. Each learner has strengths and weaknesses. Parents need to identify the different learning challenges that their kids have and adjust accordingly.
Tip #6: Use the right resources.
Learning new things is not always easy, especially when kids don’t know what they don’t know. This is where having the right resources come in very handy. The first step, however, is identifying what kids are having a hard time understanding. Once you’ve determined what it is, it’s easier to navigate the interwebs to answer their questions and concerns.
Tip #7: Teach them how to organize their learning environment.
We’ve talked about making the physical learning environment conducive to learning, but more than just the physical, the digital learning environment also has to be organized. Kids today et easily distracted, and it’s so easy to open YouTube in a different tab while a virtual class is ongoing. Teaching them to organize their physical and digital workspace will help them focus on what needs to be done.
Tip #8: Provide immediate positive feedback.
Feedback is important in any setting, whether it’s in a family environment or the workplace. It lets people know about how their performance stacks up and what improvements can further improve their output. However, feedback is more efficient if it is delivered in a positive and encouraging way. This helps build greater confidence in a child.
Tip #9: Use fun and laughter as motivation.
Lastly, never take out the fun element of learning. Kids today no longer get to spend time with their friends and hang out with them in-between classes or after school makes it difficult and, depending on how young they are, confusing for them.
Try to make the home learning process still fun and filled with laughter. Teach them the value of learning not to take themselves too seriously without compromising the quality of their work. After all, the focus is personal growth and not just academic excellence.
So laugh and have fun with your kids. Have a few fun activities lined up every day. Laugh at some of their mistakes but make sure to also correct them as needed. Being cooped up at home and learning during a pandemic is already hard enough, so do not add to the pressure.
We hope that parents with younger kids find these tips useful as we continue to navigate the new normal. If any one of you has any additional tips that you believe will also prove to be helpful, drop them in the comments section below.
