Most governments across the world have closed down educational institutions temporarily to curb down the further growth of COVID-19. The shutting down of schools and colleges has changed the way children of all educational levels study. Most universities such as Harvard and Oxford have disclosed online programs to help students continue their studies despite the pandemic. High-achieving networks like Success Academy and Uncommon Schools are not only setting up study plans but also giving internet access to all their students.
Now the problem is online or remote learning isn’t as easy as they seem to be. Research shows that online learning may not work as good as traditional learning does. What if the student has some queries and no teacher is online to help her out? What if the students aren’t able to access the internet or connect to a network? The situation is even worse if the kids have working parents who already have a tough time juggling careers, personal commitments and family.
Thus, several organisations have come up with the idea of supervised remote learning which lets your kid take part in online classes under the supervision of a senior. Check out the three major ways your kid can make the most of the highly effective supervised remote learning programs.
- Motivate students to attend the classes daily
Supervised remote learning programs take place in specific locations depending on your district. For example, the YMCA in Greenfield, Ja’Duke Preschool in Montague and Nam’s Taekwondo Center in Greenfield set up remote learning programs to supervise kindergartners through seventh-graders. They have two instructors per 10 students and the whole organisation is capable of accepting 70 students. So, you need to motivate your kids so that they attend the classes every day. The classes are expected to continue according to your traditional schooling systems.
How to encourage your kids to attend the classes regularly?
- Make your goals and expectations clear to your kids. Talk to them about their ambitions too and show how the remote learning classes can help them out.
- Teachers need to specify the time and location of the classes. It is better if the location is favourable to all the kids.
- Emphasise on how many students are showing up and why this is a positive trend among children.
This task is not that easy as people may think. As per the New York Times, fewer than half of students are participating in remote learning regularly. What about the rest? Some may lack the enthusiasm to get out of the house while others may hesitate to attend the supervised classes.
- Focus on teaching quality content
Accept that supervised remote learning is not the same as the traditional education system. Your kid may not be with their friends in all the classes. Supervisors may not be familiar with their ambitions, skills, strengths or weaknesses. This is your chance to make education even better for your kids and other students. Focus on content rather than trying to build comprehension skills in the students. Instead of sticking to the same old social studies, maths and science, try to help students acquire skills that they may need in the future.
Valuable insights from and for educators:
- Bring forth engaging, hands-on and interactive content such that it lets the students participate fully and think critically throughout the learning process.
- You can also personalise content for your students, depending on their interests and passion. Include videos, non-fiction texts and various types of assignments to help the children reach their goals.
- Use high-quality video and images to enhance student engagement rates. Supervisors should encourage both independent and collaborative learning among students.
In remote learning, supervisors should try to take things slow. You can focus on a couple of topics related to your student’s interest and build their knowledge and vocabulary around those topics. That way, children get to learn what they love and they can also get assignment help from the supervisors whenever they aren’t able to get the hang of any topic. Fair enough?
- Keep the instructions simple.
The pandemic isn’t over. It is only because we can’t let this situation affect our children’s education system that we have brought forth remote learning programs. It is better not to make the supervised remote learning programs messy and complicated since life is already one even for a five-year-old. Keep the instructions simple and talk to the students regularly to ensure that they are getting a grip on whatever you are teaching them. Make sure your directions are clear and simple enough for everyone in the class to understand.
Here’s how to simplify supervised remote learning sessions:
- Talk to your students regularly. For example, let’s say one of the kids wasn’t able to connect to the internet. So, instead of doing it yourself, try to help HIM/HER understand how to overcome that issue.
- Do not use a lot of platforms such as Google Docs since applications or multiple classrooms routines often confuse children.
- Conduct a discussion session after a new topic is introduced. Show them how to do searches online to know about a certain topic.
You may have to introduce new research material in most of the remote learning classes. There’s no point in teaching a new topic if the students aren’t through with the previous ones, right? So, do not rush when it comes to supervising online classes. Reinforce what the students have already learnt to ensure they don’t forget it.
Wrapping Up,
Supervised remote learning is a part of our ‘New Normal’ now. Working parents can concentrate on their professional field without affecting their kid’s education. Children can get familiar with this new normalcy without the fear of being judged or severely assessed. You can also teach the students according to their learning pace.
