As we again gear up to commence remote learning we are reminded of the importance of the strong cooperation between our teachers and parents which will be fundamental to supporting our students during this time.
These are unprecedented times for all of us, and we recognise that for some home learning in Term 3 will at times create some challenges. There are numerous websites that provide support for parents and one that has stood out to me is Reachout.com. ReachOut offers practical support, tools and tips for young people and their parents.
I have recently read an article in The Educator Australia which highlights tips for remote learning. Below I have summarised some of the way’s parents can ‘home learn’ with their children:
Check in with your child to see how they’re doing and what they may need help with. You know your child, so a common-sense approach is best. Give both yourself and your child a break from lessons when your child is showing signs of being off-task, tired or irritable.
Older children also need to take ownership of their learning. Upper primary and secondary children, who have specific projects/assignments, should know the due dates and the expectations of their teachers. Older children need to be aware of when and how to meet these deadlines. Parents can ask prompting questions to check the child understands what is required of them.
Be flexible. With the many distractions at home, parents need to be flexible with their expectations of their child’s behaviour. Children are not working with their regular classroom teacher or with their classmates. How they work will be different at home. Assignment outcomes will look different as well, but the goal is to keep children connected and engaged through learning.
The article pointed out that parents and teachers have both had to work from home and deal with the issues that come with meeting their own work commitments whilst supporting their children. Teachers with their own children have developed a deeper understanding of the work parents were doing in the background. This has led to deeper reciprocal understanding, and stronger connections.
It’s easy to get bogged down in talking about problems. One of the best ways to re-engage your child with remote learning is to talk about the parts they enjoy and find meaningful. For example: their favourite subjects and the teacher they connect with best.
With a recent overload of time at home and on the computer, many children have formed unhealthy relationships with digital media. Constant exposure to news and information about the pandemic might have led to a sense of doom and gloom about the world and their future, so some balance might be healthy.
Here are some tips if you’re finding it hard to get your child into healthy digital habits:
- Take regular breaks from social media each day.
- Focus on an example of something positive each day when you check-in with them.
- Many phones now have ‘digital wellbeing’ features that allow the user to monitor their own app usage, give them reminders when they exceed certain time limits, or restrain their app usage entirely.
- Remember that building a better and more engaged relationship with school is something that takes time. Progress, not perfection, is the key.
Get in contact with someone at school
It can be a good idea to have a chat with your child’s teacher at school to explore whether they’re able to help. Start by explaining that your child is finding it hard to get motivated. It’s likely that this is an issue they’ve dealt with before, and they should be able to talk through some options with you.
Some useful College resources can be found on the welcome page of SEQTA Engage:
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