3 Ways to Master Remote Learning So That You Can Get Work Done at Home
We are months after the unforeseen nationwide quarantine and are still experiencing the effects of COVID-19. Depending on where you are in the country, schools may have or not have reopened their physical doors to our K-12 students. Despite the format, school is officially back in session, and unlike in March, so is work for many of us. Whether you, a partner, grandparent, aunt, or cousin is who supports your student during remote learning, the following tips will help you establish systems and routines that will be beneficial for everyone.
1. Get Your Child(ren)'s Schedule in One Place.
Schools throughout the country have adopted a variety of different formats for their remote learning schedule. The remote program mirrors the typical school day and requires students to meet with several teachers and utilize various platforms throughout the usual school-day hours. Unfortunately, this often conflicts with a routine 9-5 work schedule, leaving parents overwhelmed with ensuring their child is in class and making their weekly staff meeting. When you get your children's school and session schedule, you should write down all of the times in one place (a piece of paper, calendar, etc.) The comprehensive schedule allows you to see holistically where they have to be and how long, and theoretically plan your work meetings and commitments accordingly or switch off with a co-parent. It also allows you to intentionally plan screen/brain breaks for your children and choose consistent times for mealtimes and snacks.
2. Use Smartphones and Tablets for Alarm Reminders.
Constant access to technology is finally a good thing! On most smartphones and tablets, there is a function that allows you to set multiple alarms, choosing even to name them or set to repeat on certain days. These alarms will become your best friend for Remote Learning. Using your comprehensive child schedule, set alarms for all of their sessions. These alarms should be set for 5 minutes, or more, before the start of the session to allow for your child to transition and log into their session. As you will read in the next tip, having alarms will also begin to instill independence in your children. Not only will they hear it and know that it is time to learn, but it will also ensure that they are present and on time for each session. I would even suggest setting two alarms for children that need more time to transition between activities. Ten minutes before the scheduled session, the first alarm will signal that it is time to start cleaning up and wrapping up their current activity. The next alarm, five to seven minutes later, signals that it is time to sign into their session. The use of timers serves as reminders for when your child should be signed on and engaged in learning.
3. Create Systems, Routines, and Independence.
"If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day; If you teach a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime." The same is valid for children. The goal is to put systems in place so that children as young as five years old can execute them independently or with little assistance. You can do this by placing all login information in one place, such as on a post-it note or piece of paper taped to the device. My school utilizes Zoom for our academic and elective sessions, which calls for different Meeting ID numbers and passwords for each teacher. Once you get the master list of logins from your teacher, print them out or write them down so that your children can learn how to enter into their sessions independently. While they will need assistance in the beginning, if you are consistent in having them try to log in alone, they will be able to login successfully without your help. Learning to login is an essential skill for older students and serves as an opportunity to practice their letters and numbers for our youngest learners. The vision is to have children hear the alarm and log into their session within 5 minutes, with you supervising them from a distance and helping to troubleshoot with technology when needed.
Over the past six years as a lower elementary educator, I have learned tricks to acclimate our youngest learners to new environments. I use these tips to currently manage a hybrid support schedule at my school with in-person and remote learners. Even after three weeks, it is impressive to see our 5-year-olds navigate Zoom and be able to mute and unmute themselves. With the proper systems in place, they will no doubt be able to log themselves into sessions—put more faith in them, and they might surprise you!
P.S. Remember that we are, in fact, in unprecedented times. As such, extend grace to educators, administrators, children, and, most importantly, yourself…we are all doing the best that we can!
Diana Williams, Resume Tailor
