Looking On The Bright Side of
The current Covid-19 pandemic has changed how we usually do things. The recommendation by the World Health Organization to reduce physical interactions and movement of people have made many things shift online this include learning. The abrupt suspension of physical classes means that teachers, children, and parents have to adapt to the new learning experiences even though there were not well prepared. This change can significantly affect learning especially for children who are not used to online learning and instead know computers are for playing games and watching favorite animations. Teachers and parents, therefore, have a task to convince these kids that there is another important usage of computers, learning. Parents feel ambushed because they have to play the role of an educator and many parents are afraid that their kids will fall behind with virtual learning. Parents’ fear is genuine because becoming an educator requires proper training and years of experience which they do not possess. Nonetheless, the article recommends a few simple ways parents can assist their children to stay focused during online classes.
One thing you need to do is to have a designated area for learning. However, when selecting the space make sure the child chooses the working space. Children like to feel independent and in control, so let the kid select the space. However, you can help the child by suggesting the artwork to put in the room or other things that personalize the identified learning space. The primary purpose of this is to allow the kid to feel in control and like owns the space. This plays a key role in self-identification with the room and acts as a motivation that helps them participate in virtual learning.
You need to make sure the kid is not distracted when using the computer for online learning. Children have grown to know that computers, tablets, and phones are for games and watching animations which parents often use as a distraction strategy. However, this time you need the kid to focus on learning. You have to make the child rethink the other purpose of these devices. One way to eliminate distractions is to turn off notifications from emails, video, music, and game players, as well as messages. You may need to put the device on focus mode to prevent anything from popping up during virtual learning. Selecting an ideal learning space with few movements in the house is another way you can avoid a child’s distraction. This makes the kid focus throughout the online session.
It is always good to make sure there are breaks during online classes. Children have a low concentration span and therefore breaks are vital to help them relax and resume when refreshed. If there are no breaks kids will lose focus mainly because there are no physical interactions with other kids. Perhaps this explains why schools design their program in form of blocks with breaks in between lessons. During break time parent can take the kid for a walk or anything else that take their mind off the classwork. Those are a few ways you can help your kid focus during online learning.