With many students going back to school virtually this fall, parents are questioning how to best set kids up for success. Whether your family has opted for virtual learning, that’s the mode in which your district is beginning school or you want to prepare for the possibility of your school transitioning to virtual learning, our friends at Oklahoma Public School Resource Center have compiled advice and tips from their instructional coaches on how to help kids succeed in virtual learning:
- Familiarize yourself with the platform that your child will be using. Create a parent account if possible, and if you have a spouse or significant other with a parent account, link your accounts together.
- Establish a designated learning space for your child.
- Establish a consistent routine and schedule for your child’s daily virtual learning. Use written and visual schedules, checklists or time-management apps to help.
- Communicate regularly with your child’s teacher and/or school.
- Don’t make assumptions about how your child is holding up. Check in with them about how they are feeling about school and assignments. Their learning style and what has worked in the past may change with at-home learning.
- Outsource if you can. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, older cousins, neighbors, etc. may be able to explain a concept to your child in a different way. Your child may be more receptive to instruction or help from a person they don’t get to see every day. As an added bonus, people who are staying home can be given a sense of purpose and have something to look forward to, whether they are helping in person or through a screen.
- Lead by example and try to maintain a positive attitude.
- See this time as a learning opportunity and point out the new important life skills the child is developing, like work ethic, self-motivation and time management.
- Be patient with your child’s teacher. This is new for them and it will help your relationship with them in the long run. Also, be respectful of the “office hours” the teacher sets. An emotionally healthy teacher will be more effective for your child.
The Oklahoma Public School Resource Center provides educational support services and technical assistance to school districts and charter schools around the state. Looking for even more advice and tips to succeed in virtual learning? Find a vareity of educationally focused articles featuring insights from local experts.
