COVID-19 has caused schools all around the world to close their doors and send millions of students to start learning from home. This sudden change is bound to cause problems, and parents, teachers, and students are feeling the effects of this change. Parents are concerned about how well their children will react to the new learning environment. Nearly 90% of parents of students that are learning from home are worried that their child may start to fall behind academically and more than 8 out of every 10 parents are struggling to keep their child engaged and paying attention.
Parents are not the only ones feeling that students might start to fall behind with their studies. The vast majority of educators are concerned that their students may not be keeping up on key subjects, such as math, science, and English. The pandemic is also putting teachers and students alike in lower spirits, making it harder to be motivated for school each day.
A number of tips and tech can help to shape an easier transition from traditional classrooms into remote learning. Distractions from notifications and other pop-ups on devices used by students can hinder their ability to learn and focus by a significant amount. A 2015 study found that cell phone interactions interfered with attention and productivity - even while the phone was off and the participant was not interacting with the device. In order to remove these distractions, you can turn off notifications during class sessions using ‘do not disturb’.
Creating a new schedule, even if it is different from your previous one, can help everything flow better as it becomes more normal. Build a schedule around a type of activity, rather than specific plans to add more flexibility. Encourage sleep to reduce stress for both you and your child, and try to master transitions to keep your child engaged while switching from one task to another.
Learn more about how to smoothly start your child learning from home with more tips and tech here: