Most schools have been closed since Friday 20th March at the earliest due to this coronavirus crisis. As a result, teachers have been faced with the challenge to continue teaching the rest of the curriculum at home. It is indeed a very daunting task, so teachers use various strategies to help support students as much as they can, via technology and the resources they already have got. All teachers have the tough task to make sure all children are getting a good quality education. However, nothing stops us from learning even if schools are closed. So many schools have arranged platforms like Google Classroom, online conference calls, sending work through emails using Office 365 and many more. Students also are able to do some independent studying. For instance, they can use BBC Bitesize, Seneca Learning, Quizlet, Kerboodle, ActiveLearn, Mathswatch and so on. My school teachers set me work to do throughout the day so I have to complete the work and upload it so that it gets marked. It is really important to get into a routine that you can use regularly.
So how can we be productive and feel motivated to complete all the work teachers set?
We could make sure to take short breaks to stay much more concentrated, make a to do list and what time you will do each task - set a timer for a certain task so this is easier, make sure you put away your phone when you sit down to do work as your phone will bring distractions itself and many more. Surprisingly, a notification pops up and what happens is you feel tempted to see who that is and then another and so on. We don’t want that, do we? Online learning can be difficult at times as you have to stay more focused and try not to distract yourself. Everyone just feels like binge watching Netflix and eating lots of food most of the time. That is very normal, but we still do need to keep on top of our work, which is very important.
“Online learning has made me realise that I need to work harder to make sure I get all my work done. It was hard at the beginning, but now that I have gotten into a routine, it is not so bad. I just need to continue this way. I like to stay off technology when I do take breaks as I am easily pulled into watching an episode on Netflix and then immediately I am sat down watching episode after the other. I do love learning online, however I really miss seeing my friends, of course I do video call then, but it just isn’t the same”, says Vivienne Jones, aged 15.
Stay safe and enjoy learning online!
