These tips will help you and your child succeed in online learning.

Students across the country will be continuing to learn as school districts move to online classes and distance learning options. Teachers will be supporting students as best they can during this time, holding virtual lectures and classes, and providing support through email, chat, etc. It's a pretty daunting task for a parent to find yourself suddenly having to supervise, guide, and help your child through their learning process at home. Balancing the teacher role with your parent role can be a challenge, for both students and parents. This is more than simple homework, students and parents will be completing work and lessons at home, and students will turn to parents and older siblings for help.

We talked to some teachers who are preparing to teach hundreds of their students online for some advice that can parents use at home, to have the most effective and positive at-home learning experience they can.

Courtesy of Pixabay

7 Teacher Tips for Supporting Your Child in Online Learning

1. Dedicated Space and Plan Ahead

The very first step in setting your child up for success in home learning is finding a dedicated and distraction-free space for them to work in. No television, no loud siblings, no friends nearby to chat with. They need a calming, quiet place to focus and learn. This is a space where they can spread out and have access to all the supplies and technology they'll need to learn. 

Planning ahead comes in handy here because students may need special supplies to complete a project or task, so it can become a huge distraction to leave the space to hunt down the tape, scissors, markers, graph paper, paper clips, glue, etc. Parents, plan ahead, know what supplies will be needed, and then make sure you have it all ready beforehand so that the day will go smoothly. In the teaching world, this is referred to as prep time.

2. Communicate

This is one of the most important keys to your child’s success as they learn from home. Communicate with the school, your child's teacher, and your children. Your child’s teacher is there to support and guide, so it's okay to rely on them and any learning tools they give you, they are there to be leaned on right now. Teachers want their students to succeed, no matter the learning environment, so reach out with any issues, difficulties, or concerns. They work with your child every day and can help you create the most effective and positive routine for home learning. Staying up-to-date with the teacher's expectations, assignment details, due dates, class times, etc., will keep things flowing smoothly and keep your child’s academic progress moving forward.

3. Keep a Schedule

Keeping a consistent schedule for your child during this at-home learning time is essential for a few reasons. The first is that it will build consistency for your child; they are very used to a schedule at school, so once you establish one at home, it will likely go smoothly. Include lunch, break times, snack times, send them outside for recess, etc. You may be surprised to see how fast kids will adjust and take to the schedule. 

4. Be Encouraging 

Tell your child often how proud you are of them for the great efforts they are making. Give them positive feedback on their work, be impressed by them. Children love to please, and they crave and thrive on that positive feedback.

5. Use Technology

Technology is your friend, and most kids know a lot about it, maybe more than you. There are tons of free resources and educational sites out there to help both you and your child.

6. Mistakes Are Okay

That’s how we learn! Mistakes encourage inquiry and should be a learning opportunity, not a penalty. Everyone makes them, even teachers, and it's perfectly okay. Do not get upset with yourself or your child if mistakes happen. This is a great time to set the example for your child on how to overcome a mistake and show them how you work through a setback.

7. Take a Break

You are not expected to sit with your child at a desk or table for seven hours and put on a full day of school. Let yourself and your child have a break. Know that it will not be the same as learning at school, but that it will still be valuable learning time with your child, supporting their future. Their teachers are setting the plans, expectations, and assignments; your job is to support your child in meeting those plans, expectations, and assignments.

One last piece of advice: We are living in a teachable moment right now, and our children and students are learning how to handle it by watching us. Showing that we are supporting our children in their academic journey and that learning will continue to happen through times of crisis is a lesson they will hold onto for a very long time.

What tips or advice do you have for parents who find themselves taking on the role of teacher right now? Please share in the comments.