9 ways to help your child succeed in remote learning

As we enter another year of remote learning, have you taken the time to stop and reflect on what worked and what didn’t? Hearing other people’s experiences is great, but thinking about your process, your family’s story, and how you were able to get through the first two years of remote learning is valuable.

Before you read on, I’d like you to think about these:

• What did you like and didn’t like about remote learning?

• Which parts of remote learning did your children enjoy the most?

• Which parts of remote learning did your children struggle with?

• What are your wins as a family?

Remote learning reminded us that we have an invaluable role in the education of our children. For many years, a lot of us turned over that role to schools. With remote learning, we had to step up. All of a sudden, your home is now the school. Yes, it was a lot of responsibility but we made it

In this article, we share some ideas on how you can help your child learn and succeed in the remote learning set-up. You don’t have to be the teacher but your influence is extraordinary in helping your child in this process.

1 Establish routines and expectations

Developing good study habits is essential in lifelong learning and not just in remote learning. Create a routine that will work for your family. Flexibility is key. If you can see that your routine is not working, be open to changing it to what will work best for your child and your family.

2 Help your child choose a good place to learn

If you think that your child needs a grown-up inside the room, share a space with your child. Make sure that he learns to be independent while you are in the area, offering help and support only when needed. If you can see that your child is not listening, remind him to focus. If he is not participating, ask the question or break down the question. You need not give the answer; the goal is for your child to learn.

The end-goal is independence. We need to forge the path towards that route—finding ways to support in the beginning and slowly giving your child a chance to navigate and figure things out independently.

3 Communication is key

Have a conversation with your child on what is expected of him as a student in a remote learning classroom. Be curious about your child’s process. Ask your child: “What did you like about today?” “What was challenging today?”

Encourage your child to try doing things on his own. Communicate that it is okay to make mistakes. Listen to him. Don’t make assumptions about what is easy or difficult. Ask your child what help he needs. If you supply the answer to every question, you are not giving him the opportunity to try, think critically, and persist. A child learns best when he feels the support of adults around him.

This is a difficult time. Your child may feel alone and need emotional support as well. Ask about how he feels. Ask about his friends. Find ways for him to interact with people outside of your home (e.g., cousins, aunties, grandparents) through a Zoom or phone call. Arrange online playdates or encourage him to write a friend.

Communicate with your child’s teachers. If there is something that is not clear, send an email to ask and clarify. If it’s something the teacher cannot address, send an email to someone who can help you resolve the issue be it the guidance counsellor or subject coordinator. Get in touch with them. The parent chat group is often not the place for this; you don’t want to be the source of disruption. Going to the person directly involved in the issue resolve is a more productive approach to school-related issues.

Your child’s teacher is an ally. He wants to set your child up for success. Keeping this in mind is always helpful.

4 Help your child own his learning

Teach your child to ask for help. Some kids never had the need to ask for help, but that may not be your child. If your child asks your help for an assignment, assist him by leading him towards the solution and not doing it for them. It may help to break down the idea to understand a task better. If you don’t have the time or the patience to do so, schedule a session with the teacher.

If you notice this happening regularly, step back. Is your child overly dependent on you? Is there a learning gap? Let the teacher know that your child needs extra help to understand the lesson better.

5 Use school resources

Now that we are doing things remotely, a lot of schools invested in subscriptions and digital libraries that you can access online. These may help your child become more independent in doing research, etc.

6 Encourage productive struggle

Nothing in life is easy. If everything is always easy, how will our children learn to solve problems and find other ways? Struggle is important for our children to consider options, develop self-regulation, and acquire critical thinking skills. We don’t have to solve everything right away.

7 Make time for quiet and reflection

Helping your child to analyze his learning process will help him identify his needs. Encourage your child to make time for reflection.

8 Encourage physical activity and exercise

When you plan your child’s day, make sure there’s time for physical activities. If you have a small space, ask him to do household chores—e.g., sweep the floor, sort the laundry, or wash the dishes. He needs to release his energy.

9 Be easy on yourself

We can only do so much. We are holding the fort and we’ve learned a great deal over the past two years. While we are in a better place, self-care is important. A tired parent cannot fully care for her family.

As Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. – Monica L. Javier

Image from Freepik