In these unprecedented times, a lot of our children’s education has now moved to the online medium. Vastly different from a traditional classroom environment, this newfangled mode of education can be immensely beneficial to both parent and child – but it can also have its drawbacks. Read on to find out all about online teaching, and what you can do to make your life, and your child’s life, easier.
Just What Is Online Learning?
Online learning simply refers to substituting a real classroom for a virtual one. Instead of attending physical classes and workshops, your child studies at home, with all the necessary teaching materials – worksheets, forms, and tests – being delivered online. Assessments and homework, if present, are also submitted online.
Socializing with other classmates can be easily done through software such as Teams or Zoom, keeping the ever-important social element of school for your child and allowing them to see their friends, albeit in a limited fashion. If you’re still at a loss, there are many tutorials and resources on the Internet that can get you up to speed with the ins-and-outs of online learning. For example, Fresno Pacific’s course on Google Classroom Tools (a widely used online teaching solution) can get you up to speed in no time.
What Are the Benefits?
Online learning, first and foremost, brings education right to your child’s home. This means that they can learn in a safe, familiar environment at their own pace. A loving environment, such as your home, is ideal for learning. Furthermore, if there were any problems with other children present in the real classroom, these problems are now gone!
Online learning also promotes self-motivation and discipline. While it’s true that it’s harder to motivate yourself learning online – there is no teacher to prod you along most times – it very much builds character, confidence in one’s own self, and the discipline required to engage in tasks for prolonged periods of time without getting distracted by them. This is not only useful in terms of the performance displayed in online school but is a genuine life-long skill that will help to serve your child in any endeavor they undertake in the future.
What Are the Drawbacks?
Online learning does not always have an ever-present teacher guiding your child to stay on task. This may make them more likely to get distracted, especially if they have difficulties staying focused in general. This newfound sense of freedom to set your own schedule and do work at your own pace can indeed be both a blessing and a curse – so it’s important that you try and guide your child as best you can.
Furthermore, an online teaching environment may create a sense of isolation for your child. Gone are the times of playing with their school friends in the yard, or running in the corridors and just generally having fun. If you feel like that is the case, contact your child’s teacher as soon as possible.
Overall, online learning is a new and tricky medium to navigate, providing many challenges, and perhaps just as many benefits – keeping on top of it all is key!
