What challenges does virtual learning present for teachers and students? How can we help our children in their distance learning? Redesigning the educational work of parents and teachers towards homeschooling is not an easy task. Therefore, here are some tips to make virtual classes more comfortable and fun for both children and teachers.
The professional writers at wowessays (https://www.wowessays.com/) analyze the pros and cons of children participating in virtual learning or homeschooling followed by distance learning teachers.
Tips for teachers to make virtual classrooms fun
One of the keys to making virtual teaching successful and covering all the lessons in each course’s curriculum is to make them easy for children to follow and fun. Beyond the technical issues, here are some tips for both teachers and parents to create great online classes.
1. Patience and tranquility
Online teaching has many enemies: poor Internet connection interrupted, microphones open at the wrong time (and closed when needed), computers or tablets that do not work as they should. It is also difficult to know through a screen if the child is listening and paying attention to the lesson. Therefore, the first point I advise is for teachers to be patient, to take it easy.
2. Training to know the tools that best suit our students
Virtual teaching forces us to learn different software, platforms, apps, and other tools we can use in our virtual classes. To older teachers, we can all train ourselves in these new technologies with patience and effort.
3. Getting children’s attention
How do you get the attention of children of different ages? It is a challenge! To attract children’s attention, you have to consider the age of the students; it is not the same for infants as for primary school children. However, there are many options:
- We can record lessons, tell stories.
- We can dress up.
- We can invent a new code of signs or sounds to communicate.
4. Creativity and fun
One of the keys to ensuring that virtual classes do not tire children (and that they are a lot of fun) is very creative. Teachers must propose varied activities, games, gymkhanas, challenges, riddles, tests. All this attracts the children’s attention and, in this way, it is much easier to maintain their concentration. We have to think that they are children who spend a lot of time sitting down, so we have to use a lot of imagination.
5. Teach the lessons, but also encourage human relationships.
In addition to teaching curricular content, what else can we transmit to children through online education? In this case, we can teach children to realize that it is necessary to learn educational content and do many other things, from creating new friendships with classmates through technologies to gaining a unique bond with parents or teachers on an academic level.
We are all becoming aware of the possibilities that online education has and, as far as we can, we must try to take advantage of it.
Tips for parents about their children’s online education
Teachers have a lot to contribute to the success of e-learning with their students. However, the children’s parents also have an essential role to play. For this reason, here are some questions to keep in mind.
6. Teachers need parental support
As we have already mentioned, many problems can arise in virtual teaching, especially those related to technology. Therefore, teachers need the support of parents to help them solve such problems.
7. Be with the child, but give him/her autonomy
Beyond offering children the equipment they need for virtual classes, the little ones need to feel the parents’ support to feel ready to face their school day from home. Therefore, it is essential for parents to be with their children but to give them autonomy. Whenever they need parental help, parents should give it to the best of their ability.
8. Motivate the child to be responsible
Online education allows us to work on the value of responsibility in children. They will learn it through our example, but we also teach them to study regularly. Although they do not have to go to school, they have to get up to go in front of a screen, especially in older students.
9. Have a motivating and positive attitude at home
Another thing I would like to tell parents is to be very positive. Virtual learning is not bad, it is another way of education, and you have to know how to find the right side of it.
What are the benefits of distance education for students?
What can children benefit from virtual education? No doubt this is a question that many parents and teachers have asked themselves more than once. What can children learn in online education that they may not be learning in a face-to-face classroom?
– Autonomy and responsibility
The advantages of online education are that children are becoming more autonomous and more responsible. Even when they are alone, they don’t always have their parents by their side.
– Bonds with their parents
At the same time, bonds are created because the workspace is shared with parents. Children notice their parents’ teleworking and take it as an example.
– Use of new technologies
It should be noted that they also gain in the management and use of new technologies. It should even be considered that those children who like technologies tend to be more attentive to online classes.
– Concentration
Some children, who are very busy in class, have benefited from sitting alone in front of the computer because they have improved their concentration.
Disadvantages of online classes for children
However, it is also essential for both parents and teachers to be aware of the disadvantages of virtual classes for children of different ages. From there, we will have to try to counteract these disadvantages creatively.
– Loss of concentration
Among the advantages of online teaching, we pointed out that some children could concentrate better and longer when studying from home via video call. However, the opposite has also occurred: children who were very attentive in a face-to-face class and who, on the other hand, feel less motivated in the virtual classroom and, therefore, become more distracted. There is a bit of everything!
– Less human contact
Distance education means that children have less human contact, which affects the bond with the teacher and classmates. The human warmth of face-to-face classes cannot be replaced in front of the screen. However, we must try to see it as a challenge and close at a distance.
– Difficulty in engaging students
One of the challenges teachers face when they have to teach virtual classes is to engage students in the lessons to ensure that they do not get bored or distracted. In short, to get their attention. You have to create activities adapted to an online format, which is not always easy. We have all gained in creativity! I would even say that many possibilities have opened up.
Is the future of education increasingly online?
If I have to choose between one modality or another, without a doubt, I will select face-to-face education. It is indeed essential to have this virtual option. It is instrumental in the case of children who are sick, who travel. We can say that online education is short, and for that, we will have to prepare ourselves to take advantage of it and leave aside possible difficulties.
Bio:
Vicki Mata is a highly experienced writer and winner of writing contests. She works as a writer for wowessays and writes important news about education in general.
