Coronavirus: Is distance learning overwhelming your child? Here are some ways to cope better
E-learning is expected to continue if COVID-19 continues to spread, follow these tips
Dubai: Is e-learning overwhelming you as a student or parent? If you are unable to cope with the workload that has come with distance education, here are some simple tips that can make the experience a lot easier.
COVID-19 seems to have put everyone on edge – parents, teachers as well as students. With complaints about workloads and struggles with technical glitches, online learning can take its toll on your child’s education as well as their relationships at home.
However, there are some simple ways in which you can make the entire experience a bit more manageable.
Poonam Heryani, a Dubai-based academic leader who is currently training teachers to upskill in the age of e-learning, said that a large part of the problem can be solved through the right syllabus management.
“What COVID-19 has done is really forced educators, students and parents to transform the process of education and focus on real learning. Earlier it was about passing a test and getting enough marks, but the coronavirus has put learning as a process back in focus,” Heryani said.
“Teachers need to have a more personalised approach and cannot continue with the one-size-fits-all approach. I know of a student who is in Dubai, with his parents stuck in India. He is living with his grandparents and trying his best to support them as well. There are other parents who struggle with language barriers and tell me, ‘I don’t understand what the teacher is saying, how can I explain it to my child?’. Others live in a small home with two or three children. Every child is going through a unique situation and teachers need to understand what the child’s mindset is to be able to teach effectively,” she added.
What COVID-19 has done is really forced educators, students and parents to focus on real learning. Earlier it was about passing a test and getting enough marks, but the coronavirus has put learning as a process back in focus.
However, there are also steps, which Heryani suggested students can take in case they are feeling overwhelmed by too much workload or an ineffective style of teaching.
How can I learn better?
Not every child can adapt to a new style of learning with ease - some struggle with too much independence or lack of structure, while others do not learn as quickly through online methods. Follow these tips to make sure the switch in the mode of delivery does not hinder your learning experience.
1. Do a free psychometric analysis
Find out how you can learn better and what motivates you.
“If I was a student, watching videos may not have been the best way to learn as I would have gotten distracted with everything on the screen. I learn better through infographics, for example,” Heryani said.
She recommended doing a free online VARK test, which is an Australian psychometric test available for all age groups.
If you know how you best grasp information and process it, you will be able to make little changes to your learning style to progress in class.
2. Have a corner to yourself
Even if you don’t have many rooms and have other siblings studying in the same room, you can dedicate a corner to yourself, where you can organise your learning tools and equipment. Have earphones on so that you can learn at the same time with your siblings.
3. Reach out to your teacher
When it comes to distance learning, communication is key, according to Rema Menon Vellat, an educational counsellor and director of Counselling Point, a training and development institute in Dubai.
“Do not to be embarrassed about asking for help. Teachers, peers and parents will not know your challenges unless you reach out and seek help,” Vellat said.
“In most homes, parents are working from home, too, so they are unable to give enough attention to their children. Parents are not used to having their children at home all the time. It could make them impatient, anxious and irritable. If a child is unable to understand certain concepts, they should note down the points and seek help from their teacher or parent later,” she added.
Do not to be embarrassed about asking for help. Teachers, peers and parents will not know your challenges unless you reach out and seek help
So, if you have an online class with your teacher, or he or she has sent you a video explaining a new lesson in class, but you are still struggling with understanding key concepts, ask your teacher if you can have a one-on-one discussion.
These are some tips to more effectively make use of the one-on-one discussion with your teacher:
• Ask your teacher in advance for a time that is convenient to him or her.
• Schedule the time into your daily timetable.
• Ask specific questions – what did you not understand? Would you like to get an example of the process? Heryani recommends asking specific questions as they would not only help with understanding the lesson’s concepts but also allow students to develop their language and communication skills.
4. Create a weekly schedule
Vellat also advised students to create a schedule and stick to it, noting down every task, assignment or project deadline to stay organised.
“Setting up a reminder on a calendar will also prove helpful. This will enable you to manage your time more effectively,” she said.
“Creating a priority list is a good idea as online learning can be overwhelming. Put the ones on highest priority first and gradually tick off each task completed,” she added.
5. Connect with classmates
Learning as a group can also help students, so if you are struggling to understand or keep up in class, speak to classmates who you think may be able to explain concepts or support you in other ways.
“Children miss the interaction and discussion that takes place in the classroom. They have varying needs and teachers are also grappling with the new methodology of imparting knowledge. Build in time for social connectivity with people possibly through online platforms or on the phone. This is very crucial in these times when social interactions are frowned upon,” Vellat said.
Practice mindfulness
Whether it is parents or students, being mindful of yourself and your surroundings can go a long way in determine how you react to stressors.
Mindfulness techniques can also help families alleviate stress, anxiety and boredom, according to Jackie Greenwood, Head of Counselling and Wellbeing at Fairgreen International School.
Greenwood, who is trained as a Mindfulness Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, suggested the following mindful practices to get you started:
1. Connect with daily activities and focus on being in the moment.
Greenwood explained how you can do so through a simple example: “If you are weeding the garden and your mind starts wandering to negative thoughts, start to tell yourself: ‘Right now I am weeding. I will bring my attention back to weeding, the soil in my hands, the smell and colour of the plant, etc.’”
She also advised this practice for children, for whichever activity they are involved in – colouring or peeling and eating oranges.
“This is a great way to help them connect fully to sensations in the moment while giving them a tool to stop the worrying gremlins taking over,” she added.
2. Do a ‘stop, breathe and be’ self check-in.
Greenwood also stressed on the importance of adopting meditative breathing techniques - being conscious of your own breathing and your body, feelings and thoughts at any given moment. “From this consciousness, we can observe the internal noise of the mind, see thoughts as passing clouds in the sky, and have the capacity to choose which thoughts we can connect to in a compassionate way. When we slow down and concentrate on our breathing, if we hear our own self-judgement or fear-based thoughts, we can respond with our own comforting and reassuring responses instead of reeling with anxiety. For example, we can say to ourselves, ‘What I can breathe with, I can be with’. This space also opens us to practical problem-solving rather than allowing the mind to go over the same worry, over and over again,” she said.
When we slow down and concentrate on our breathing, if we hear our own self-judgement or fear-based thoughts, we can respond with our own comforting and reassuring responses instead of reeling with anxiety. For example, we can say to ourselves, ‘What I can breathe with, I can be with’. This space also opens us to practical problem-solving rather than allowing the mind to go over the same worry, over and over again,” she said.
3. If you feel a strong emotion coming on, work with it through BCOOL.
A tool you can use to get back control of your emotional state, whenever you feel overwhelmed by a situation, is the BCOOL method.
Greenwood explained what it entailed:
• Breathe: Take 3 deep breaths
• CALM: once you are able to take deep breaths, it will help calm you down.
• OKAY: Once you are calm, tell yourself ‘I am okay, I can handle this.’
• OBSERVE: Now, identify the feeling that is present and name it. ‘I’m feeling overwhelmed right now.’ Avoid judging it – ‘There is nothing wrong with me or the feeling, it just is.’
“Interestingly, as we recognise and not resist our feelings, they lose their power and intensity, and tend to pass more quickly.” Greenwood said.
• LOVE: Using your breath, breathe in love and kindness, open and soften your body to giving yourself the care that we would give to a loved one or friend if they were hurting.
This simple mindfulness tool can help you tide over any strong, negative emotion that you are experiencing and help refocus on the present.
Tips for parents
1. Stick to a schedule
The first and most important advice Heryani had for parents was to not loosen up on the discipline at home.
“When schools were operating parents would force children out of bed, to shower, change have breakfast and go to school. Now, I see students who may not have showered or changed or even had breakfast attending the first class of the day. The routine is not just for discipline it energises you and changes your mindset towards learning,” she said.
2. Ask your child’s teacher to clearly define your role
While earlier a teacher may send a note in the student’s diary for a parent, now parents are playing a more active role.
Parents of younger children may, in particular, struggle with drawing a line or understanding just how involved they should be in their child’s learning experience.
“Teachers should clearly define and share what the parent’s role should be for a certain class, so that the parent is ready for it,” Heryani said.
Also, if the teacher is sending six worksheets in a day for a child who is five or six years old, for example, speak to your child’s teacher on how the workload may not work for your child’s age. There should be a balance from the teacher’s side as well as the parents.
3. Be emotionally available
Longer quarantine periods can lead to stress within families and studies suggest that too much screen time can also lead to behavioural issues among children. Heryani said that she had come across instances where parents had lost their cool with children.
“Children are learning completely online and are also stressed. Parents need to be available for them and support them through the process,” she said.
4. Track their progress
Abu Dhabi’s Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) advised parents to frequently check their child’s learning objectives and learning timetable.
“With knowledge of key tests or assignment dates and study topics, you can create your own study schedule with your child,” the guidelines said.
Another way to track daily progress is to speak to your child before classes begin on what is scheduled for the day. At the end of the day, you can help your child do a quick recap of what they learnt and which assignments they need to deliver.
5. Schedule in breaks
ADEK also advised parents to break up children’s learning schedule by including outdoor physical activities and games. This will help children relieve stress and return to studying with a fresh mindset.
Nicart Obsuna, head of physical education and co-scholastic department Dubai-based school, said that parents should take music, dance, arts and physical education classes seriously to offer a more holistic learning experience to children.
“We made an effort to try and balance out the academic workload with mindfulness activities and a game-based learning approach,” Obsuna said.
“I have seen students at my school getting less stressed because they have these classes which are engaging and help them relax and have fun,” he added.
We made an effort to try and balance out the academic workload with mindfulness activities and a game-based learning approach. I have seen students at my school getting less stressed because they have these classes which are engaging and help them relax and have fun.
If your school is skipping on the co-curricular activities online, Obsuna recommended reaching out to them to request for the regular classes as the change in pace made it easier for students to cope with the transition to online learning.
6. Think ahead
Obsuna also encouraged parents to proactively look at ways in which their children might be getting exposed to stress and bullying because of the change in mode of education.
“There are several online resources that parents can tap into, to make sure their children are having a safe and healthy experience when they are learning online. Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) for example is organising free webinars, many other educational authorities are also sending out awareness messages to parents. As a parent, I would follow these accounts as well as news-based accounts like Gulf News to be aware of what is happening and make sure I protect my child from unnecessary negativity or harm,” he said.
7. Build them up
Gulnaz Afzal, an English and Humanities teacher at Dubai Gem Private School, said that parents play an essential role in the learning process.
“Look at your child’s interest and orientation and don’t be too focused on numbers. Some children are interested in numbers, others are inclined towards literature. Focus on their strengths. They just need to be motivated and appreciated for who they are,” she said.
Look at your child’s interest and orientation and don’t be too focused on numbers. Some children are interested in numbers, others are inclined towards literature. Focus on their strengths. They just need to be motivated and appreciated for who they are.
8. Do your homework
If you are aware of your child’s classes, it may be a good idea to do some research on the subject so that you can help your child understand a new concept.
“If you know that your child is going to be learning synonyms in the next class, go online and try to find examples to help them learn better,” Afzal said.
Tips for working parents
Adek provided some simple tips for working parents as well:
• Speak to your employer about how they can support during this challenging time.
• Request your school for teacher and administrative support at flexible hours.
• Ask for your school’s parent hotline and IT helpdesk contact information.
Age-specific coping strategies
Depending on your child’s age, ADEK also provided simple coping strategies when it comes to online education. Regardless of your child’s age it is important to maintain regular family routines, especially bedtime. Also, show patience and be tolerant and reassure children. Also, follow these tips:
Preschool
• Encourage expression through play, re-enactment, storytelling.
• Allow short-term changes in sleep arrangements
• Plan calming, comforting activities before bedtime.
• Avoid negative news and media content.
Ages six to 12
• Organise play sessions and allow your child to stay in touch with friends over the phone or through online platforms.
• Encourage regular exercise.
• Engage in educational activities like workbooks or educational games.
• Participate in structured household chores.
• Set gentle but firm limits.
• Discuss the current outbreak and encourage questions.
• Encourage expression through play and conversation.
• Help them create ideas and contribute to family routines or healthy, positive family activities.
• Avoid negative news and media content.
Ages 13 to 18
• Encourage regular exercise.
• Encourage continuation of routines.
• Encourage discussion of the coronavirus outbreak experience with their classmates, friends or family, but do not force them to do so.
• Allow your child to stay in touch with friends through telephone calls or social media platforms.
• Help them create ideas and contribute to family routines or healthy, positive family activities.
• Avoid negative news and media content.
Support for parents
Abu Dhabi’s Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK) has a parent hotline which you can call every day from 8am to 8pm, except Fridays - +971 56 377 1833
Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has provided an online resource for parents with apps, websites, services and other resources that parents can use to continue their child’s learning journey. Some of the online tools listed by KHDA include:
Happify – Activities and games designed to manage stress and negativity offered partially for free during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Khan Academy - A free, educational app with thousands of activities and books for young children aged two to seven.
Think U Know - Free home activity packs, parents can use with their children to support their online safety at a time when they are spending more time online at home. Resources are updated regularly.
U R strong – free video series designed to introduce you and your child to skills, language, and strategies
Learning in lockdown – A blog providing resources for children aged six and under developed by an Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) teacher and mother. Find engaging daily plans and how-to guides to support young learners.