As technology is advancing every passing day, every aspect of human life is taking a route towards its virtual aspect. Starting from online banking to online shopping, online payment to online ticketing, everything is going on the web platform. In this race, online teaching and learning are also not behind.
A further contribution of the pandemic has elevated the system of education from brick and mortar classrooms to digital learning. In such a scenario, online learning is the future of education or not, is a heated topic. As every coin has two sides, so is the situation with online learning. It has its own wow and woes, not only from a student’s and teacher’s perspective but from a parent’s perspective as well.
Since the pandemic is not yet over and there is no significant information about when and how the regular classes will be conducted, online classes are the only mode of education remaining for learning and upgrading the skills. It is done from the comfort of the home itself. But is it as easy as it seems like?? The most probable answer received is a big NO.
Before moving down the lane to know the pros and cons of online learning, let’s see briefly how the situation got scattered by the onset of the pandemic.
Kids- the section of society, whose major part of childhood is spent with friendship goals, are unable to meet their friends!!
College students- the section of society, whose mission is to cherish and celebrate their young life with their peers and friends, are caged into the home.
Working professionals- the section of society that wants to behave like competent, reliable and respectful people in their surroundings, is confined to ‘work from home‘.
All these events have triggered a behavioural change in society. Since last year, each one of us has experienced a weird shift in our physical, mental and cognitive attitudes. The students or the ‘learning section’ of the society is affected the most. Online classes that are defined to be executed from the comfort of home is not that easy as it sounds! It not only disturbed the child’s way of learning but also the way their parents tackle them is getting more complicated. We cannot avoid this situation. But as a parent, it is our duty to discover a solution to cure this problem. Below the lane, are some tips for parents to help their ward cope with the stress of online learning.
1. Be kind and patient to your kid; teach them the value of being on time.
As pandemic has forced couples to work from home, they are unable to manage the schedule and timings at times. Also, it had blurred the line between their personal and professional life. In such a case, it is obvious to get irritated if your child complains about their new learning schedule. But, as a parent, you have to understand that they are also new to this habit. It will take time to adjust to this new normal.
As everything is getting disturbed, so is the schedule of sleeping and waking up. Children play online games till midnight, wake up late and then in a hurry join the online classes. At that time, if they haven’t taken their first meal of the day, they will trouble themselves the entire day. So, ensure that your child is maintaining their schedule to sleep on time, next morning, wake on time, take bath, have their breakfast and then attentively join the online classes.
Sometimes there are issues with net connectivity. The child may get irked as they are unable to connect and the teacher on the other end is continuing the classes. At that time, scolding them or leaving them alone in the situation is not a good option. Then, sit with them. Ask them to connect with their teacher via any other method, like mobile number or mail. If not, ask them to associate with their friends for the missed out syllabus or that portion where the child was unable to join the online classes. Instead of reacting adversely to the situation, teach your child to respond calmly and judiciously. This can be done only when you are patient with the situation and kind towards your kid. Therefore, make them learn how to deal with these kinds of dynamic situations.
2. Provide a dedicated place for their learning.
In online platforms, there are cameras and mikes, which can record the situation of every home. No child wants their classmates to hear or see what is going inside their home. During online classes, it is seen that there are many background noises from the student’s end. Whether it is a conversation between family members or unwanted noises from the kitchen, each of them can distract the child’s focus from online classes. So, it is the parent who is advised to be careful that your kid stays focussed and does not get disturbed from the surrounding noises.
Although it is impossible to completely eliminate these noises, they can be avoided by some changes in the home. Make sure your kid is sitting in a room where there is no one to come and go every moment. If possible, close all the windows of the room during the classes, so that the child remains focused. At last, try to keep home quiet when the online classes are going home, with fewer or no conversations.
3. Never trust blindly.
The above statement may sound a bit bitter but that is something every parent should be aware of. The Internet is a world where along with ample amounts of knowledge, there are a plethora of distractions. As they are in their growing age, it is very obvious that they may get attracted to something that they should not. In such a case, they might lie that they are attending online classes, but in reality, they are busy with some other internet activity, whether it can be gaming or watching a movie. There is nothing wrong in doing any one of them, but deceiving the parent and compromising with the study is not justified. Therefore, trust your child but don’t blind faith in them. Always be in connection with the school and the teacher regarding their online presence and performance.
Last but not the least, remember this time shall too pass, but what’s most important is your child’s mental health and their learning. So anyhow, explore new methods to connect with your child so that they can share their tough moments and heal the stress that the pandemic had created in their mind.
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