We have made it through our first 9 week grading period of Virtual Learning and I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see Fall Break start!! There was a definite learning curve but as time went on we fell into a routine and not every day was a complete dumpster fire.
While I think trial and error and figuring out what works best for your family and the way your school(s) are facilitating distance or digital learning, I do have some tips for virtual learning that have been a game-changer for us. My hope is that they will be helpful to at least one parent or student.
Be Intentional About Workspaces
I’m not going to say you need a Pinterest-perfect Homeschool room with brand new furniture and wall hangings and decor. I do think that you’ll want to set up a space that will be conducive to learning. To do that, all you really need is a flat surface…desk, dining room table, kitchen counter, coffee table. As long as it’s reasonably away from distraction and can fit a device it will work. Add some type of seating and you’re golden!
For my girls, we have two school stations that are in separate areas of our first level. Brooke, the 7th grader, works from our breakfast nook on a small table that I inherited from my grandparents. We rolled one of our office chairs over there and she was all set.
Leah works in the office with me (#teamoffice) on an IKEA desk we already had. She does all of her Zoom calls there but will sometimes move around different areas of the house for her independent work. I’ll touch more on this later.
When it comes to workspaces, my advice is to make it comfortable but not too cozy. Being in your home, it’s easy to feel like you can just kick back and relax but that’s not the best mindset for learning. It’s still school and sitting up and being alert is important. Wrapping up in a blanket and laying down on the couch or floor while trying to pay attention in a video class is not going to be your best bet.
Get a Handle on the Schedule
Nest on my list of tips for virtual learning is to spend some time getting everyone’s schedules straight.
One of the most difficult parts of remote learning is knowing who is supposed to be on Zoom calls/Google Meets, at what time, what’s the meeting info, etc. Fortunately, the schedule for both of our girls is generally the same every week. I do most of my planning on Google calendar so I put all of their calls on each girl’s color-coded calendars.
It can be incredibly easy to lose track of time especially with Keith and I both working during the day and are focused on that as well. To combat that, we have two sets of reminders that go off during the day. For Brooke, we’ve created routines on our Echo Dots that announce reminders 5 minutes before each class. For Leah’s calls, we use the reminders on the Google calendar. It goes off on my computer, phone & watch so no matter where I am, I should see or hear it.
Another piece of advice I’d like to share is to make schedule information available for others to access. Don’t try to keep it all in your head. Jot it down on paper or a dry-erase board, print out a copy of your digital calendar – whatever works so if for some reason you’re not available someone else can jump in and figure out what’s going on. Give your kids as much ownership for their schedule as they are ready for. It doesn’t have to be all on one person’s shoulders!
Maintain Structure
Like I mentioned above with Workspaces, it can be easy to feel a little too at home when schooling at home. You don’t have to be outside at a certain time for the bus, no one will see your clothes from the belly up, etc. But for my girls, if we were to be too lax about certain things, it would be very difficult to maintain the focus & concentration to do schoolwork to the best of their ability.
For our family, that means we still do a morning routine like we would if they were to be leaving the house either by bus or car. They wake up at a regular time, get dressed, have breakfast, brush teeth & hair and it has to be done by the time Alexa makes her “5 minutes to school” announcement.
Our school day has a pretty thorough schedule so the structure of our day is pretty much predetermined and we follow that pretty closely. If your child’s school day is not scheduled out for them, you might consider establishing a loose routine for the day. For example, a specific time block for working on each subject, recess/breaks, lunch, etc.
Generally speaking, I think it is typically best for everyone if it’s known what happens when and what’s next. Try some different routine/scheduling/time blocking methods and see what works best for your child and their virtual learning format.
Allow for Flexibility
This may seem completely counterintuitive to the last tip for virtual learning but we try to allow for flexibility where we can. We recognize that the way the girls are doing school is not ideal and we try to let them enjoy the few benefits they can.
Leah likes to move around so we let her do her independent work pretty much wherever she wants. Sometimes she sits with Keith while he works in the dining room, sometimes she’ll put her worksheets on a clipboard and sit on the couch in the living room. Her new thing is creating a little hideaway on the stairs and working there.
We’ve tried since the beginning of the school year to get Brooke to move away from her desk periodically to get a break. Just recently she’s been bringing her laptop to the couch more often and working from there. We also allow her to listen to music on her headphones when she isn’t in Zoom class or taking a test.
Since she’s a little older and more independent, we let her manage her “free time” more especially when it comes to her Encore classes (Tech, PE & Library) and her Art Elective class. (Band class is on certain days so no choice there). As long as everything gets done, we let her figure out when it gets done.
Give Everyone Grace
This is not how school is supposed to happen.
Give grace to your child who is doing their best.
Give grace to the teachers and administrators who are doing their best.
Give grace to yourself for doing your best.
This is such unchartered territory for everyone and there is definitely no one right way to approach learning at home like this. I hope these tips for virtual learning help give you a place to start when navigating it in your home. We’ll get through this mamas!!
What recent virtual learning win you’ve had? What are you struggling with?
