How To Help Kids Overcome Online Learning Challenges
The paradigm shift we are facing in the education sector, where more institutes have started conducting online classes, is both reasonably anticipated and challenging to get our heads around. Kids, especially, find it hard to get into the mindset of understanding the benefits of online education and getting used to studying in a new environment. There is a range of challenges children face when they are subjected to online classes or remote learning. In this article, we will bring out some of those challenges and show how you, as a parent, can get your kids to overcome them.
Motivation Is Essential
The first and foremost thing to do before you introduce your kids to online learning is to get them prepared and interested in new ways of learning. Motivation plays an essential role in any new endeavor and is equally important in educating your kids online.
One of the best ways to motivate your kids is to be involved with their projects and stay up to date with their learning. Make sure you know about their subjects in detail and keep up their interest in the same by asking them questions now and then. For instance, if your kid is learning to program, you can enquire about specific commands, syntaxes, and languages while having dinner or playing catch with them.
You don't have to put extra effort to keep your kids motivated. You just have to be interested in what they are learning and act accordingly. If you sense that your kid is finding it difficult to get their head around a concept, you can work with them to overcome that issue. If you are unable to help them on your own, get them a comprehensive book on the subject so they better understand the concept.
You must get your kids to understand that online learning is valuable and worth their time. Moreover, you need to always be there to support them and help them get over difficult concepts.
New Educational Paradigms
As the world's education sector moves toward a technology-based platform, traditional classes will become obsolete. Education, being an essential part of social structure, is moving to the internet, and online learning is becoming the new norm.
In these rapidly changing scenarios, we must get our kids to adapt to the change and prepare for what's coming. The rate at which everything is becoming dependent on technology is awe-inspiring and seems to point toward a future where most of the jobs we know will either become a thing of the past or develop into something entirely new. In the near future, we might also see jobs that don't exist yet.
Now is the time, more than ever, to prepare your kids and get them accustomed to the changing scenarios. Online learning is here to stay and, therefore, must be taken seriously and enthusiastically.
Challenges Kids Face With Online Learning
As per recent research, a few things come in between kids getting optimum education from online platforms. Removing these hurdles can help your kids learn through online learning and acknowledge its importance. Regardless of what your kid is interested in and what career they want to pursue, optimizing their online learning experience will help them achieve their goals effectively.
Physical Space And Distracting Elements
The space that the kids sit in to study is significant and relevant. A studying space should encourage learning behavior, minimize destructive elements, and help learners retain the knowledge they have acquired. The same goes for online learning.
When getting your kids to learn online, make sure the space they are sitting in is clean and has a comfortable seating arrangement. You can transform a room or space into an online learning space by removing all the potential distractions from it and installing devices that facilitate the learning process.
Make Online Learning Fun
Learning should be mixed with a little fun for kids to pay proper attention. Getting bombarded with concepts, ideas, and theories often robs kids of their interest in a particular subject. Therefore, a kid's learning experience should be accompanied with fun elements.
For instance, if your kid is learning to code, providing them with an encouraging and supportive environment could not be enough. You must introduce interactive and entertaining elements in their education for them to not grow bored of programming. You can introduce your kids to block coding through Scratch as block coding is considered the best programming language for beginners in the coding field.
A class where children can interact with other children, express their ideas, and come together to create or ideate new projects is a class that would have them interested in the subject. You can pick a place that expertise in online learning and has several years of experience in this field.
Inexperienced Teachers
Inexperienced teachers are another factor that keeps kids from gaining an interest in online learning. Inexperience does not necessarily have to be limited to the knowledge of the subject they are teaching but also the ins and outs of online education. A teacher can be reasonably well experienced in a particular subject, but if they don't know how to format their class, prepare an online lesson, and interact with their students, they will still be categorized as inexperienced.
In an online class, kids should have the freedom to ask questions and interact with their peers. It is the teachers' responsibility to make sure their classes are conducted seamlessly where every kid is satisfied with what they have learned.
Moreover, the online educator should also be encouraging and supportive of their class without being too easy going.
Learning By Doing
Traditional classes base their entire learning process on homework and the hope that kids will do their homework on their own. However, homework is a slow and tedious process of gaining knowledge.
Now that the world is moving forward, thanks to the implementation of technology, the most effective way for kids to learn is by doing. It not only prevents them from spending hours on homework but also better prepares them for the changing world.
Get your kids to practice what they have learned on their own accord and come up with creative new ways to implement their new-found knowledge. Let their creativity soar and not be limited by what the instructor teaches them to do.
Think Differently
Thinking out of the box is the requirement of the time. One can learn to think differently by learning to code.
While on the surface level, coding seems like writing codes for a computer program, it is much more than that. It teaches you to be creative, intuitive, patient, and strong-footed in the face of difficult situations. Coding also brings out and enhances problem-solving skills. Moreover, coding has been known to be the foundation for many upcoming new and upcoming jobs.
If you are looking to introduce your kids to a future-ready skill and have them interested in it, get them to learn coding at an early age.
