Like many other schools in the Conejo Valley, Oaks Christian has transitioned to remote learning during the Covid-19 situation. The challenges of keeping students motivated and on task can be daunting to parents, many who are also balancing working from home while keeping their children focused. As the “new normal” sets in, OCS shares the following guidelines to help make remote learning successful.
Stay on Schedule
As tempting as it is to stay in PJs all day, try to keep your student on a normal schedule: Keep wake up, meals, and bedtimes normal. Routine gives comfort when things aren’t normal.
Keep Students on Learning Plan
Keep your student on their academic learning plan, using it as a guide for academic tasks for each day. Create and post a visual schedule/calendar so the entire family can follow along. Make sure your student has a place “to do school” (out of bed) that will be most productive such as a desk or at the kitchen table. Make adjustments if needed, of course: the key is rhythm, not rigidity, and the goal is to keep them moving forward.
Try New Ways of Doing Familiar Things
Does your child play a musical instrument, sing in a choir, or play a sport? Many students have continued these activities online by recording themselves singing, playing, working out or doing drills and posting.
Connecting with other Students
Social distancing can be a misnomer: we are physically distanced from one another but keeping socially close is vitally important. Students are missing their friends and used to seeing them daily on campus. Use Google Hang Out, Zoom or Facetime to help your student visually see and hear their friends, not just texting.
Monitor Screen Time
That being said, of course, screen time is necessary to accomplish remote learning, but parents should monitor as students can quickly burn out from academic screen time, plus their social screen time. As much as you are able, encourage non screen activities such as gardening, family game night, walking the dog. Bodily activity helps mental focus and is physical de-stressor.
Keep it Light
In uncertain times, fear and anxiety can cloud our perspective. Provide favorite study snacks and incentives for completing daily assignments. Play music in the house instead of the news. When your child seems stressed, it’s time to take a break - get out of the house and talk it through. Take it one day at a time.
Verbally Encourage
Remote learning is challenging us all to think about school in a different way. Your children are stepping up to a new adventure in digital classrooms. Tell them that you will help them as much as you can. Tell them that you are proud of them for working in a new way. Each student is developing a new skill, which takes time. Encourage them along the way!