Students all over the world are having to get used to learning in a new way. Many Ivy Central students have had to adjust to online lessons so here are a few lessons to pass on to anybody who is wondering how they can make online learning work for them.
Be Positive
There is surviving and thriving, often the difference between the two is to have a positive attitude. Having to learn online might not be your choice but it is the reality that you face. A positive attitude about online learning is the best present you can give yourself. Everything you learn, whether it’s your most favourite or least favourite subject, will help you grow as a person and prepare you for your future studies.
Create your study space
Find somewhere that is your study space, somewhere that everybody knows is where you locate yourself when studying. Ideally this would be in your bedroom or a place where you can work undistracted by other people, but that might not be possible for everybody. If you don’t have your own space try to negotiate to have set times when you need it. If that is not possible then you might need to resort to using headphones to block out distractions as much as possible.
Having identified your space, make sure you have what you need. You will want a table and comfortable chair, despite what it might be called, don’t try balancing a laptop on your lap, if nothing else you will get terrible back and neck pain. Make sure there is good connectivity to the WIFI so that you have a reliable connection.
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Organise your time
Your ability to control your time is going to be limited by the demands of your teachers, if they are conducting a lesson at a particular time, you need to be there. There are however some principles that you should try to adhere to.
· Make sure you know when your online classes are taking place, make sure you have everything you need and join on time.
· Your studies won’t just be when there are online classes so divide up your day and week into learning, homework and extra-curricular activities.
· Take short breaks whenever you can. ‘Zoom Fatigue’ is a problem many students are experiencing as a result of too much time spent on computers. Try to take 5 minutes away from screens between online sessions.
You are not alone – get help when you need it.
Many students have come to the shocking realisation that they miss school, of course they miss spending time with friend’s but it is the lack of direct two way interaction with teachers and perhaps their fellow students that is more significant. This lack of interaction can result in students falling behind in their work, if you don’t understand something that you are being taught it can affect your understanding of the whole study topic.
If you are in this position the first thing should be to reach out to your teachers directly, email them and let them know that you need some extra help to understand the topic. Other approaches you might want to try is to use the resources of the internet to help you, Youtube video’s, Khan Academy or BBC Bitesize can often help explain things in a different way. Another approach might be to set up a virtual learning group of your peers where you review the work you have done with your teachers and support each other with any gaps in understanding.
Stay on track
One of the challenges of online learning is to remain focused on our work and resisting the temptations all around us. Distractions come in multiple forms and can eat away at time, schools go to great lengths to help students remain focused but at home it is down to you.
One of the biggest distractions are mobile phones, the way they ping or buzz to notify you or a new message or post is designed to distract you, they are meant to be difficult to ignore. The best way to avoid picking up your phone to check it every few minutes is to either turn it off or better still, put it away from you in another room.
Another aspect of staying on track is not falling behind with your work. Keep a log of what work you need to complete, and by when. Give each piece of work a deadline, don’t drag your feet, work to make yourself stick to the deadline. Do things on time and you will be better off in the long run.
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Jump around
OK you don’t have to jump, but do make sure that you get some exercise. Online learning, unsurprisingly, means lots of time online, completing lessons, doing homework, reaching out to teachers and peers. So, scheduling physical fitness into your day is also important. Physical exercise can boost your mood, energy, and brainpower.
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