What is Distance Learning? Helping Children to Learn Remotely
“Distance learning”, you’ve heard of it, right? Most likely along with “remote learning”, “virtual learning”, and “Google Classrooms”. These are just some of the many new terms that parents have had to quickly get to grips with in recent months.
With social distancing still a part of our reality, and bubbles opening and closing at schools, there’s a 90% chance your child has or will be learning through a virtual environment.
We’re going to be taking a closer look at what distance learning is and how you can help your child to learn outside of the classroom. We understand that distance learning can be challenging, especially for children. That’s why we’ve come up with some top tips for helping your child to learn remotely!
Page Contents
What is distance learning?
For children, distance learning is when their learning environment shifts from being present in the classroom to learning from their teacher at home via the Internet. This has become the new normal for many children across the UK to keep them safe from Coronavirus.
With that said, it’s still quite vague. Some schools live stream classes to students via EdTech platforms such as Google Classrooms. Others set work via Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) platforms. There’s no right or wrong way to learn remotely.
Is distance learning the same as home-schooling?
Home-schooling is when a parent or guardian makes a choice to remove their child from a school environment and continue their education at home.
Many parents do this based on their child’s specific learning needs. It also offers greater flexibility in deciding what their child will learn about and how they will learn.
Learning at home as part of a temporary transition to distance learning is not the same. You and your child will still be in regular contact with their primary school teacher and learning from the national curriculum.
Some schools might suggest additional resources such as online maths courses or worksheets to support you and your child in establishing a home learning routine.
How can I help my child with distance learning?
In distance learning, parents play an important role. They often take the role of a teacher. That’s why it is important to establish a routine. Making education a priority will help keep your child from treating distance learning as a holiday.
It’s also equally important to create a perfect home learning environment for your child. This will help them to stay focused, while also allowing them to easily disconnect when taking regular breaks, as well as at the end of the day.
Creating a healthy distance learning environment for your child
Most importantly, create a comfortable space where your child can easily focus and learn. For consistency, encourage all the learning that takes place to happen in this space.
Your child’s surrounding environment could act as a potential distraction. Consider removing televisions, toys, and games consoles.
Aim to create a study space that is quiet, clutter-free, and comfortable for your child. However, this may vary depending on your child’s age and what activity you have set up.
Establishing a distance learning routine
Routine is key, as a parent you need to develop habits to allow your child to fall into a consistent time frame. You will be more likely to positively influence your child’s behaviour if they have a consistent routine in place.
We know this can be difficult. With some of the following tips, you can create a ‘school day’ to help your child learn remotely.
Create the day into predictable segments
Waking up at a certain time and getting dressed is important. This will allow the child to realise it is time to get up and start the day. It could be helpful if you kept the same schedule that they had when they were physically going into school.
However, for younger children, you may need to break down the schedule and try to focus on one thing at a time. Please note that each child is different and has unique needs.
Keep your child’s bedtime as normal
This is a difficult time for everybody, especially parents. Keeping your child’s bedtime routine as normal will help them stay focused.
Avoid staying up late and sleeping in, as it could ruin everything you’ve achieved in trying to establish a routine. A normal daily routine is healthy for both you and your child.
Why not keep a distance learning diary?
A planner might be a good idea as some children can find it useful to help keep them focused. This allows them to see what they have achieved learning from home. It will also help your child’s teacher to track progress.
Introduce a reward system! Positive reinforcement is a popular classroom management technique for teachers around the world. So, why not use it at home? You could try rewarding your child with stickers for their hard work.
If you want to take your creativity to the next level, consider making certificates of achievement. Children respond well to this as awards can help them to feel special and acknowledge their efforts.
Distance learning does not mean distant teachers
Keep in touch with your school or teachers. Don’t feel as though you have to do this on your own. If you feel as though your child is having difficulty or problems, their school is there to help. Schools usually will provide you with resources, such as specific websites, or extra help.
Read more: Top 50 Home Learning Resources for UK Primary School Maths
If your school does not provide this, reach out to the school or consider using an online tutor as a supplement to your child’s school syllabus.
Remain in contact with your child’s friends and other parents from their primary school
It is important to help keep children in contact with each other. Primary school is not just about education, it is a place for children to learn social skills.
As we are still living through a pandemic, this may be difficult. However, there are various social interactions that you can do to help.
One example is setting a time for your child to video chat with a friend or group of friends. Or perhaps a social distance play-date in the park (this depends on the lockdown tier that you live in).
You are not their schoolteacher
These are difficult times, and you need to remember that you are the parent and not a teacher.
Try to support your child’s understanding of the content that they are learning. You are not expected to teach them the school syllabus. If you need help, reach out to their teacher who will likely be able to offer you guidance on how best to help your child.
Remember that distance learning is temporary. We will go back to normal and we will overcome this together. We hope you found our tips beneficial and that you and your family remain safe.
Think Academy UK is now enrolling KS1 and KS2 primary school students onto our Spring Course, starting in January 2021! Parents use our online maths tutors as a supplement to the learning that takes place at school. With multiple difficulty levels, all our online maths courses use a state-of-the-art online learning platform pioneering the UK’s first dual-teacher system. This creates a comprehensive, guided-learning experience suitable for every child, enabling them to catch up and make progress in maths.
You may also like to read:
Ofsted Ratings and Reports – A Parent & Teacher Guide to Primary School Ofsted Inspections
