The spread of novel corona virus since the beginning of 2020 has made the entire world go topsy-turvy. Offices, retails, transport, schools are all deserted and human beings are confined to their homes. Thankfully there is technology that keeps us connected to the world without having to physically meet others.
It is undeniable that most of the human interactions in the present scenario are taking place on internet and schools are no exception. Students worldwide have switched to remote learning and resorting to virtual learning sitting back at home.
Since the Virtual Classrooms have brought the school to homes, students and parents need to follow some guidelines and create a conducive atmosphere for children to help them maximise their learning experience through virtual learning.
At GIIS, a virtual learning experience is not something new. Students have participated in virtual classrooms during exchange programmes and knowledge-sharing sessions with students and experts based in other location.
However, participating in virtual lessons from home continuously for weeks and months is something new and unexpected for students and parents as well.
As Virtual Classrooms become the new normal and parents have to help children navigate through the realms of this novel way of learning, here are some tips for them to create a conducive atmosphere at home that will help the children gain the maximum out of the Virtual Classroom experience.
- Set a time table - as home-based learning is an everyday and ongoing affair till the situation is back to normal, students need to follow a time table in the same way as they do while travelling to school every day. The time table will ensure that the child is punctual in joining the virtual lessons and has completed his or her daily chores like bathing and breakfast before joining the session, so that the child can concentrate on the class at a stretch and does not leave the class again and again.
- Getting ready for the class – help the child in organising the material required for the lesson before the virtual classroom sessions begin. The child should be concentrating on the lesson rather than deviating his or her attention to get books, notebooks or stationery while the teacher is teaching or explaining the concepts. Since the virtual classrooms are taking place on devices, parents must remind the children to keep the devices charged and ready to use before the class begins so that he or she does not have to get disconnected from the class midway.
- Create a peaceful atmosphere – virtual classes should not be treated by students and parents as a stop gap arrangement or a filler. Students are learning concepts, theories and formulas and covering parts of the yearly syllabus during these sessions and they need the same amount of concentration as goes into a physical classroom in school. Thus, parents should create a peaceful atmosphere at home. Any audio or video running at the background can distract the student and hinder the learning process. Younger siblings or infants should be kept away when the classes are in progress.
- Regular communication – in a virtual learning scenario it is very important for the parents to stay in touch with the teachers and the other parents to know the progress of the syllabus, assignments, topics being covered, what to expect in next few days, changes in schedule and so on. This is even more true for the parents of the primary grades who are not so independent and need hand holding to accomplish their school work.
- Be around – although the present-day kids are digital natives and do not need much support when it comes to using technology, you never know when they start facing a technical glitch during the virtual session and need one of the adults to solve the issue. Thus, it is a good idea to be around and keep checking if the child needs any help.
- Familiarity with the app – most of the parents are aware of video-conferencing apps as they are being readily used for office communication everywhere. It is a good idea to give a demo to the child and tell him or her about useful features like sending message, muting-unmuting, raising hand, starting and stopping video, and so on. A prior hands-on knowledge of using the app will help the child focus on lessons rather than struggling to use the functions in the right manner.
GIIS is offering Virtual Classroom sessions to the students of all the grades. The school is receiving very good feedback from the parents who are happy that the school launched the facility on such a large scale in a timely manner and students could start their new academic session on time.
As thousands of our students join the Virtual Classrooms sessions every day, the above tips will guide the parents to help their children use virtual lessons in the right way to ensure that they make the maximum out of their learning experiences.
Watch this video to know how a virtual classroom works and how it can benefit the students in the best manner.
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