Keep the "Social" in Socially Distant Learning
Parents frequently now ask me, an online tutor, “How can I help my child deal with distance learning?” So, during the month of September, I’ll post my top tips for keeping your child engaged with school. This week’s tip is…
Keep the “social” in “social distancing.”
In April and May, many introverts reported feeling happier than ever. The quarantine lifted modern society’s incessant need for group work, group activities, group learning. Meanwhile, extraverts – children included! – felt depressed and de-energized by the weeks of isolation. (As an online tutor, I saw this in more than one student I worked with in the spring.)
Photo by @charlesdeluvio on Unsplash
Suggest ways to integrate “socializing” into learning,
If this sounds like your child. If teachers don’t offer regular online extra help, your child can request it. He or she can also ask if the teacher could invite the entire class. Just yesterday, I counseled a student whom I privately online tutor to find a “study buddy” in each of her classes. Buddies can Zoom while doing homework, asking each other questions. And they can keep one another accountable for getting homework done at a reasonable hour.
Some subjects work especially well for social butterflies. Students can dialogue in foreign language and quiz each other on English or Biology vocabulary. They might even take turns reading out loud “boring” History texts.
Schools are fantastically social places. Extraverts will miss the “high” that they get from that environment. Teach your child that socialization doesn’t have to be just for “fun,” just in person, or even with best friends. Socialization can become a part of learning online if we plan for it.
Photo by @visuals on Unsplash
If your child won’t listen to you, sometimes they will listen to a trusted adult, like an online tutor. Feel free to set up a complimentary appointment with me here if you’d like my counseling on ways to integrate socialization into distance learning.
‘Til next week,