Just as the world has been asked to adjust to the New Normal, schools were forced to adapt to distance learning or blended learning environments. No matter if it’s a household with young learners or college students, people are having to get creative when it comes to creating an effective home learning setup that ensures the student will be successful.
Though making the switch from face-to-face to remote instruction can be challenging for students and their families, here’s a look at simple ways you can create an effective home learning setup.
Designate a study space
One of the first ways to help guarantee success with home learning is to create a designated study space. This space doesn’t have to be the traditional desk and chair setup. The most important thing is to have one consistent spot a young learner can go to each day as a way of creating a learn-at-home routine. These spaces can range from a spot at the kitchen table or even part of your desk (if it’s big enough). So you can keep busy with work while monitoring your child.
For students in high school or college, they may want a quieter, private space. This may mean they have a desk in their bedroom or in a part of the home that’s free of distractions. Just as a student would have the routine of attending class in the same classroom or building on a regular basis, the same consistency can be created at home with a designated study space.
Help the young learner stay organized
Just as classes have gone virtual, so have calendars, schedules, and assignment lists. One way to help an early learner stay organized is by placing a cork board, whiteboard, or chalkboard with class schedules and assignments by their designated learning space. This board could also be a place where the parent writes out their own schedule to coordinate with their child. As a bonus, your kid can get creative and personalize their workspace to really make it feel like it’s theirs.
Another way to help your child stay organized is by using empty storage bins where the early learner can keep all of their daily supplies, such as pencils, papers, and notebooks. This way, both you and your child won’t lose track of their school supplies. A label maker could really help transform any workspace into one that feels neat and organized. Another tip is to use color-coded labels or stickers if your child is more visual.
Choose the best home internet for students
If home learning is being done primarily by computer, then a strong internet connection is vital. When considering options for the best home internet for students, fiber internet from CenturyLink may be a suitable option. Fiber internet is considered to be very reliable. It has the ability to reach speeds up to 940 Mbps, which means the student in your home would never miss a beat. If you, the parent, are working from home, you and the kids may be in need of a strong internet network that supports all of your devices.
Not only do you want to ensure your student has a strong internet connection to get their school work finished, you may want to consider creating a child account on the computer they use, especially for early learners. This account can help protect your child from accessing content you don’t want them to, especially if you’re multitasking while working and you’re not able to monitor them all day. You could also consider installing a browser extension to protect privacy and increase security. This could help prevent online tracking or possible malware attacks.
Make time for a break
No matter if your child is an early learner, a high school student, or even a college student, reminding them to take a break is crucial to their productivity. Whether the break be for a quick snack or lunch, or even a short walk around the block, designated time away from the computer and other devices during the day could help the student stay focused when they do sit down to learn. Maybe you could schedule a mid-day activity in the yard, or at a near-by park. If you want to keep the break educational, perhaps you could schedule a virtual museum tour or virtual zoo tour that doubles as something fun and educational.
As many households have shifted to home learning, people have been asked to get creative when it comes to making the most effective home learning setup. You may be wearing many hats as the parent, the teacher, and the educational director all at once, and, that alone, can be exhausting. Here’s just a few tips of how to make the process a bit easier, and that encourages the student in your home to take some creative initiative of making a home learning setup that works for them. For more helpful how-tos and informative topics to enhance life with technology, visit the CenturyLink blog.
