TWELVE TOP TIPS TO MANAGE DISTANCE LEARNING
Tip 1 - Routines and expectations
- Aberdour has already established clear routines and expectations, with a Distance Learning timetable that we hope fits in well with family life.
- For continuity, the timetable follows the same structure that your child would have in school to ensure the breadth of the curriculum is still covered whilst being away from school.
- Their timetable will provide times for learning and activities – it is a good idea to have a copy on your desk.
- The majority of lessons start at 9am with a few starting at 8.30am.
- Ensure your child is dressed, ready for the session and that they have already eaten their breakfast prior to starting.
- Make sure your child has a water bottle at the ready, to keep hydrated and avoid any spills.
- Keep to normal bedtime routines, try to avoid them staying up late and sleeping in.
- Children should move regularly and take periodic breaks throughout the day.
Tip 2 - Setting up a dedicated work area for your child
- Designating a personal working area, where possible, will help your child separate their schoollife from their home-life.
- Have an organised space to work, with a suitable work surface, writing materials and required books ready.
- Ideally, it should be a place that is quiet and free from distractions, and has a strong WiFi signal.
- Depending on your family situation, this may be a family space, such as the dining room; or may simply be your child's bedroom. Whatever is decided, we suggest you keep the door open, just like we do in all of our classrooms during lesson time.
- Where possible, it should be a space where a responsible adult is present or can easily pop in to monitor the children's learning.
Tip 3 - Monitor communication from your child's teacher
- Feedback will be given on Seesaw and this will be used as a platform to communicate. Any specific resources that your child will need for the lesson, will be written in the chat room on MS Teams, so your child can read this when logging on.
- A register will be taken in each lesson to ensure all children are present. Please email the class teacher should your child be absent for any reason.
- Should you wish your child to have an individual chat with their PAL tutor to support them with their well-being during this difficult period then please do let us know. Children in Years 3-6 will have a PAL lesson each week so they can still interact with their Tutor on a weekly basis.
- Processing feedback on work submitted is also a great way of understanding what your child is working on and help them think about ways they might improve their work or approach it in a different way.
Tip 4 - Check-in with your child at the start and end of the school day
Parents are encouraged to start and finish each school day with a simple check-in with your child.
In the morning, you might ask your child:
- What lessons do you have today?
- Have you got everything you need?
- Do you need my help with anything?
- Do you have any test or assessments?
- How will you spend your time during lesson breaks?
At the end of the school day, you might ask:
- Did you manage to complete all of your tasks?
- Were there any technical issues?
- Have you submitted all of your work to Seesaw?
- Do you need to print/prepare anything for tomorrow?
These brief grounding conversations matter. Checking in with them allows children to process the instructions they have received from their teachers. It helps them organise themselves and set priorities. Older students may not want to have these check-ins with parents (that’s normal!), but they should do so nevertheless. Parents should establish these check-ins as regular parts of each day. Not all students thrive in a remote learning environment; some struggle with too much independence or lack of structure. These check-in routines need to be established early, before students fall behind or begin to struggle.
Tip 5 - Help your child process and "own" their learning
- It's important for children to log into their Form time at the end of the day as this offers them time to reflect on their learning and speak to their teacher about any concerns or questions they may have.
- Human beings learn best when they have opportunities to process their learning with others. These Form time sessions allow pupils to meet and share ideas and experiences through MS Teams. Pupils can ask direct questions about learning tasks during this time. However, children will still need interactions with other family members to help with their learning.
- Further to checking in with your child at the start and end of their day, parents should regularly engage with their children about their learning.
- It's important that your child feels that they "own" their work, please do not complete assignments for them, even when they are struggling.
- Feedback will be given for all work submitted through Seesaw.
Tip 6 - Physical activity and exercise
- At Aberdour our pupils enjoy incredible facilities and a very active programme of Sports. It is essential for their health, well-being and to their learning. Children need to find time in their day to burn off excess energy at home.
- With current Lockdown restrictions, it is important to think of ways they can exercise safely without coming into contact with others.
- Children have regular Games slots on their timetable. The Sports Department have uploaded activities for the children to complete and to take part in.
- Other creative ideas include: helping around the house with chores, walking the dog, doing an online exercise class (Joe Wicks, Cosmic Yoga and others) or cycling around the block.
Tip 7 - Make time for quiet and reflection
- Every child has an individual way of learning. We appreciate how challenging it can be to have your children at home and how to manage their different needs, especially when children are of different ages. There may be times when children need to work in different rooms to avoid distractions. However, it is still important to make time for you.
- Teachers provide optional mindfullness and well-being activities for the children and there is no reason why you shouldn't practice some of these in your own time.
- It may also be an idea to try noise cancelling headphones, perhaps go for a short walk on your own or try blocking out 15 minutes in your diary.
Tip 8 - Continue to be mindful of your child's stress or worry
- Inevitably, this is going to mean a major upheaval to their normal routine (and yours!) and no one wanted to return to Distance Learning. Without their friends, teachers and tutors to support them, it is imperative that you, as parents, speak to your children to discuss and manage any anxieties, worries and any other emotions they may experience. This is particuarly the case for those undergoing exams.
- We understand that it is likely to be stressful for you as parents, especially whilst juggling your child's home schooling and your own work commitments. However, do your best not to transfer your stress or worry to your children. They will be out of sorts and will need as much of a normal routine as you can provide.
- Do reach out to your child's Form Tutor if you would like any help or advice in supporting your child.
- There is no right or wrong way to approach this and we are here to help.
Tip 9 - Monitor how much time your child is spending online
- We do not want our pupils staring at the computer screen for 7-8 hours a day. Teachers will aim to incorporate a variety of tasks to find the right balance between online and offline learning experiences.
- As pupils will be using laptops or iPads for the majority of their learning, it is important that they are not dedicating their "down time" to "screen time". We would recommend shutting down all electronic devices after (including games consoles and mobile phones) at a certain time every evening. This will help them keep a routine and get to sleep at a sensible time.
Tip 10 - Keep your children social, but set rules around Social Media use
- Initial excitement of learning from home and not coming into school will soon fade when pupils start missing their friends, classamates and teachers. Help your children maintain contact with their friends and see them in person when Government guidelines permit.
- Please monitor your child's Social Media use, especially during an extended period of distance learning. Remind your children to be respectful, polite, appropriate in their communications and to comply with the school rules in their interaction with others.
- Written words can sometimes offend or cause harm to others, and any unkindness needs to be reported to your child's Form Tutor for them to follow up as they see fit.
Tip 11 - Online safety
- Within the Distance Learning environment, your child is safe and software available to them is age appropriate.
- Children with school iPads in Years 3-6 have necessary locks and security in place.
- Please be aware, if your child uses other devices or Apps, that there are child locks in place. For instance, use Kiddle (a safe visual search engine) or YouTube Kids.
- Have regular conversations with your children about how they can stay safe online and who they have been chatting to.
- If they have Social Media accounts, make sure they are set to 'Private'. Please note that many Social Media accounts are not recommended for children (for example, TikTok has an age limit of 13+).
Tip 12 - Keep calm and reach out!
- Please do not suffer in silence, we are here to help. Aberdour prides itself on our community spirit, please do not hesitate to contact one of your child's teachers if you need advice or assistance with something.
- We are all in this together.
For younger children, please check out our Pre-Prep Little Learners page full of tips and more detailed information about supporting core area of the curriculum at home.
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