WorldClass Online

I don’t think any of us imagined the nation would be home-schooling their children through a third lockdown. Yet here we are in 2021, grappling with the enormity of suddenly becoming a teacher to our offspring.

If you’re anything like me you may have found that you lack the patience and skill required to be a teacher in lockdown, not to mention the time.

Top 10 tips to help you through the home-schooling minefield:

1. Chunking the problem

If a task seems insurmountable to a child or they work better by looking at smaller sections of a task or problem one at a time, then do just that. Diving the work into chunks or sections may make it easier to explain to them and smaller goals seem more obtainable for both the teacher and the student! Once your child gets more confident with the task or problem you can add the chunks together and build from there.

2. Add some interest to the home-schooling lesson

Sometimes using a worksheet or an app doesn’t quite cut it, particularly with younger children. There’s no substitute for adding a little fun and creativity into home-schooling to refocus the mind. Help them to visualise a maths problem using Lego, coins or even sweets. Or illustrate their English comprehension by acting it out or reading it aloud like a play. Remember to be their parent as well as their teacher.

 

3. Remove distractions

I appreciate this is easier said than done, particularly with other children in the house (especially pre-schoolers), if you’re trying to work from home or the lure of the TV or console is too strong. However, ensuring that they have a clean, quiet space to learn, where possible, is the best way to focus them. For older children, remove phones and gaming devices until after classes have finished. They wouldn’t have allowed them in school so don’t allow them during home-schooling.

 

4. Regular breaks from Home-schooling

This seems like an obvious one but can sometimes be overlooked. Whether it’s taking at 10-minute break every half an hour or taking longer morning and afternoon breaks like you would in school, you’ll soon find out which suits your child. Don’t forget to check older children are taking breaks away from computer screens as well. It’s important they rest their eyes and getting some fresh air as they would do if at school.

 

5. Set some structure

Depending on how your child’s work has been allocated you may have varying degrees of structure to your day. It’s helpful to get your child into a routine where possible. Try and start and finish at similar times each day and maybe reserve the morning for core subjects such as English and Maths and the afternoon for more creative projects. If structure is a problem, online lessons provide by schools can be a real benefit. See home-school sample lessons.

 

6. Divide and conquer

It goes without saying, if you have someone to share the load with it’s easier to manage. This may not always be possible but it can help, particularly if both parents are working from home. Discuss when you each have time between calls and which subjects you perhaps prefer to teach. You may even want to divide up the week and take responsibility for teaching on different days. Breaking up the day with two home-school teachers is better than one for the whole day.

 

7. Praise and reward

Ok so let’s be honest about this one, we should probably call it bribery! I know I’ve been doing my fair share of this. Small rewards or reward charts are an ideal way to encourage behaviour and visually check off tasks. If you’ve spent all morning exasperated at having to cajole them into their Maths work then it’s easy to forget to praise them for a job well done when they complete it. It’s important for their self-esteem to remember to do this.

 

8. Flexibility

I know we said earlier that it’s good to have some structure, and it still is. However, you have to be prepared to be flexible. Internet connections go down, work meetings get rescheduled and sometimes you won’t achieve the day you planned. The key is to look at what you can do, which are the key subjects, lessons, or pieces of work to focus your child on, even if they may not complete all the day’s task. The key is to accept you may have to be flexible during this situation and not let it derail your day or week.

 

9. Resources for Home-schooling

Most children will have been supplied with resources by their school, however there is no harm in looking at additional or alternative resources to help you child. Here at WorldClass online, we offer an educational platform powered by Brockhurst and Marlston Schools. These fully interactive, live taught lessons come direct from real classrooms in a real school, making them more engaging.

Find out more here: www.worldclassonline.co.uk/pages/sample-lessons

 

10. Be kind to yourself 

This is a tough time and most of us never expected or asked to become teachers, particularly whilst having to work from home and care for families and households. Teachers train for many years for their profession and no one expects you to step into their shoes overnight.

And remember, if you’re struggling then why not check out what WorldClass Online has to offer and take the pressure off. Whether this is 1-to-1 home-school tutoring, or giving them access to online courses and lessons they are missing out on. WorldClass Online gives you live & on-demand education for your child.