The Education Directorate has released tips for parents and carers to help kids focus during remote learning.
The Directorate said since public schools moved to remote learning, it had received questions about how to keep kids focused, especially from the families of students with a disability or additional needs.
Student Engagement Executive Branch Manager with the Directorate, Sam Seton was called on to help.
“We recommend having as many routines as you can, so your child knows what to expect, when to expect it and it’s the same thing every day,” Ms Seton said.
“It makes your life easier and helps them structure their day and understand what is going to happen next,” she said.
Ms Seton said that an ordinary kitchen egg timer could be surprisingly helpful.
“If there’s an expectation your child is going to do five minutes on a task, why not use an egg timer or a clock on an iPad, to tell your child how long they need to remain on that task,” she said.
“Other recommendations include thinking about where you have set up your home learning space and asking whether it’s free from distraction – like the TV.”
She said that for some younger kids, wearing a school uniform could help children know when it was school time and when it was home time.
Ms Seton said it was important for parents and carers to connect with their child’s teacher if they were finding remote learning tricky, as teachers could add flexibility into remote learning schedules, which may help students who struggled to focus.
“Don’t be afraid to let them know it’s not working for you at home,” she said.
“Sometimes the strategies that have worked in the classroom don’t work as well at home.”
The Directorate said Ms Seton’s suggestions were available as a FAQ sheet on its remote learning website.
The Directorate’s FAQ sheet can be accessed at this PS News link by clicking on the dropdown menu Students with a disability and additional needs.
