As Covid-19 interrupts the norms of learning at school, social interaction becomes a need unfulfilled for many students. In any learning environment social interaction is a vital element in students’ development. We will try here to answer few key questions and share some important ideas.
Why Social Interaction is important? Social interaction has proven to be effective in helping students grow, empathize and learn better. As students share their thoughts they can reflect on their own understanding and find gaps in their knowledge and reasoning. How can we achieve Social interaction in an online setting? There are many ways that can be used to encourage and maintain social interactions. Teachers can use a variety of methods that include: discussions boards, live sessions, group work, instant messages, Video/audio feedback, and chat logs. What is the role of Teachers in online social interaction? Teachers here play an important role in guiding and kick-starting the discussions. They are tasked to find the topics that can engage their students and connect their discussions to learn life. They also need to encourage shy students to participate and voice their opinions. They need to oversee the communication cycle and maintain positive environment for students to express themselves. How can we balance online social interaction with physical and psychological health? The worry of students spending long times behind screen is a nightmare for parents. Teachers and parents can help each other by creating new experiences that support the learning off-screen. There are many ideas that are being done all over the world. Ideas like hands-on assignments, projects with parents and daily life researches, to name a few. Final thoughts Schools are the ideal place for students to learn and grow, but as we face new challenges we need to adapt to innovative ways. The online learning experience must strike a balancing act between keeping the social interaction and minimizing the risks of long screen time. Our focus must be creating quality time for our students to learn, interact and hone their skills through experiences. Author: Lutfallah Bachimam - Content Development Supervisor at The Alchemist Lab The role of teachers has been highlighted during COVID-19 Pandemic. Teachers everywhere are adapting and developing unique and nuanced approaches to education. Here are few tips we can from teachers around the world! Collaborate With Other Teachers! In time of crisis nothing works better than teamwork! Take the time every day and share your learning and experiences with your colleagues! Through sharing and collaboration, your ability to solve shared problems will grow exponentially. What is better than one brilliant mind? A group of brilliant minds working together! Socialize with your Students! During the pandemic experts highlighted the importance of social interaction with students. Get to know your students and understand their social needs. It is best to engage them in conversations around the topics of study and beyond. Social interactions ensure higher learning retention and keep your students engaged in class! They will also help them feel safe and release their worries and fears! Connect with Parents! Everything is new for all involved! Share with parents how their children are learning. This will help them understand the efforts involved, and clarify different roles needed. Parents are your best ally making high quality of education. They will help you along the way and support you to improve your class-room experience. Be Open and Learn along! This is a great time to try new things in your classroom! Your students will love to see their teacher learning new things with them! This will enable you to connect with your students and come up with new creative ways that make them tick! Take care of yourself! It is easy to forget the simple acts of self-care during a hectic schedule. Find a time to treat yourself, relax and put aside the pressures of every day. Set a time to enjoy with your family and try new activities. This help you focus more, and ease the pressures. In addition, you will face challenges with a new and different perspective! Finally, It can be hard time to navigate for teachers, parents and students. We all have to accept the challenges that are coming along and face them together. We will all make mistakes as the path is uncertain, but that shouldn't put us down. We should all take these times as chance to learn and grow and reach for the things we thought were impossible! Author: Lutfallah Bachimam - Content Development Supervisor at The Alchemist Lab Covid-19 caused uncertainty that affects teachers, parents and children alike. This experience is forcing a new educational system that we have to adapt to. The change from offline learning in school to online and blended-learning is hard. Here are few tips you can do to help your child with online learning:
1. Give your children their learning space! Having a place to learn is important for children. It helps them focus and set their mood for the rigorous hours of studying. Set up a clutter-free quiet place at your house that can be a corner or table. This is where your child can enjoy his/her studying without distractions! 2. Make your schedule! We are connected to our habits and daily schedules. when thrown into chaos our productivity and positivity goes down the drain. Set up a schedule with your child and stick to it. Make sure to include time for sport, entertainment and socializing. This will give your child something to look for every day! 3. Learn with your child! These are challenging times for both adults and children. Encourage your child to learn by example! Show them first-hand how you are learning to cope with the situation yourself. Learn the technologies needed and listen to them! Also, share and discuss with them the challenges you are facing every day. 4. Connect with Teachers! Teachers are doing their best to ensure quality education for the students. Make sure to communicate with your child’s teachers and discuss solutions. Teachers need your feedback to optimize their teaching methods. You need their feedback too to learn your child’s needs and progress! 5. Look for new ways to learn online! There are a variety of tools, websites and apps that can help you out. Furthermore, join online communities with other parents and educators to help your children. This way, you can share what you found with others, and learn from others what best to do in these hard times. Author: Lutfallah Bachimam - Content Development Supervisor at The Alchemist Lab
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March 2021
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