While some students have thrived in online learning, many feel disengaged, stressed and lonely with its challenges. Last year, while elementary schools were going in and out of distance learning, I tutored a young Grade 6 student. She would spend 6 hours in an online classroom, with another 2 hours tutoring (with me) right after. Although she loved the ability to wake up 5 minutes before class and open her Google Classroom, she found it exhausting to stay motivated and engaged in her learning. This lack of engagement followed her into our tutoring session. As we worked together, we found ways to increase her engagement and love for learning. Here are three ideas I found most helpful as we move into the new school year:
1. Have lots of different activities planned for each session, so students do not have to stay focused on one task for too long. For instance, I would create lesson plans with a mix of homework help, math and literacy games or worksheets, and a 'reward time' near the end for the student to choose an activity they want to do (e.g. https://www.mathsisfun.com/links/index.html has an abundant of math practice questions organized by grades and topic).
2. Utilize games to learn important skills while having fun doing so (e.g. https://www.education.com/games/ has lots of educational games for kids in various subject matters).
3. Integrate popular culture into the session and build activities around it. In my sessions, I would use Pixar shorts to focus on literacy. I would play the video and create a list of questions to focus on comprehension (characters, setting, problem, resolution).
Hope these tips help!
EmilyR@NU (OTECA)
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