Saturday, July 18, 2020

Online distance learning: A home - school partnership

“Online distance learning: A home-school partnership”
SunStar Davao, July 18, 2020

As we welcome this school year, most teachers, students, and parents are preparing for the new normal with the much talked about online distance learning (ODL).

Synchronous learning is an online or distance education done in real-time. In contrast, asynchronous learning happens through online channels without real-time interaction.
Both my children had an early taste of ODL when face-to-face classes were called off because of the pandemic during their school’s last quarter. This July, my eldest daughter, a freshman in a Manila university began her college life through ODL in the comforts of our Davao home with her blockmates and professors from all over the Philippines and even as far as Qatar.

Underlying issues

Last week, I joined Dr. Queena Lee-Chua’s Zoom webinar “Making Online Distance Learning Work” organized by Anvil Publishing. For the past three months, she has been doing a series of webinars on this topic for private and public-school teachers, parents, and students.

Dr. Queena graduated from Ateneo de Manila University in 1987, with a degree in BS Mathematics, summa cum laude. In addition, she has a doctorate in clinical psychology from the same university, where she is a professor.

“Some parents are anxious now with ODL because the issues regarding their child’s learning have been underlying. And this pandemic has forced them to confront,” Dr. Queena says.
These issues include lack of discipline; distractions/indiscriminate gadget use; parent-child conflict over discipline and communication; learning independently; competition; “cheating”; among others.

Stress, fear, and anxiety brought about by the pandemic are additional issues as well.

“We cannot avoid stress, but we can learn to manage it. Fear is normal in a pandemic, but parents must calm their children and themselves by focusing on what they can do such as brainstorming on physical study space and routine, honing skills, helping frontliners, and caring for each other,” reminds Dr. Queena.

Making ODL work

Dr. Queena emphasizes that kids should have a set routine for sleeping time, waking time, classes, exercises, chores, etc. during this ODL.

“Discuss a doable routine for all. Structure the home environment to make motivation a habit,” the mom-of-one advises. She adds that “amid this uncertainty, structure provides a sense of safety. And, with good discipline, children grow up feeling confident, conscious of their actions, and responsible for them.”
The multi-awarded educator and author clarifies that it is not necessary for all the students to have individual gadgets and computers. In fact, this is a good time for the kids to learn how to share their gadgets and computers and do self-regulation.

Parents may also assign a certain gadget or computer for school purposes only so kids will not use them without control. If this is not an option, set a timer/user apps as reminders to stop surfing or go offline. Likewise, one may download and print offline materials for offline study to avoid using the gadget or computer for too long.
In her bestselling book, “Helping Our Children Do Well in School”, Dr. Queena has always stressed the importance of creating a conducive environment for study. She suggests that if possible, the child must have his or her own desk and minimize distractions.

If limited space is a constraint, using earphones during ODL can also work and create a semi-private space. “The environment may not be ideal, but it should be workable for all,” she says.

Support from home is crucial

In another Zoom webinar conducted by Dr. Queena on “Establishing Online Home-School Partnership”, she discusses the role of the parents on ODL.

“Parents should not do the assignments for the kids. They should not sit beside the child and not take notes for the child. Instead, they should guide their children regarding skills, mindset, attitudes, and behavior,” shares Dr. Queena.
“Ideally, the parent leaves the child alone and works in another room. But, the parent should check on the child from time to time to see if the child is focusing on the subject, or if the child is doing YouTube. The role of the parents is not to give the content but to help their children study well. There is a difference,” she continues.

In general, Dr. Queena explains that the younger the child (especially preschool to Grade 3), the more support is needed. Teachers and parents provide the “scaffolding”. However, for high school and college students, developed good study habits should grow in autonomy.
“We must teach our children that effort is more important than whatever innate ability he or she may possess. Encourage persistence and explain that mistakes are a natural part of learning. Focus on the positive. Instead of saying they are smart, tell your child that you are proud that he or she worked hard and did their best,” she declares.
“Of course, nothing beats face-to-face learning. However, a strong home-school partnership can make online distance learning work,” Dr. Queena enthuses.

Dr. Queena Lee-Chua's books are available online through bit.ly/QLCBooks. For assistance, please email onlinesales@anvilpublishing.com.



Big thanks to Dr. Queena Lee-Chua, Anvil Publishing, Ateneo SALT head Fr. Johnny Go, Jesuit Basic Education Commission (JBEC) head Fr. Ari Dy, and Julie Tiu for making this article possible.

Digital artworks for this issue were all done by my 12-year-old twin nieces. Awesome job, Jorgy and Missy!
E-mail the author at mom.about.town.dvo@gmail.com. Visit http://momabouttowndavao.blogspot.com/.

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