With the pandemic being the new norm, students have had to get used to online learning. Not all students are used to online learning and many are not familiar with the online learning techniques to enhance their learning experience. However, it is important to find out more ways to get used to home-based learning as this will be the way that education transform over the next few years.
Home tuition and online tuition are gaining significant attention and students are seeking help from their tutors (math tutors, science tutors, English tutors, or whoever else it may be) for personalised guidance in order to survive through this tough time of a pandemic where online learning has become the main mode of education.
Here are top 5 effective online learning strategies!
ACTIVE PARTICIPATION
Students should be active participants during the online lessons. Online lessons provide a much different environment than life lessons. One such consequence of this is that students become more distracted when they are in the comfort of their homes. It is common for students to start daydreaming, use their phone or leave for a snack which happens much less often in live lessons.
However, being an active participant does not only mean doing the bare minimum of paying attention to lessons. It also involves students doing their own research before and after lessons. Students also need to ask questions during lessons instead of leaving the lesson with doubts.
Many students are sometimes too shy to ask questions in live lessons and this is also true for online lessons and sometimes even worse. Regardless, it is important for students to try their best no matter how awkward it may seem.
CONNECT WITH OTHERS
Students need to make an attempt to connect with others. Live lessons provide an opportunity for students to meet up and talk about the lesson or anything in general. Online lessons need students to put in much more effort to interact with others as compared to live lessons. Learning would be much more efficient and fun when done with others. It is up to students to try and interact with their peers so that they can improve their learning experience.
Some students may be shy to approach others but all it takes is one message to form an acquaintance or friendship with others. Connectedness also involves students connecting with their teachers. Students can choose to arrange one-to-one session to ask questions and clear doubts. Teachers are more than happy to help out their students and it is important for students to approach them if needed.
PERSONAL WORKSPACE
Students should have their own workspace even though they are at home. In school, classrooms and lecture theatres are conducive environments for students to learn. At home, students have the freedom to choose to study and attend online lessons wherever they want to and this can be a problem.
Some students choose a suitable study room with a table, ample lighting, a table and a chair. Some students attend online lessons laying on their beds using their pillows as a table. Although it may not seem like a big deal, learning in an unsuitable environment can affect students’ understanding and rate of learning greatly.
Thus, it is important for students to pick a location with minimal distractions and noise so as to stay focused during lessons.
A SCHEDULE
Students should make a schedule for studying both short term and long term. Many students like going with the flow and generally do not put much thought into planning for the future. This habit can result in students performing badly for assessments and assignments even if they have the ability to do well in them.
Doing online assignments last minute and studying for tests last minute will result in students getting grades that may not truly reflect their ability. It is important for students to have a schedule that contains information on the important assignments they have for the semester which will help them prepare in advance.
This is especially useful for online lessons as teachers do not constantly remind students of the tests and homework coming up as much as they do in live lessons.
EFFECTIVE STUDY METHODS
Once students understand the importance of planning, they must understand how exactly they should practice and study. Many students revise for tests and examinations by re-reading their notes or writing down the key points of each chapter on a separate piece of paper and memorising them.
These methods may seem sufficient but are very inefficient compared to other methods. During examinations, students do not have their notes on any cheat sheets and thus studying with notes is generally not very effective.
Students should instead try to recollect points without the help of their notes, try to solve questions without referring to their notes or teach others based on what they remember. Practising remembering information without referring to anything will help. Some online software like Anki is helpful for spaced repetition and it helps with memory retention.
BOTTOM LINE
It may be challenging to get used to this sort of learning, but though the initial stages may be difficult, as soon as students adapt and adjust, things will get easier. Online learning can be made enjoyable and it depends on our mindset at the end of the day!