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E-Learning Tips for Parents: A guide to supporting your child’s learning journey
With online learning becoming more popular among kids, you may have thought about it for your family as well. Alternatively, it may have become necessary for your child at the request of their school or because of a personal interest they wish to develop. Whatever the case, skepticism about this new concept of learning is understandable. However, you shouldn’t let your doubts and fears keep your child away from the many benefits – not to mention the proven benefits – of e-learning. In this article, you can find 8 eLearning tips for parents who want to support their children through the eLearning experience, help them get the most out of it, and avoid any potential drawbacks.
8 eLearning Tips Parents Can Use to Support Young Online Learners
1. Be your child’s learning coach
Children, especially young ones, cannot take full responsibility for their own learning journey. They need guidance from a parent or guardian who can make sure they receive the necessary help and support. In other words, they need an instructional coach to help them build and stay true to a weekly schedule, understand the material, complete assignments, and overcome any obstacle that may arise. E-learning is a great option for working parents who have to take on the role of learning coach, as the flexibility it offers helps them balance their different responsibilities.
2. Evaluate the quality of the e-learning course
Despite the large number of e-learning courses for kids available in the market, not all of them are suitable for the aspiring learner. Regardless of the subject matter your child dislikes, some may target a different age group, require more advanced technical equipment, or simply not reach the required quality standards. Given that children are not able to differentiate between these things on their own, a tip for parents is to choose an e-learning course so that they can ensure that their children start their e-learning journey on the right foot.
3. Promoting a supportive learning environment
The effectiveness of your child’s learning journey depends largely on the learning space they have. Although you can’t mimic a specific school environment, a personalized learning area will help them stay focused and stimulate their creativity. This is where they will be able to find their supplies and the device they use to access their eLearning courses (with accessories) so they don’t waste any time searching instead of learning. Aside from providing a learning space for your children, make sure it also supports the technology needed for e-learning. A stable and fast internet connection will avoid any interruptions and ensure a smooth learning experience.
4. Ensure learner participation
Whether embarking on e-learning is your child’s choice or a school requirement, it is important for them to stay engaged throughout. When their interest wanes, it’s up to the parents to get them back into the groove. Stay close to your child and be ready to intervene when you notice signs of disengagement, such as declining progress or poor time management. There are many steps you can take to regain their interest in the learning process. For example, you can modify their learning space to make it less or more stimulating. Or you can create a reward system that encourages them to keep up with the schedule.
5. Bringing e-learning to the real world
Another way to keep kids engaged, as well as a particularly useful e-learning tip for parents, is to bring e-learning to life. Listening to podcasts or watching documentaries related to the topic your child is exploring in their eLearning course is certainly a great way to gain additional knowledge and form a connection with them. But imagine taking it a step further by doing experiments and playing games as a family, going on museum field trips, visiting the zoo, etc. Any space your child can visit to gain a deeper understanding of the content will fill them with enthusiasm and motivation. They need to finish this e-learning course and start some more.
6. Encouraging independence
The fact that children cannot be fully responsible for their learning does not mean that they should not be allowed any freedom. Small decisions here and there may not affect the overall course but will make children feel more independent and responsible for their learning, thus enhancing their engagement. Things your child can decide for the day include what time they will access the course, what additional resources they want to explore, or perhaps what space they will study in. We’ve mentioned how important it is to have a dedicated space for learning, but changing things up from time to time makes things more interesting and less monotonous for kids.
7. Practice safe online learning
E-learning platforms are safe and only include content appropriate for the target audience, but the same cannot be said about the Internet as a whole. Since young learners often have to conduct research online, they and their parents should be aware of some basic online safety guidelines. For example, selecting a secure website (HTTPS), never sharing your username and password, or learning about the risks of phishing. In general, practical advice for parents is to create a parent-controlled profile for their children on the device they use to access online courses. This way, access to certain apps and features will be restricted.
8. Maintain balance
Sometimes, engagement can become a bigger issue than disengagement. You may want to motivate your kids to complete their e-learning course, but you certainly don’t want to contribute to increased screen time. Just like at school, children need breaks at regular intervals to eat, decompress, play or do physical activity. Since time management is difficult for children, you are responsible for maintaining a balance between learning and all other aspects of your child’s life. Follow the schedule you have set but don’t forget to make time for your child to stay active and socialize with their friends face to face.
Conclusion
Navigating this new world of e-learning can be difficult for parents watching it invade their children’s lives. However, there is no reason to view it with suspicion, as it can become an invaluable educational tool. To enjoy all the benefits that e-learning has to offer children, you must learn how you can help them navigate it to provide them with an effective and meaningful learning experience. Follow the eLearning tips for parents that we have shared in this article and be a supportive learning coach.
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