How to Support Your Teenager with Online Learning
Online learning has become a regular part of life during COVID. However, many students still struggle to keep up. After all, students are missing out on much-needed support from teachers and peers. Spending the day behind the screen can make it difficult to stay focused on learning, especially in households where learning spaces and devices must be shared.
Without sufficient support for online learning, many students will be at a much higher risk of feeling significant mental distress about school. Our IB online tutors have observed that students who were already finding it hard to keep up in the classroom may fall even further behind. Here are some small tips for parents on how to help your children overcome these learning challenges at home.
Teenagers are inevitably feeling much more stress and pressure from online learning, with the lack of crucial one-on-one instructional support from teachers and isolation from their classmates and friends. Online learning also often comes with a lot of extra workloads to make up for the time lost in the classroom. On top of all of this, students are exposed to the screen for significantly longer than usual, which can strain their eyes. At home, parents can support what your teenagers are learning from online classes in the following ways:
- Listen to their complaints. Your child is likely frustrated, stressed, and overwhelmed by all of the screen time and online assignments. Listening to their frustrations with patience and understanding will help them feel less alone and more reassured that they are always supported.
- Offer emotional support. At a time when students aren’t receiving valuable feedback from teachers – whether it’s positive encouragement or constructive criticism – it’s especially important to let them know that they are doing well in your eyes.
- Encourage more breaks from the screen. Your child is spending hours sitting in their chair in front of their laptop screen. Schedule regular screen breaks, but you can take some of those breaks together. Do some light physical exercise together or get some fresh air together. Your child will return to class feeling refreshed – as will you!
- Consider some external support. If your teenager is struggling with their workload and cannot seem to keep up with the rest of the class, now might be a good time to enlist the help of an IB online tutor. At Aegis Advisors, our IB online tutors can help your child keep on top of their assignments, help guide them through the lesson material, and provide encouragement.