As part of our mission to reduce barriers to learning, we’ve set out to ensure transportation isn’t one of them. While one-on-one, in-person tutoring is always preferred when working with K-12 students, Virtual Learning provides the opportunity for our interventionists to reach students who are unable to come to our center. Virtual Learning can also ensure continuity of instruction while students are home due to illness or away on vacation.
Virtual Learning is simple to set up. It includes all the benefits of and is structured similarly to One-On-One Tutoring.
Setting Your Child Up for Success with Virtual Learning
- Create a designated learning space.
Allow your child to help you create a “learning space” for them in your home. Think of all of the things that they may need, such as pencils, crayons, markers, paper, and notebooks. Involving them in the decision making creates buy-in. - Limit distractions.
The learning space should be in a place that is relatively free from distractions such as televisions and games. Cell phones should be put away for the duration of learning time. If you have several children at home attempting virtual learning, create a learning space for each child in a different room, or consider using a trifold presentation board to create “partitions” if you are all using one table. - Create a schedule.
We all know that our children do best with structure; in fact, we all do. Work with your child to create a daily schedule. Include learning time, time for exercise, time to do chores, and free time. Encourage your child to stick to their schedule, but also let them know that the schedule can be modified if needed. Post their schedule so that they can refer to it often. - Provide motivation.
Working from home requires self-discipline. It is easy to think of other things around the house that need doing. For children, they are likely to have a myriad of other things that they would rather be doing. While we all wish that our children were intrinsically motivated, many need some extrinsic motivators. Your sincere and authentic praise is powerful. Statements such as, “I love to see you working hard” or “I admire your perseverance” are meaningful. That being said, a reward such as a desired activity or treat may be just what your child needs. - Communicate with your child’s tutor.
Communication during this time is vitally important, and we want to know how you and your child are doing and how we can support you. We are pleased to be on your team.