First and foremost, self-care. Self-care is important to any successful learning experience simply because a healthy mind (and body) is a mind ready for learning. Schedule breaks: Get up and walk around, go exercise, schedule distractions, don’t forget to move. Maintain healthy habits: Your brain, like your body, needs rest and exercise. Get proper sleep, stay sufficiently hydrated and most importantly, eat well.
Secondly, time management. Arduous task for some, but the best when it comes to making sure everything is as planned. Set aside time for learning: Online learning is designed to be modular and flexible. Create a schedule comfortable enough to ensure that you are attending to respective classes and having fun as well.
Also, add important due dates to a calendar so you don’t miss pertinent deadlines and submissions. Minimize distractions: As much as you can, minimize distractions both in your physical environment and your digital environment. Close web browser windows not relevant to your learning; keep the TV off, etc.
Thirdly, create learning strategies. It is important that students find methods to diversify their ways of gaining knowledge. Having simply one method of learning creates what we call “boredom and procrastination”; it is important for parents, and students alike, to notice that whilst the material is there – the context may not be retained or even applied. Make your learning stick: Take advantage of the established learning science principles of practice, application, and reflection. To ensure your newly learned knowledge and skills stick with you, it’s important to repeatedly practice skills, apply knowledge in different contexts, and reflect on what you have learned.
To conclude, every student is entitled to have the best of their education but why can’t you do it whilst having fun. It is with the strongest contention that education and enjoyment go hand in hand; as Alfred Mercier once said, “what we learn with pleasure, we never forget.” So students and parents, let’s make the best out of this and make sure that when we go back to school, it will feel like we’ve never left.
