BALTIMORE (WMAR) — Some students have already gone back to school, and many more start remote learning next week. With virtual learning comes lots of new challenges. D.C. public charter school teacher and Howard County parent Brittany Fleming says changes in habit and structure can set students up for success this fall.
"Often times scholars struggle with completing their online schedule because sometimes they don’t take remote learning as serious as they take in person learning," said Fleming.
Her first big tip: parents should hold students accountable to the schedule and check-in on them during breaks.
"Check to make sure the scholars are actually understanding the lesson and often times when parents check for understanding, scholars will start actively listening in class instead of just passively listening in class," said Fleming.
She also recommended parents check over assignments before they are submitted to make sure they are complete.
"If parents are struggling with the content because we don’t expect parents to be content specialists, reach out to the teacher if you need to and ask them to recommend videos that will help the scholar finish the assignment," said Fleming.
Fleming said it’s also important to assign a work space for the student. If their learning space is in their room, adopt an open door policy during school hours.
"We really caution parents against allowing scholars to attend session from the bed or the couch because it makes scholars feel too relaxed and they’re not necessarily engaging in the session like they would from a desk or a table," said Fleming.
She said it should be filled with all the supplies they might need and without distractions, like cell phones, TVs and gaming consoles.
"Because scholars are accustomed to using these devices in the home and it’s hard for scholars to separate learning time from fun time," said Fleming.
Virtual learning does put more work on parents, and Fleming said if you get overwhelmed, just reach out and let the teacher know what you need.
"Even if just one person speaks out, the teacher will be able to duplicate that for multiple parents in the class so I say always let the teacher know what’s going on," said Fleming.
She recommended parents don’t wait more than 24 hours for a response from a teacher. If you don’t hear back, check in again.
