Follow these simple tips to ensure your online homeschool adventure is as successful as possible while keeping your unique child engaged and eager to learn.
Here are the top tips to achieve the best results in online homeschools:
Manage time wisely
When you are an online homeschooler, you ought to manage your time smartly. You need to use your time productively, as much as possible. For this, you might have to prepare a personalized learning schedule and stick to it. You ought to be highly self-disciplined and motivated.
You are likely to have various digital distractions when you are studying online. You ought to exercise a good deal of self-control in order to use your time wisely. During your free time, try working on your skills and interests. If you are too bored, you can play some fun-filled education-based games. Try not to spend your entire free time watching TV. Try to record what you love for viewing on-demand. Cut down your TV time by ten hours per week. This is sure to result in ten hours of free time. You can devote this free time to your online education. On a weekly basis, ten hours is adequate to complete your online homeschool course.
Prepare a study plan
When you register for an online homeschool course, try to establish a study schedule of about 3-5 hours on a weekly basis. While devising your study plan, keep your learning preferences and needs in mind. It needs to cater to your learning patterns, styles, and needs. So, prepare it accordingly, instead of copying it from someone else. Make sure to read all the required materials and take notes accordingly. When the time comes, review your reading notes. Try to work on any written homework or assignments. Once you have identified your daily study times, inform everyone in the family. You can post a notice on the refrigerator as a self-reminder! Set personal deadlines in order to complete your assignments on time. Make sure to ask family members to respect this time. They should know that you must not be disturbed during your study time. Try not to skip study time.
Do all of your learning in your study space. Do so even when you do not have difficult assignments to work on. When you work on a daily schedule, it is sure to help you prevent procrastination. For better results, set a timer.
Prepare a study space
In order to find an appropriate study space, look around your house. You might come across a quiet space in the garage, attic, laundry room and basement. Once you think you have found the ideal space, you can claim it as your study space. Inform the same to everyone in the family. They must understand that it is your spot! Furthermore, you even put up a DO NOT DISTURB sign. Enforce it!
Maintain this study space. It must be cleaned and well-organized. Arrange your files and folders. Put labels on these, if necessary. Gather all the important items that you might need to do your learning.
Take short breaks
While studying, make sure to take short breaks. Breaks are important to get recharged! Else, your brain might reach a saturation point and your learning capacity would be lowered. So, take breaks from time to time. You can go for a short walk, listen to soothing music, have snacks, and drink water during these breaks.
However, make sure not to take long breaks. Else, you might end up losing your focus on learning! Try not to spend too much time on socializing sites for long hours. In order to succeed in your online homeschool course, you ought to do away with your addictions! Also, try not to check your smartphone every now and then. Keep it switched off or in flight mode. Turn your notifications off. Thus, you ought to set some ground rules in order to focus on your course. You might take help from your parents as well.
You must put your goals and dreams into writing. When you have a proper list of your short-term and long-term goals, it gets easy for you to stick to your schedule. It keeps you motivated throughout the duration of the homeschooling course. This list would enable you to deal with setbacks that might come your way. This would help you to remind yourself of all your reasons behind taking this online homeschooling course.
Work on your communication skills
In an online homeschooling course, effective communication is the key to success. Since there is no live interaction with professors or peers, you are likely to feel detached from the members of the online community. However, online schools provide you with various easy and useful tools to enable you to socialize and communicate.
Try to be aware of these communication options that are available to you. Do not hesitate to use these when required. Be a self-starter and start communicating with your teachers. Your online teachers would be more than happy to help you and provide you with useful tips.
Be pro-active
In order to be successful in any online school course, you need to take an interest in the course and the activities that come along with it! Most of the accredited online schools provide you with the opportunity to participate in various fun-filled interactive activities and collaborative projects. Do take part in these activities. This would not only open up your mind but also help you bond with the members of the online school community.
In an online learning course, you are scored on the basis of your performance and participation level in these interactive activities. So, take interest and voice your opinions and ideas. Be creative. Be open to learning!
Keep yourself motivated
In an online learning environment, there are no teachers or peers to poke you to remind you of your assignment deadlines. You need to remind yourself from time to time! So, you need to be alert. You need to take ownership of your education. Look for motivational magazines, videos, etc.
