Tips for Parents During Remote or Hybrid Learning
As a principal of an elementary school during March of 2020, there were a lot of thoughts running through my head.
As we moved into April, and we realized that sending packets home and zooming a few hours was not enough. The kids were not engaged and not learning. This was going to take a shift in perspective.
Over the summer we started a weekly training course for parents. Parents learned about the need for structure and routines at home, and to create a dedicated learning environment for their student at home with school supplies.
We wanted to treat them like part of the faculty at the school, and give them the tools we give our new teachers. Here are some of the top tips we shared in these sessions:
It’s Not About Being Finished
The biggest misconception with education is that teachers want perfect work. As a parent, you never want to give answers or force your student to complete something they don’t understand.
Each assignment is an opportunity for a wonderful discussion to help you understand how your student thinks and where they need help. Rushing or punishing students for not getting things done can create negative feelings about school for both of you.
Take your time, ask a lot of questions and enjoy listening to your student work through problems and build mastery of the skills themselves. If you both are stuck on a problem, teachers love it if you send a message to let them know.
The Learning Key
Our website offers you a list of Learning Targets your child will be responsible for at his or her grade level. It is important you look this over and become comfortable with what is expected.
As the year progresses you will see the teacher using these same terms when they update you on report cards and assignments. Being able to listen to your student describe the weekly Learning Target and identify any confusion, will help you target your help and build their confidence in overcoming mistakes.
“I do”, “We do”, “You do”
If your student is having trouble on a Learning Target, it’s best to start with modeling how to do it correctly. First you should demonstrate the skill for the student slowly and accurately, while thinking aloud, the student will have a chance to imitate this success. (I do)
Next, you can try a problem together and ask your student questions to move you step by step through the problem. You may find that this may take several attempts to practice, but it is very important to listen carefully to your student. (We do)
Finally, once practiced, the student is ready to try some of the problems on their own. They may not get them all correct, but they will be confident enough to engage with the problem and try their best. (You do)
Must do and May do
Sometimes you may have siblings at different levels of success with school. In this case, it is important to create ways to make things fair, and not allow one student to become frustrated when the other finishes.
Developing a list of “Must do” tasks and “May do” tasks, can help keep all members of your family busy during learning time. For example, both of your students “must do” the assignments given to them by their teacher, but if one of them finishes early, they may do a cartoon book or science experiment.
We at the Parent Partnership believe that this conversation will outlast this pandemic. The old model of teacher in front of the class education was already fading away as the flipped classroom and blended learning approaches were becoming mainstream.