How parents and teachers can work together to improve online classes.
Ah, the good old days when schools worked like well-oiled machines, starting from the first bell for the morning assembly to the last bell to mark the end of the day. Parents went on with their jobs and managing the home, and teachers did what they do best. Things were working just fine until the COVID‑19 happened.
Now every household is a school, parents are now teachers and proctors, teachers are now guides and content curators, and kids are being asked to stay affixed to tabs, smartphones, or computers (things that adults had asked them to stop using too much). How times have changed!!
Some simple and straightforward ideas to make your online courses more engaging and meaningful.
I am sure if you are parent or a teacher (God bless if you are both), you are anxiously waiting for things to go back to normal. Although it is a daunting task, if parents and teachers learn to work as a team (let me sneak in a quote here) You will be more powerful as you can empower each other!!
As parents and teachers to a generation of online learners here is what you can do to improve online classes:
| What Parents Should Do | What Teachers Should Do |
| • Know that children may be more stressed about school this year. The least you can do is not transfer your own anxieties into their minds. • Do not discuss the results of your child’s online test on WhatsApp groups (or anywhere for that matter). • Acquaint yourself with the school’s online learning resources and upcoming lessons. • Attend regular parent orientation programs or ask the school to set one up. It helps forge effective communication between teachers and parents. • Create a family framework for online engagement. Walk the talk, if you don’t give your gadgets a break, don’t expect your kids to do it. • Understand that you have an important role to play in this changed scenario. | • Ensure your lesson plans are well organized. • Set a proper schedule. • Keep your communication clear and regular. • Have a plan to reach out to unresponsive students. • Make your assignments interesting. • Provide timely feedbacks. Communicate the message to parents and the student/s. • Seek feedback from students and parents. • Come up with interactive activities. • Record your classes (it comes in handy incase a student misses a lesson). • Keep your visible work area free of noise, and distractions. • Login only from your school accounts. • Try not to scold a student during an online class. • Keep a two-way engagement in the classroom. |
Before we wrap up this article, here is one more thing parents and teachers can do collectively to make online classes better.
Be a part of the #KeepLearning initiative. It is an online initiative by the Times of India and powered by India’s favorite online learning platform BYJU’S.
The initiative focuses on helping parents and teachers navigate through the shift to online learning. It comprises of webinars, discussion forums and free resources that can help teachers and parents upskill and adapt to the online learning ecosystem.
