E-Learning in Schools

2020 was a turning point for humanity: the COVID-19 pandemic caused major life changes, and introduced restrictions in the form of strict quarantines. Isolating at home has been challenging and affected many of our day-to-day activities, including education.

The new normal has brought stressful for both teachers, students, and their parents- distance learning has replaced offline classes for a long time; it has become a habit to stay at home and work remotely.

However, now a huge share of responsibility for learning falls on the shoulders of parents- monitoring their child's presence in online classes, creating an ideal workspace, as well as creating conditions for the opportunity to study remotely (having an Internet connection, the appropriate and necessary gadgets for this).

The traditional school system was more convenient for parents, as teachers managed most of students' learning in school. With children now learning remotely from home, parents and teachers may struggle to constantly monitor their progress.

Read on to learn how to make distance learning as comfortable as possible for everyone, not only for children and parents, but also for teachers.

Problems between teachers and children during distance learning

• children may not have a fixed class schedule
• online classes are held on multiple different platforms
• students may feel that they are receiving too much homework
• in some cases, there may not be sufficient online lesson content
• it is challenging to monitor the progress of each student
  

Educators, on the other hand, became the driving force that stepped up to organize distance learning. After all, remote learning was new at the time of the introduction of total quarantine, and the teachers did not receive any methodological recommendations and advice on organizing it.

Teachers’ problems that arise during distance learning:

• there are problems with quality assessment and attendance tracking
• some teachers find it very difficult to provide feedback to students
• preparation for lessons in a new format takes much more time, requires mastering new skills and abilities (in particular, in working with technology)
• and in general, it is difficult for teachers to manage organizational issues, which affects the learning process
  

As you can see, forced distance learning in schools has been a real challenge for each participant in the educational process. However, schools are gradually adapting to the conditions of distance education; students, parents, and teachers have gained some experience. In addition, there have been special programs and sites that help both teaching staff and students during this time.

Organizing distance learning: tips for teachers

We will give you advice on the following topics:

• constant communication with students
• establishing rules for communication with students and their parents
• assessment of students
• compliance with health-saving technologies during the educational process
• maintaining contact with parents

We will not deny that distance learning has provoked a lot of lively discussions in society. First of all, the public was divided in its opinions on distance learning, because online education is not suitable for all children and teachers.

Nevertheless,  every teacher can make their distance learning lessons interesting and effective, and every teacher should do everything to improve the school management system. So, here are some tips to do it in a better way.

Сonstant communication with students

We advice teachers to make an effort to create a welcoming environment in online classrooms and to keep the children engaged in communication. Even after class, students may have questions about homework, so teachers should be open to addressing such questions within reason, beyond working hours.

Establishing rules for communication with students and their parents

To make the process of communication with students and their parents as comfortable as possible, we advice teachers to set clear rules (this advice is relevant even in offline classes):

• determine the method of communication and feedback (type of messenger, e-mail, etc.)
• indicate the time when you can call, and answer both phone calls and messages
• take homework and other assignments by e-mail or on a resource that is convenient for the teacher
• inform students that the feedback they receive from teachers must be taken seriously

Assessment of students

It should be remembered that the assignment of current grades should be systematic, and the students, in turn, should be familiar with their grades. However, when assessing the educational achievements of students, we advise you to minimize the number of test tasks. This is primarily because tests cannot fully demonstrate real knowledge of the subject. It is worth using tasks that involve open, reasoned answers. In addition, such tasks can be used even in the context of tests.

Compliance with health-saving technologies during the educational process

Do not forget that distance learning is learning largely with the help of technical means (laptops, tablets, computers, smartphones). It is important to understand that these gadgets have a rather negative effect on human vision. That is why we advice teachers to recommend students to do eye exercises to rest their eyes. Also, the advent of remote learning could lead to sedentary lifestyles. Teachers should also encourage students to maintain an active lifestyle.

Maintaining contact with parents

It may be a situation when either a parent or his child will be unclear about the class schedule and how lessons and tests may be done remotely. We hence advocate for teachers to familiarize parents with the school management system.

It will also be advisable to get feedback from the parents (the child's presence in the classroom, their success, the psycho-emotional state of the student, etc.).

Way out of a rather difficult situation

We allow you to simplify all these actions and tasks thanks to our school learning management system, which is designed to help teachers, children, and parents in the learning process. Our portfolio, check-in attendance, reports, and fees are used by hundreds of schools around the world. It’s widely known that children thrive in studying when their parents and teachers are on the same wavelength:

• you can easily view monthly analytics, personal statistics of a student or teacher and prepare clear and simple reports with the help of diagrams and graphs
• you can easily and efficiently track each student's progress and fill out their portfolios - both parents and you will need it at the end of the semester
• you can fill out a school-wide calendar that parents can easily use, and post important messages on a special board for staff and parents
  

Read more information on our Littlelives main page.

E-Learning in Schools Frequently Asked Questions

• What is asynchronous and synchronous learning mode?

Asynchronous mode is when the interaction between the subjects of distance learning is carried out with a time delay. Moreover, interactive educational platforms, e-mail, forums, social networks, etc. are used.

Synchronous mode is the direct interaction of the teacher and students in real-time during video communication - "live broadcast". Students see and hear their teacher and can immediately ask a question if something is not clear. We remind you that at least 30% of the study time is organized synchronously.

• What digital services are best for teachers to use in distance learning?

Services with which you can organize an online lesson:

• Zoom
• Google Meet
• WizIQ
• Skype
• 8x8 Meet

As a management system for student achievement, schedules, and curricula and the school as a whole, we recommend using the Littlelives school management system.

• What are the disadvantages of distance learning?

Among the main disadvantages, it is important to highlight the following:

• the need to understand digital technology. Nobody argues that switching to a new style of work is anxious and exhausting
• lack of personal communication
• the need to work on students' motivation

But with the school management system, you kill several birds with one stone. It is easy to learn, has a safe and comfortable communication app, beautiful and convenient service, which is a pleasure to work with.

• Why is distance learning useful?
• improves the quality of education through school management systems;
• allows students to work independently;
• allows teachers to follow the progress of each student;
• is cheaper than full-time educational programs in higher educational institutions.