Many rural families have been learning from home through distance education for years, and have great knowledge to share.
1. Prioritise relationships
It's vital to build strong relationships between students, parents and educators to make up for the lack of face-to-face contact.
2. Set a routine
Agree on home classroom rules, which might include:
- Speaking respectfully
- Trying things even when they're hard
- Completing work in agreed timeframes
3. Teach kids to have a go
- Turn negative self-talk into helpful actions
- Show kids how to approach tasks that they don't enjoy, such as breaking tasks into small chunks
- Tick off tasks for a sense of accomplishment
4. Accept that things won't always work
No system is perfect and sometimes tech will crash!
5. Make room for sadness
Talk to your children about what they're missing and assure them it's okay to feel sad, while also encouraging hope.
6. Celebrate what you're learning
Remote learning can teach independence, responsibility and discipline
7. Celebrate what you're learning.
Thanks to the Broken Hill School of the Air and Alice Springs School of the Air for their terrific insights.
Go to dollysdream.org.au to learn about online safety, social networking, privacy, gaming and much more.
