School Is Not a 1 to 1 Hour Exchange

 School Is Not a 1 to 1 Hour Exchange

One of the biggest struggles focuses on how to schedule for a regular school day. Distance learning should not be a one to one exchange of time. While there is no clear consensus on how long is appropriate for each age and child, the experts all agree that distance learning should not be the same schedule as in-class learning. Children do not receive instruction the entire time they are in class, including middle and high school students who may be scheduled for a subject for 40-90 minutes a day. 

Effective teaching breaks instruction time into small digestible chunks of 5-15 minutes (younger kids shouldn’t go above 7 minutes at a time and even older students can’t stay with a lecture for more than 15). At that point, the learning should be broken up by practice, interactive discussions, reading, or a break. Working effectively makes distance learning work; trying to replicate in class routines will burn out students. Our brain process what comes across a screen differently, even if it is being broadcast in real-time. In-person, we spend time watching the visual cues of those around us, which even when distracting help us stay grounded in the lesson (I'll discuss distractions while listening to information at another time).  

This extrasensory information gathered from other students cannot happen on-line, though having someone host a group chat during the lecture can help with real-time engagement. Most of the time our brain is unaware of how much information we simultaneously take in and discard, but it has become very obvious for all students who moved from in-class teaching to remote teaching that the feel of instructional learning changed. That explains why the approach of just broadcasting in-person classes has failed so many students because learning isn’t just about hearing the information or seeing the teacher. To effectively lecture on-line, you need to present the information differently and engage more senses (including movement by having a simultaneous on-line discussion). 

Also, distance learning needs the ability to self-pace to some extent, because the in-class behavioral controls are not the same. In a classroom, the teacher can redirect students who finish early to other activities, but if you require a student who has finished the work to continue listening or working at home they become disengaged. This differs from becoming distracted in that the child's brain has no motive to reengage and begins processing entirely unrelated information. Learning needs to be structured to let students who finish early move on to another activity or subject. The amount of time with a topic has less impact than the quality of the activity and application of the idea. 

What to do with the extra time? If you count on school to keep your child occupied while you accomplish other tasks, this lack of a one to one exchange can be challenging. So, plan for it. Identify educationally engaging activities your child can perform when they finish early. They could have a timer to set for extra reading. They could have a building challenge with blocks or legos. You could have them prepare a 20-minute lesson of the most interesting things they learned that day to give to you each evening with props made from their crafting materials (prepping for 20 minutes of teaching can easily eat up an hour of extra time). You can even give extra outside or free playtime if they finish early. 

Realizing that some days distance learning will take more or less time is crucial to avoiding frustration and burn out this year. Planning some filler activities, so your child knows what they can do without having to be micromanaged will make a huge difference in their success. 

Check out my Pinterest boards for ideas for Pre-K-high school fun educational activity ideas.