Distance Learning in K-20: 10 Ways to Make It Work

Over the years, distance learning has become popular. This is true now that most parts of the world have gone into a nationwide lockdown due to the Coronavirus. There are lots of benefits and challenges to this style of education. 

Distance learning can be incredibly difficult for learners who are in the K-2 grades. In this piece, we will be discussing 10 ways in which educators can make this form of education much easier for themselves and their young learners. 

Play Online Games as a Class

Young learners love to play games. If you want to make your online lessons a bit more fun for your learners, incorporating online learning games into your lessons might be the best way to go. However, you must ensure that these games are still related to the lessons.

Use Online Resources

There are many online resources that you could use to make online learning easier for your young learners. For instance, Pedagogue is a social learning management system that allows educators and learners to communicate via a virtual classroom. This app has many other features that we will discuss later on. 

Have a Central Hub for Educational Materials

To make finding and staying up-to-date with work more manageable, you should offer your learners a central hub for their educational materials. Pedagogue can be used for this purpose, making it an exceptional tool for online learning. 

Use Various Teaching Materials

Making your lessons diverse is essential for young learners, as they can get bored or distracted very easily. You should try to use as many teaching materials as possible in your lessons. For instance, use videos, images, PowerPoints, online games, etc. 

Have a Designated Class Time

It will be much easier for your young learners and their parents to stay on track with the school work when there is designated class time. Online learning requires lots of discipline and time-management skills. Very young children do not have these, therefore making routine essential. 

Communicate With Parents Frequently

Young learners are unlikely to tell you when they have a problem or don’t understand a work section. However, you can learn this information from their parents, which makes it vital to communicate as frequently as possible with them. 

Promote Interaction and Communication Between Classmates

Communication and interaction between young learners are of utmost importance. Apps such as Pedagogue, Skype, or Zoom can integrate these skills into online learning. More so, it makes lessons much more fun for the learners.  

Offer Rewards for Hard Work

When your learners work hard, they should be rewarded. This is true for online learning, as it will make the learners feel acknowledged and accomplished. Rewards can be simple, such as playing a game in the next lesson or watching an educational movie. 

Include Practical Work Into the Syllabus

Learning practical skills is essential when it comes to education. This can be a challenge with online learning, but there are a few ways to incorporate these skills into your lessons. 

Conclusion

To make online learning easier for young learners, educators should use various online resources, have a central hub for educational materials, have designated class time, promote interaction and communication between learners, and include practical work into their lessons.