In This Together

In This Together

Supporting learning at home as we start to transition back to face-to-face schooling                                                                                  

On Monday, the staff at SCEGGS heard such a wonderful sound in the secondary school – the sound of Barton and Badham girls and all of Year 12 joyfully coming back to school for the first time this term! And while it was so lovely to hear the enthusiasm and the excitement that comes from returning to school, we also know that most girls in the secondary school are only onsite for one day in three – so how do parents continue to help their daughters learn best on those other two days at home?

Routines are Important

  • Your daughter might be at home for two days in a row – but it is definitely not the weekend! So, help her to make sure that she gets up at the usual time.
  • Avoid last minute sliding into Zoom Form Time with a piece of toast and a glass of orange juice. Allow time for her to eat as usual, shower and organise her workplace in readiness for the day ahead.
  • Some students are even going for a walk before Form Time (replicating the morning walk to the bus and then to school on a normal school day).
  • These transition rituals are important for us to be mentally prepared for the shift from home brains to teaching and learning


The importance of sleep

  • Make sure your daughter goes to bed at the regular time – keep long movies or time online for the weekend.
  • Avoid screen time in the hour before bed and encourage calming, relaxing activities like reading, listening to music or some mindful meditation.
  • Teenagers need 8-9 hours of sleep each day to function effectively.


Establishing a good Learning at Home Environment

  • Shared spaces at home mean we all still must be flexible and aware of each other’s needs.
  • The work environment should be quiet and uncluttered with all equipment within easy reach.
  • Students work best at a desk or a table … not the bed or sofa or floor!


Take a break

  • Learning at home and spending more time online, while learning new technologies, can cause cognitive overload. Students (and teachers) need to purposefully plan for breaks and transitions in their day.
  • Schools have breaks naturally built into their schedules – moving between classes, breaks at recess and lunch time. Your daughter needs these same breaks in between her lessons too – just as she would walk from one side of the school to the other!
  • Encourage your daughter to stand and stretch, to go for a quick run around the garden, to do star jumps by her desk or dance for three minutes in her bedroom to her favourite song in between classes.
  • Have healthy snacks on hand so that energy levels can be maintained.
  • Discourage screen activities in breaks like social media or gaming – this does not give the necessary respite from on screen activities and can make returning to work more difficult.
  • Establish an end of school day activity that marks the end of school time – taking the dog for a walk, going for a run, phoning friends etc


Zoom Etiquette

I marvel at how quickly we have all adopted and adapted to online learning technologies. You can support your child’s learning by encouraging appropriate behaviours:

  • Encourage your daughter to be on time for digital lessons the same as you would for face to face lessons.
  • We love seeing where you have been on holiday but rapidly shifting backgrounds or students spinning their images around are distracting and inappropriate.
  • We know your daughters love their cats and dogs but too frequent pet “show and tells” or leaving the Zoom lesson to allow the dog outside is not helping your daughter to learn.


Being a Learning Coach: Accountability or Nagging?

  • Parents don’t need to “police” every lesson – your daughter’s teachers or Year Co-ordinator will be in touch if they have concerns about your daughter’s progress or completion of work.
  • Check in with your daughter about the day ahead and ask her how it is all going and what they are doing.
  • Clarify with your daughter what work is due each day/week and help her prioritise tasks.
  • Help your daughter to break down large tasks into smaller more manageable chunks if she needs this support
  • Reward work completion and independent organisation as appropriate.

And finally, we would like to thank you for walking side by side with us on this learning journey and for supporting your daughters, our students, as we have together explored new ways of learning and teaching. Your role as a learning coach has been invaluable both to your daughters and to us – and we are all looking forward to seeing them all return to school increasingly more often in the weeks ahead!

 

Carol Saunders
Head of Academic Support (Years 7-12)