Online Learning For Different Ages
October 21, 2020
Between primary school and high school, students from junior school and up have more developed brains therefore a better concentration span, so they are able to absorb a lot more information which makes it is easy to prepare for their online lessons using an online meeting platform, power point presentations, etc.
Primary school students on the other hand need a bit more effort, teachers need to be active and engaging to make lessons interesting using props, flash cards, puppets and objects in their surroundings. For example, when teaching about solids, liquids and gases, teachers need to show students the objects and not just text, as well as during topics like nouns, it’s important to provide visuals.
Another important factor is to be very expressive at primary level; using facial expressions and voice modulation e.g. during story time, when a teacher is talking about a lion roaring it would be important for the teacher to demonstrate, because these are the kinds of elements that will add excitement. Primary school students also need to take one concept at a time so the teachers need to avoid throwing too much at them, because learning/studying from home is outside their normal learning environment. It is vital to include fun activities; for example, if the lesson is on Adjectives make them stand, jump, and kick around. The screen should not restrict both teacher and leaners to sit in one place for 30 – 40 minutes, because children definitely miss regular activities they used to do at school.
For high school and universities, the best way teachers/professors can go about transitioning to online classes is to start by giving students reading assignments. A challenge that may still arise here is that not all students may have access to the textbook they’re being assigned to read, so to counter this, the teacher can prepare a PowerPoint presentation and make it available online. To make it easier for the students, a teacher can also share YouTube videos that are related to the topic to cut down on the reading, or teachers can take it a step further by creating their own videos and posting them online, that way the content is tailor made for this class.
Lastly, every student (preschool – high school) needs something to do outside of their screen time, so teachers need to assign an out-of-class project, be it learning how to plant seeds, taking measurements, creating a simple lab, etc. This not only keeps students busy at home but it develops their problem solving skills as well as critical thinking skills, which are essential at all educational levels.
To read more insightful blogs from our teachers and educational experts, click here
To read more insightful blogs from our teachers and educational experts, click here
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Every Student learns differently! Think about it like this; In the real world, we customize our coffee orders, hairstyles, our music playlists, and occasionally take our own clothes to the tailor to get a perfect fit in line with our our tastes. All this is done to provide the best customer service as well as for the customer to cherish it. So, why should our children’s educational journeys be treated differently? From time immemorial until now, the education system has evolved drastically from the former traditional teaching where the teacher was ‘ Mr. I know it All , where learners were just like passive passengers on an intellectual train to the current modern approach known as Personalized Learning. When put together, Personalized Learning’ means teachers provide targeted learning towards each student’s unique learning needs, interests, learning styles and modify their experiences. Personalized Learning ensures every lesson is resourceful, relevant and engaging with all students, which helps them grasp concepts taught more effectively leaving them with a touch of confidence in themselves. How Do Personalized Learning Approaches Support Different Learning Styles and Learner Progress? As educators at Gaborone International School, we understand that learning how our learners process information is not just beneficial to them, but it is a crucial part of our work to become excellent at our jobs and in ensuring every student succeeds in their academic journey. At GIS, we adopt these fou r famous and common learning styles for our learners: 1. Visual Learners These are learners who understand and remember things best when they see them. Thus, as teachers at GIS, we make use of PowerPoint Presentations, use information in diagrammatic form, images/pictures and videos while teaching our students. Our growing innovative techniques with digital equipment; for example, making use of projectors and iPads with learners has proven very helpful to these specific learners. 2. Auditory Learners : These learn best by hearing information and they remember spoken words. For these students, we make use of assigning group tasks to certain subtopics in a topic/question and once a set time is over, we push for students to teach it /explain it to the whole class (peer teaching). Additionally, rather than the teacher delivering all the information, learners are given a chance to collaborate with each other, and this makes them retain concepts taught easily. 3. Kinesthetic Learners: These learners enjoy hands-on activities, they learn quicker by doing & moving or changing seating positions. DIY Ferris Wheels by Std 3 Learners during a Robotics lesson As teachers, we try to make this possible as they engage in different specialist subjects. For example, However, we can make these learners get involved as we take them to the labs, Music, Art, PE and making use of buildings blocks/models. This way, learners can 10 channel their energy productively without disrupting their concentration span. 4. Reading /Writing Learners: These are learners who understand better when they read and write things down. This one is a classic traditional style where students write notes during class, read out loud what is on the board, and they love reading articles. In the Lower Primary school, particularly Standard 1 to 3, our Guided Readers program takes care of such learners. By adding all these techniques to how we teach learners, it has helped us to answer a lot of questions our parents had and remove anxieties as they drop off their children at school each day. This makes them confident that their children are treated as individuals with unique talents and goals and are given room to thrive in a system that values them more and allows self-advocacy and the best to come out of them.
A message from the Deputy Principal: Hillary Siandula
It is the outcome of a carefully designed ecosystem that supports learners every day.
