Rhema Word Christian Academy has implemented new technology to advance the learning experience for students in the classroom. We have integrated Schoology, IXL, and Discovery. These platforms have provided various benefits to classroom management, engagement and enhanced the learning experience overall.
As COVID-19 has brought various changes, it has provided the academic realm with formidable challenges. All students now have access to technology, and even for digitally-savvy little people, it has been a learning curve. As we pray and hope that COVID-19 cases decrease, RWCA has decided to maintain the online learning platform as an RWCA education standard.
Here are a few tips for Distance Learning that will facilitate the transition and learning process for your children:
1. Choose a space at home only for school
Homework space is not the same as a designated school space. For students to better adjust to the extended periods of school hours, it is best to have a space for them only when attending school online. This space must be quiet and free from distractions. It is also vital to ensure that the internet connection at home is excellent and adequate for the students to connect to the online platforms without any issues. Parents must monitor students' online activity. We recommend maintaining doors open and advising students of online moral and ethical behavior and the RWCA Student Handbook that should be adhered to at all times. Children should be practicing adequate digital safety procedures at all times.
2. Establish a routine and provide students with clear expectations
RWCA has provided parents and students with their schedules. We have adjusted school hours, considering the amount of time students will be seated in front of the computer. Children should be dressed and ready for distance learning before school commences. Please make sure students have a healthy breakfast, made their bed, and are dressed appropriately for school. It is vital to uphold regular bedtime routines, ensuring they are in bed and well-rested for the next day. We would recommend establishing rules for digital devices at home. If children have finished their homework and have finalized online school for the day, create fun activities for them that do not involve a digital device. This will give them a break from looking at a screen all day.
3. Support Students
Supporting your children during this process is so crucial that we cannot emphasize this enough! Please help and keep them! Encourage them, and we need parents to be co-operatives with teachers helping extend the learning experience at home and ensuring they are proactively communicating concerns and questions to teachers. Help children, but not too much help. It is vital for them to independently handle distance learning as they grow more accustomed to the process.
4. Stay in Touch with Teachers
All of our platforms provide active communication to parents of everything that is taking place at school and in class. Make sure you are responding to teachers and reading the communications that teachers are sending to each student. The Parent Newsletter is an initiative RWCA has taken to ensure all parents are aware of what is happening at RWCA.
5. Make time to check-in
Make sure to ask your children questions on how their school day was, activities they did, assignments, communications, and more. Ask them questions before school starts and after school has ended. When you take the time to ask your children these questions, they see you are engaged and care about what is going on at school and what is going on with them. For example, ask them if there were any assessments or if they learned something new that day. By taking the time to check-in with students, you can avoid disappointments or later challenges. You can also help develop self-management and executive functioning skills, and more importantly, you show them that you care about them, which makes a world of difference.
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