Responsibilities during remote learning

Parent responsibilities during remote learning

Provide support for your children by:

• establishing routines and expectations
• defining a space for your child to work in
• monitoring communications from teachers
• beginning and ending each day with a check-in
• taking an active role in helping your children process their learning
• encouraging physical activity and/or exercise
• checking in with your child regularly to help them manage stress
• monitoring how much time your child is spending online
• keeping your children social, but set rules around their social media interactions.

Student responsibilities during remote learning

These responsibilities should be adjusted according to the age of your child:

• establishing and/or following a daily routine for learning
• identifying a safe, comfortable, quiet space in their home where they can work effectively and successfully
• regularly monitoring digital platforms and communication (Google Classroom, Seesaw, email, etc.) to check for announcements and feedback from teachers
• completing tasks with integrity and academic honesty, doing their best work
• doing their best to meet timelines, commitments, and due dates
• communicating proactively with their teachers if they cannot meet deadlines or require additional support
• collaborating and supporting their classmates in their learning
• seeking out and communicating with school staff as different needs arise.

Establishing routines and expectations

Your child’s teacher will provide your child with a schedule or timetable for their learning. This will include regular breaks for activity, eating and drinking. In the activity breaks, it is important that students get up and move around.

From the first day, you will need to establish routines and expectations. You should use the timetable or schedule provided to set regular hours for school work.

Keep normal bedtime routines for younger children and expect the same from your older primary and high school-aged children too.

It is important that you set these expectations as soon as distance learning is implemented, not several days later after it becomes apparent a child is struggling with the absence of routine.

Setting up a learning environment

Try to create a quiet and comfortable learning space. Your child may have a regular place for doing homework under normal circumstances, but this space may not be suitable for working in for an extended period of time.

A space/location for extended learning should be a public/family space, not in a bedroom. It should be a place that can be quiet at times and have a strong wireless internet signal, if possible. Above all, it should be a space where you or another adult is present and monitoring your children's learning.

Wellbeing

Being confined to home for an extended period of time can cause stress and conflict. Tips for looking after your children during isolation include:

• Talking to your whole family about what is happening. Understanding the situation will reduce their anxiety.
• Help your children to think about how they have coped with difficult situations in the past and reassure them that they will cope with this situation too. Remind them that the isolation won't last for long.
• Exercise regularly. Options could include exercise DVDs, dancing, floor exercises, yoga, walking around the backyard or using home exercise equipment, such as a stationary bicycle, if you have it. Exercise is a proven treatment for stress and depression.
• Encourage your children to keep in touch with family members and friends via telephone, email or social media (where appropriate).

Communicating

Communicating with your child

We encourage you to start and finish each day with a simple check-in. These check-ins need to be a regular part of each day and start straight away. Not all students thrive in a remote learning environment; some struggle with too much independence or lack of structure and the check-ins help keep them on track.

In the morning, ask:

• what are you learning today?
• what are your learning targets or goals?
• how will you be spending your time?
• what resources do you require?
• what support do you need?

In the afternoon, ask:

• what did you learn today?
• acknowledge one thing that was difficult. Either let it go or come up with a strategy to deal with the same problem if it comes up again
• consider three things that went well today. Why were they good?
• are you ok? Do you need to ask your teacher for something? Do you need help with something to make tomorrow more successful?

These specific questions matter because they allow your child to process the instructions they have received from their teachers and help them organise themselves and set priorities. Older students may not want to have these check-ins with parents (this is normal!), but they should anyway.