The Corona Virus has had quite the impact on schooling as we know it, both good and bad (mostly bad). From showing just how severe the homework gap really is, to how stressful it is working from home, I would say that yeah, online school has shown me a lot about ways I need to improve my habits and things that I should take into consideration about the home lives of my future students. So I’m going to go through that today, and help you stay productive at home and ways to help students who don’t have reliable internet/devices at home.
DISTRACTIONS, they are everywhere, and they’re brutal for productivity! I had no idea until I had to start doing school work in my house how severe it was! My cat vying for my attention while I try to do work, my family needing me randomly, my unreliable internet and computer, six classes piling on the online work, and to top it off- my beloved video games were really tanking my motivation. I was in desperate need of schedule organization (still am, one month is too fast for me to fully adjust…) so if you’re in the same boat as me I’ve got some helpful tips for you!
MOTIVATION
In order to stay on task- you need to be motivated! Which may seem obvious, but how to stay motivated is the real question that needs to be answered- which boils down to… Try and make the task interesting, or do it in a way that is interesting to you! Through intrinsic motivation you find how to make tasks worthwhile to you, which helps keep you naturally motivated! Another is to make sure that where you work and relax are in separate locations if you can, so you minimize distractions and stop yourself from wishing the work was over so you can goof around. This was particularly hard for me as of course my school laptop broke forcing me to use my desktop- which was not only in my bedroom, but also my gaming PC which was full of distractiong and was terrible for my motivation. Not. Fun.
What else can you do to stay on task? Make a schedule!
The example on the left is just one of many that you can do. Without work or school staying on task is really hard, so is essential that you try to have routine that includes work and down time.
Some things to include are:
- Cleaning time
- Break time
- Work hours
- Eating break
- Exercise
Of course it can be changed as you like, but those are the basics!
Here’s a guide if you need a more in depth look!
Right so now that the basics of a good schedule and staying motivated is all covered (that’s really all there is too it!) What has this taught me? Well, it’s shown me how easy it is for good habits to be broken, but given me an opportunity to restructure them even better than before!
So how can you help out students without reliable internet or online devices in the future? There aren’t any concrete answers yet but here are some things you can do:
- Loan them a device from school
- Create a group for students without constant access
It’s not much, but it’s a start- especially because this issue is so severe because of the Corona virus!
Thanks for Reading!
Cassie Peterman