Last spring’s taste of online education didn’t go well for many students and parents, which means this fall brought more than its usual level of anxiety. Not everything can be replicated at home, but opportunities exist to build skills and foster the learning that would be happening inside school. Here’s what to do and keep in mind as it unfolds.
For Teresa Shartar, a pediatric Occupational Therapist in Atlanta, Caribu has become a go-to when working with children. “It’s phenomenal,” she said. “If you’re working with a child on focus, eye gaze, visual tracking, following directions, and turning pages, Caribu is excellent because you can do many OT activities virtually.”
Parents are no longer parents. They have become reading specialists, math support, school counselors, librarians and principals. They are being asked to extend themselves into new roles, and the pressure is building for everyone.
While virtual schooling is new for some students in primary and secondary education, many colleges and universities have taught classes online for decades. While this has proven a successful method of instruction for older learners, it comes with unique challenges for younger students — and their parents.
As the education crisis caused by COVID-19 continues, all levels of education should focus more on the number of skills students need to learn rather than the amount of time spent on Zoom. This is especially important in primary school where education is closely tied to developmental milestones, and for pandemic parents who are struggling to find time and energy to help their kids with online education.
Unfortunately, long hours of screen time has become mandatory with e-learning. But online games, social media and other tempting distractions could make it difficult to focus on class Zoom sessions. Below are tips from experts to ensure kids get the most out of school even though they’re at home.
One of our favorite books about space is V.R. Space Explorers, Titan’s Black Cat. Author Bruce Betts is a space explorer and planetary expert. He is the Chief Scientist at The Planetary Society, the world’s largest non-profit space organization. The organization focuses on education, advocacy, and funding to support innovative programs that further space exploration. We spoke to Betts to learn more about space exploration, LightSail, and being an intergalactic author for kids.
This fall, there is a new solution for teachers to keep students engaged during reading activities. Caribu is excited to announce the launch of its new web platform that allows you to read children’s books page-by-page with your students while you teach classes online. With Caribu, you can build a culture of reading in your classroom even during this time of social distancing. Caribu’s new web-based platform will allow you to open and read books on your computer as you teach lessons with Zoom, Google Hangouts, and other video calling platforms. This makes it simple to share read alouds, facilitate guided reading, and have book discussions with groups of children large and small.
After spending months keeping her 6-year-old daughter occupied with nature hikes, scavenger hunts and virtual playdates, Julia Devetski was hoping she could finally return to work full time again once the energetic rising first grader was back in the classroom this fall at her school in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. But as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage — and after learning that her daughter and her Chicago Public Schools classmates will be doing remote learning at home at least part of the time when the new school year starts in September — Devetski joined the soaring ranks of parents who are counting on “pandemic pods” or “micro-schools” as a solution to their dilemma.
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and we wanted to share some suggestions for celebrating your favorite classroom leaders. Since many teachers are staying at home during the Covid-19 pandemic, they are working twice as hard to adjust to new technology and routines. Here are some tips to honor their hard work and dedication.