Beyond their impact on schooling, online learning has developmental benefits. In addition to reading and math, children develop essential social and emotional skills at school that they will utilise as adults. Children’s reactions to the switch to online schooling can vary, just like they can with their academic success. Concerns over how these factors may affect children’s social and emotional development are legitimate concerns for parents.
In the last six years, the proportion of UK youngsters receiving their education at home has doubled. Last year, over 30,000 kids were homeschooled, getting all of their education outside of a traditional classroom. Local council officials, who regulate the shift from conventional schooling to homeschooling, keep track of these numbers.
Here’s our take on why you should choose online schooling.
Impact of Online Education on Parents
As schools and businesses started to close in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, parents quickly transformed rooms in their homes into classrooms and offices. While another child may take online courses at a table in the dining room, one child may work at a desk in their bedroom.
Another possibility is that one or both parents are attempting to work remotely from different parts of the house.
Parents have altered the design of their homes in addition to assuming new roles as remote learning facilitators or virtual learning teachers. Parents say they spend an average of 2.5 hours per day helping their children with their schoolwork, depending on the number and age of children, according to a Learning Heroes poll. Some parents have even given up their careers to spend more time helping their children with online learning or finishing the school’s curriculum.
How Does Online Education Offer Potential for Development?
The long-term ramifications of online learning on children worry some parents. The shift has disturbed children’s schooling, impacting their social, emotional, and mental health. Although there have been some beneficial outcomes of online learning, parents are understandably apprehensive about its drawbacks.
When the pandemic forced schools to close across the nation, parents, teachers, and children were caught off guard. While some schools have started to reopen, others have remained closed, and millions of children continue to receive some of their education online. As the benefits of online learning become more evident, families and educators can get helpful knowledge and take advantage of this as a chance to develop.
What Motivates Parents to Homeschool Their Kids?
Various factors might influence the decision to homeschool a child. These include overcrowding in good local schools, parents using their alternative educational techniques, or the desire for more time for sports and extracurricular activities.
Families with members in the military who reside overseas or travel frequently may also decide to homeschool their kids. Youngsters may benefit most from online homeschooling if they cannot attend a formal school. Read more on the subject – Online Schooling – Military Families here.
It may be because their Special Educational Needs (SEN) are in danger of being expelled, are bullied at school, or find it difficult to concentrate in class due to disturbances.
Many parents feel they have no choice but to remove their children from school due to their particular needs. There has been a 57% rise in parents homeschooling a child with special needs during the past five years. Local governments usually subsidise online education for such children since it is less expensive than hiring a one-on-one support worker and has been proven to give better learning and test scores than traditional schooling.
How Can Online Learning Assist Parents who Homeschool Their Kids?
Parents who choose to homeschool commonly decide to enrol their children in online schools.
Using software similar to Skype, children are adequately taught from home by real certified and experienced teachers in real-time. So long as there is a reliable internet connection, students can study from anywhere. Students can learn in a quiet study, kitchen, or living area with a computer or laptop. To help them learn, they wear headphones and take notes. As a result of getting to know the pupils, the teachers can better meet their specific educational and learning needs. They provide parents with termly reports and regular feedback. This means that, while balancing employment and other obligations, parents are not required to organise and deliver a whole educational schedule of classes for their children each day.
Early afternoon is when lessons typically end, leaving students time to participate in extracurricular activities, sports, and socialising. Although online education may only partially replace traditional education’s social aspects, it may be the best alternative for parents who feel they have no choice. Also, read about the 5 most affordable online schools in India.
