1. How can a student beat procrastination while working remotely?
Procrastination can be a tricky habit to break, especially when the learning environment changes. Here are some tips to help keep motivation high and procrastination low.
* Set up a schedule and follow it. Carve out specific blocks of the day to study, complete homework, etc. Leave room for breaks as well! If you were in-person, you’d have breaks between classes, even if just the walk from building to building. Schedule short breaks to get up and away from your computer to take a brief walk or sit outside.
* Set goals. Let’s say you have a research paper due this week. Set small, specific goals throughout the week. For example:
* Day 1: Read through the project and make sure that you understand what the deliverable should be. If you have questions, ask for clarification from the instructor now. Begin research.
* Day 2: Complete research necessary. Begin rough draft.
* Day 3: Finish rough draft and begin editing.
* Day 4: Complete the final draft and do one last edit.
* Day 5: Submit project.
By breaking a daunting project apart into smaller, specifically planned goals, it makes completing the project seem much more manageable.
Lindsay Consalvos : www.uat.edu
My top tip for beating procrastination is to write a list at the end of each day of the three most critical things to do the next day. Yes, there may be a lot more than 3 things that you should do, but often people busy themselves with the easier work that is not as important and push off the more critical items. When you focus on those top three items, commit to getting them done without distraction. Use apps to temporarily block social media and other distracting websites during a preset amount of time and turn notifications off on your devices.
Reward yourself after completing those tasks. Be sure to break down assignments into smaller tasks- it’s much easier to climb several hills than to remain daunted by a mountain. Lastly, utilize the Five Minute Fix. Don’t wait for big chunks of time to do work. Ask yourself, what can I do in 5 minutes that moves this assignment forward even in the smallest way.
Tamara Soles: www.thesecurechild.com
The best is to set a schedule and a working space that signals that this is time to be productive and get work done. Make an appointment with yourself, shut off your phone to avoid distractions. If you can find a neutral location where other people are working that will inspire you to work as well. Also set deadlines in anticipation of the deliverable due dates set up by the faculty.
Donna Lubrano: www.unitedplanet.org
A student can beat procrastination by setting a schedule each week. I recommend that all students set aside 10 minutes on Monday to review their requirements and deliverables for the week and schedule time for reading and working on the assignments. Logging into the LMS regularly and staying engaged with course announcements will help students manage the demands. It takes self-discipline and time management tactics like using that calendar.
Dr. Kari Whaley: www.kariwhaley.com
2. What are the common pitfalls remote students fall into?
Students have not been adequately trained to learn online. Teachers spend 4-6 weeks at the beginning of every school year working to teach, model, and reinforce a classroom routine. This past spring we plucked students from their classrooms and dropped them into an entirely new environment without any instruction, modeling, or practice. Many had to learn new digital platforms/programs as well. And, let’s face it. Many parents weren’t much help!
Melissa Lowry: www.melissa-lowry-education-coaching.com
There are potential pitfalls for remote educators to consider. Many of the students we tutored this Spring found remote learning difficult or frustrating. Younger students and those with learning differences have specific challenges with remote learning as well, causing us to think creatively about how to curb distractions and stay engaged and productive while online. Teachers, understandably given how little time they had to transition, either stuck too closely to their previous curriculum as if nothing had changed, or abandoned all structure altogether.
Arash Fayz: www.latutors123.com
Too much comfort. This often leads students to procrastinate tasks since they are enjoying the comfort of their own home.
Aaron Simmons: www.testprepgenie.com
3. How can these pitfalls be overcome?
I found over years of frustration that all of these problems with procrastination and pitfalls can be solved with one simple thing. Teachers, make a video explaining how to do the homework! Don’t leave them guessing.
Show them.
Dr Scott: www.learnwithdrscott.com
4. What should tutors be aware of when moving to imparting education online?
Tutors ought to be able to tailor online instruction to each student’s specific learning style. Since many students do not know their dominant learning style(s), the tutor needs to be able to assess verbal and nonverbal signals to determine the way the student learns best and then modify strategies for remote application. The tutor should also be well-versed in online platforms that the student’s school uses as well as have an arsenal of tried and tested online resources to utilize to help each student excel.
Lindsey Wander: www.WorldWiseTutoring.com
5. Which subjects are best and worst suited for remote learning?
There are challenges for remote learning across all grades and subject areas. Additional challenges arise for any hands-on learning, such as doing science projects or using math manipulatives. Though, the majority of the remote learning challenges are not about the subject matter, but the other aspects of the learning environment, including engagement, informal and formal assessments, discipline, social emotional learning, assignments, basic student needs, group sizes, ages of students, special education, communication, feedback, technology, resources, and instruction.
Mary Stephens: www.prepforward.com
Interestingly, the ‘easiest’ subjects to teach online may not be the subjects most suited for online. Math, for example, can be demonstrated on a whiteboard on video and assignments tend to be individual, but that also doesn’t force the teacher to get creative the same way that a science teacher might need to in order to recreate hands-on activities. In general, the more interactive a lesson the better, so the more challenging subjects to teach tend to have an advantage, in a way, in that teachers have no choice but to find ways to innovate and make them interactive.
Jeff Pecor: www.tailwindpr.com
Learning programming works extremely well. As students type in their solutions into practice programs, they get immediate feedback. They iterate, try out different things. And end up with a solution. This immediate celebration is powerful and highly motivating.
Soft skills are usually considered a bit harder to learn remotely. However, that is not necessarily true as it is no problem anymore to create interactive and engaging learnings online.
Alexander Heinle: www.thelifecompany.com
6. What should tutors be aware of when moving to imparting education online?
Students are STRESSED. After one week of facilitating distance learning for
Palm Beach County public school students, we have seen increased anxiety
symptoms – tics, tears, obsessiveness – in almost half of the students we
support.
Ali Kaufman: www.myspaceofmind.com
Tutors need to remember that online students have the same variation in learning styles that are seen in the classroom. Some are auditory learners, some are visual learners, some need detailed explanations, some need checklists, etc. It is important for tutors to provide help in a variety of mediums – videos to explain concepts, samples of work to refer to, written summaries and instructions, and of course, face to face interaction (through virtual means). Tutors need to master the technology and have a back- up plan in place so that technical issues don’t prevent learning. We’ve had great success with “drop-in” tutoring labs at a set time each week, where students don’t need an appointment and can get questions answered and help with quantitative problems one on one. Knowing that they have an established option can be comforting to students and motivate them to attempt the homework before the tutoring session so they can get help if needed.
Susan C. Steffan: https://www.medaille.edu
They should not try to teach online the same way they teach in person. it has to be very engaging, interactive, and utilize appropriate edtech resources. Tutors should not try to fill up an entire hour – they have to work in smaller chunks and alternate activities. They should check for comprehension frequently, not just by asking any questions but by asking questions about the content or skill.
Aviva Ebner, Ph.D: www.compasscharters.org
