A poor learning environment brings down the student’s motivation to learn, and this is one of the main reasons why several students prefer learning at home instead of attending a regular school in India.
What is Home-Based Learning?
Home-based learning (often referred to as Homeschooling), is an educational alternative where students, instead of going to a regular – public or private school/institution, pursue learning right from the comfort of their homes.
A home-based learning environment has an unbeatable advantage over the regular school classrooms. Because even its curriculum can be tailored as per the student’s learning preference. And has enough scope of modifications as per the specific requirements of the students.
Since a student’s home setting becomes a full-fledged learning space, it is up to the parents to create a learning-rich environment for their children.
The easiest way to create this sort of learning environment at home is to enroll the child in a virtual schooling platform. But if you wish to manage your child’s education all on your own, follow the below-mentioned points to make the most of the home-based learning advantage.
Tips to cultivate a learning-rich environment at home:
1. Go by the child’s interests
Your child’s interests matter more than anything else!
Before you plan the detailed aspects of home-based learning, jot down the interests of your child. See what all goes well with the child. Because each child has a different set of skills and an individual learning style.
All this has a major impact on a student’s learning capacity, including the level of information retention.
For instance, some kids like mixed instructions (audio and video, etc.), while the others prefer more hands-on activities. These individual preferences yield better learning outcomes. So make sure that you curate the right resources to develop a good learning environment.
2. A happy yet distraction-free learning environment
During home-based learning, several students get distracted easily. It can be either because of gadgets or due to the general noise in the house (like the doorbell, music, etc.) A noisy home ambiance can reduce the child’s learning capacity.
So make sure you create the right learning environment that is free from external distractions.
Simple material like scattered books, toys, writing utensils can create a chaotic situation in the learning area. So make sure you keep the study corner, tidy, neat, and clutter-free, all the time. Teach the child the importance of staying organized. And let him/her help you in maintaining a distraction-free environment.
Online school students have fixed timings for virtual classes. But even if you are managing through the classes provided by traditional schools, get the study corner equipped before the child sits for studies. All the necessary supplies should be handy for the student. And he/she should be well-fed and comfortable at the study corner.
Make this corner appealing by using wall stickers, motivational quotes, etc. And see how your child enjoys studying in this learning-rich environment.
3. The learning station schedule
A motivating learning environment has a ‘Make-or-Break’ effect on the student’s performance. Create a functional learning environment that is backed by a realistic day plan/schedule.
You can follow the footsteps of the best online schools. And chalk out a plan that mixes all the subjects uniformly across the days of the week.
Always devote time as per the child’s mastery over the particular content/topic. But make sure that the duration, sequence, and selection of topics are balanced to keep the child purposefully engaged.
Use strategies like microlearning to break down course content into smaller and easily understandable parts. Schoolwork, supplementary reading, and leisure duration everything should be pre-planned in advance.
4. Promote autonomy and independent learning habits
If you promote autonomy from an early age, your child will learn how to carry on studies even in your absence. Try to make your child a responsible and independent learner. And follow the thumb rule of guiding instead of doing things yourself.
Do you know that an online student enrolled in a 100% online school tends to become an independent learner over a period of time?
It is because homeschooling design allows a student to have more control over his/her learning. Which makes the student self-dependent and more responsible for his/her education.
So focus on promoting autonomy and securing your child’s future by nurturing good habits in the growing stages. Fireless cooking, dressing, undressing, personal hygiene, clearing the study table, and setting up books can give a lot of meaningful experiences to your child.
5. Other activities
Children are creative and curious by nature. Free time can be used effectively to develop their skills (like high-order thinking, fine and gross motor, etc.). Besides, these can also be great stress busters for students after the study duration.
Leisure activities are ideal to foster time management skills. These extra activities are also helpful in developing skills that are crucial for workforce success later in life.
So, a good environment can truly enhance your learning experience at home.
Your home-based learning environment (with or without an online school) can be super fun and fruitful. Through careful planning and mindful execution, it is possible to create a learning-rich environment for your loved one. Now that the world has embraced homeschooling, it’s time to brush up your skills to make the most of these opportunities.
