Make the Most Out of Your Home-Based Learning Experience

Following the implementations of stricter rules during this Circuit Breaker period, all schools and most tuition centres have turned to home-based learning. As students, you’ve gone through e-learning before, but it wasn’t as long as this. Suffice to say; this experience might seem a little too daunting, especially if you’re sitting for a national examination this year and missing out on your regular JC physics tuition classes!

However, it is possible to thrive even when you’re far away from your teachers and tutors. If you want to make the most out of your home-based learning journey, then you're in the right place!

Tidy up your study corner

You’ll probably spend most of your time studying at your desk, so it should be conducive and should be kept to an organised mess.

Meaning, it won’t take you a long time to locate your materials. Make sure that your materials and other tools are accessible and clearly displayed. As you’re working with a laptop, have a plug nearby so that you can quickly charge it when it’s running out of battery. Having a neat and organised desk can have a positive effect on you. Meanwhile, a messy desk is more likely to impact your stress levels and concentration.

Have a timetable

When in school, you’re accustomed to a fixed structure, so, establishing a routine at home is just as important as it gives you a sense of clarity and stability as you navigate your way through studying at home.

Consider your timeline as a guideline for your day, so whatever you include should be accomplished! Since it’s a guideline, you wouldn’t want to overfill or underfill it. If you cram too many tasks in a day, then it’ll eventually build up which could leave you feeling stressed out – which beats the purpose of a timetable. So, be realistic when planning your timetable!

Set goals and objectives

It’s good to have a goal to work towards. For example, if you’re weak in Kinematics, then your goal would be to improve your understanding of that.

Plan the steps needed in order to accomplish the goal. Following the previous example, it could be requesting additional questions from that topic from your tutor so you can clarify your misconceptions during physics tuition. This way, you’d be able to have a purposeful home-based learning experience.

Preparations when online learning

Treat your online learning sessions the same way you treat an on-site class by upholding basic etiquettes such as punctuality and preparedness. To make the experience as seamless as possible, here’s a guideline.

• Before the lesson starts

Enter your virtual classroom at least 10 minutes before the lesson. Make sure all your lesson materials and stationery are within reach. Upon logging in, check that your camera and microphone are working. Of course, you need to have a stable internet connection as well!

• Once the lesson has commenced

Mute and unmute your microphone when necessary and follow the lesson plan accordingly.

• After the lesson

Now is the time to clarify your questions with your teachers! Also, check if there is anything you need to prepare for the following lesson. It’s also essential that you evaluate your learning by trying out some questions to see if you fully understood what was being taught.

Conclusion

At home, you have more freedom to decide how you want to spend your time but know that your actions have consequences! So if you’re spending your time meaningfully and productively, we’re sure that this will reflect in your academic journey too. This home-based learning experience allows you to rise forward to take the initiative in your education. Of course, you have your teachers, tutors and parents with you but ultimately, it’s up to you how you want to spend your time. Through identifying your weaknesses and working towards overcoming them, we hope you’ll grow to be independent learners.