How we’re keeping children motivated – RISE
Motivation – the latest concern for homeschoolers in the coronavirus pandemic
When schools were closed on 20th March and the country entered lockdown, few of us could have imagined we’d still be valiantly trying to home school our children 10 weeks later.
With this unprecedented amount of time away from the routine and environment of their schools, many parents have seen children’s motivation plummet and their engagement and interest in school work fizzle out. Of course, this raises serious concern about regression.
Indeed, research shows that even just over the 6-week summer holiday, children shift back in their academic ability and lose skills and knowledge. But it also raises the question – will this loss of motivation and interest carry over when children do eventually return to school? How will they cope with the return?
Many schools are trying to keep children following subject content by sending work to be completed remotely. But many parents have found that without interaction with a teacher, their children are not engaging in their schoolwork, are not completing it to the best of their ability or are not sure how to complete it at all.
Without structured face-to-face teaching, whereby teachers can give direction, explanation and encouragement, as well as monitor learning and provide ongoing feedback, it is understandable that children are becoming disengaged.
Younger children have not yet developed the skills needed to learn and work independently and, as many parents have seen, older children quickly fall out of the learning environment and find other things to do.
Another motivational factor that many children are missing is being among their peers and learning together. Of course, one of the main reasons why many children can’t wait to get back to school is to see their friends. But being in the company of peers can also have many academic benefits.
Researchers have found that group learning promotes the development of key higher-order skills, including reasoning, critical thinking and decision making.
At VAKS, we are using our 18 years of experience to break through the challenges that the Covid-19 situation is presenting. Our interactive online teaching is expertly designed to motivate students, targeting four key dimensions of school life that they are greatly missing (RISE):
- Routine: timetabled weekly lessons in maths, English and science as well as additional complementary classes
- Interaction: our face-to-face online sessions are led by our specialist tutors – students can see and hear them, ask questions and receive feedback
- Social aspects: we teach in small groups so that children retain the joy of learning together and can interact with peers
- Engagement: we draw on a range of interactive resources and techniques to engage, inspire and motivate our students in every session
Our expert programmes in the core subjects align with the national curriculum, so we can ensure that our students enter the next academic year with the necessary knowledge, skills and confidence. We also provide specialist 11+ tutoring specific to GL and CEM as well as independent school specifications, aimed to give children the best chance of success in upcoming 11+ exams.
Call our friendly team on 0800 404 8172 to discuss how we can help you and to book a FREE trial session.