09 Sep 2021
“My child is really distracted. How can I help them focus on school during lockdown?”
We have been receiving questions like this since ACT public schools moved to remote learning, particularly from the families of students with a disability or additional needs.
So we asked the Education Directorate’s Student Engagement Executive Branch Manager, Sam Seton, to come up with a few suggestions to help.
Ms Seton acknowledges that lockdown can be tough, and what may work for one family may not necessarily work for another. But she says there are some tips that are worth trying.
“We recommend having as many routines as you can, so your child knows what to expect, when to expect it, and it’s the same thing every day,” she said.
“It makes your life easier and helps them structure their day and understand what is going to happen next.”
Ms Seton said that an ordinary kitchen egg timer can be surprisingly helpful.
“If there’s an expectation your child is going to do five minutes on a task, why not use an egg timer or a clock on an iPad, to tell your child how long they need to remain on that task,” she explained.
Other recommendations include thinking about where you have set up your home learning space and asking whether it’s free from distraction – like the TV.
“For some of our younger kids, wearing a school uniform can help. Sometimes our children need help to know that this is school time, and it’s different from home time,” Ms Seton said.
We’ve just turned these suggestions into a new set of Frequently Asked Questions, and added them to the Education Directorate’s remote learning webpage. Click on the dropdown menu called Students with a Disability or Additional Needs.
Ms Seton said if you’re finding remote learning tricky it’s important to connect with your child’s teacher.
“Don’t be afraid to let them know it’s not working for you at home. Sometimes the strategies that have worked in the classroom don’t work as well at home,” she said.
Teachers can add flexibility into remote learning schedules which may help a student who’s struggling to focus.
“It might be that teachers can build some learning activities into your child’s household chores,” said Ms Seton.
“If your child helps stack the dishwasher then they can count the plates. If you walk with your child, and they are working on colour groupings, they might count how many red cars they see. There are lot of ways to include education in daily life.”