What We Have Learnt About Learning Online

When you load up your online class, are you tired? Whether your a morning person or a night owl, being ready means preparation. When you learn face-to-face at school, at tutoring or even music or sports practice you need to travel somewhere. In the commute it takes you to get there you’re probably using that time to wake-up and think about whether you’ve got yourself together. Learning is a time when your mind is being introduced to new things. Learning requires you to be ready.

So what are some things you could do to continue this habit? 

1.  If you’re waking up for a morning class, be ready 1 hour before. Plan your sleep schedule so you have time to do your morning routine and properly wake-up physically and mentally for your class.

2. If you’ve got a class midday or in the afternoon/evening that you can’t stay awake for, think about why. Have you been looking after yourself? Eating healthy and exercise helps but its important you talk about it to someone you trust. If a subject is becoming difficult and you’re losing interest, or you’d just rather be somewhere else, take some time to reflect and figure out the issue and start taking steps to work out a solution. Put your mind and face the problem head on and when you’re all out of ideas reach out to someone who can help.

3. Start thinking about your time and how you are spending it. Energy is a resource and as a student you need to consider what you can do to use it when you need it most. If you’re tired from studying late nights, think about what you could do to make the process more efficient so you have time to sleep. Relaxing is a good way to feel energeised, but if you’re relaxing with problems you should be attending to, you’ll likely feel more drained out overall. 

4. Think about your goals and targets. The cliche that hard work pays off is true, but remember, you need to be working towards what you want to be doing. As a student you might not know the answer, but you can definitely start planning some goals. Whether its to finish your homework so you have time to browse the internet, or prepare for your exam so you can achieve high marks, both are goals that will motivate you to complete what you are doing. We recommend reflecting and thinking about what goals you are setting, if you don’t have any academic goals, try fit at least a few in that mean a lot to you and start from there to build this strong habit. 

Watching movies, browsing facebook or instagram and even reading articles online are all new ways people are consuming content with the help of technology.

Will we ever return to just books, pen and paper? Most likely no.

With online classes being the norm for almost the past two years now, there’s been a lot of developments in the way content is delivered and consumed for all subjects. With how easy it is today to access technology and browse and learn about nearly anything, it is as useful as it is dangerous.

Online learning is convenient, but it can easily become something that works against you. It is important to keep things basic and return to fundamentals, as these things will help you navigate the new.

Commit yourself to your class. Exercising self-control is important and will help you in the long term stay focused and involved in what you are doing. It is easier than ever to simply have your phone open or talk to your friends on social media during lesson time with no one there to stop you. If you are distracted, recognise that there is a problem and start to work out ways to exercise self-control. If your friends message you you can talk to them briefly but then say you’ll continue the conversation after class or school. If you’re reading about something unrelated, write it down somewhere and return to it when you have free time. The truth is, having self-control really means you are able to control yourself, and if you can’t do this, start taking steps to improve it.