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Student Wellbeing
Student Wellbeing
On top of the disruption of having to leave the campus prematurely/staying on campus with a very small student community, moving to a different mode of education may add another element of stress.
While distance learning mediated by technology offers may exciting opportunities, it also offers some potential pitfalls. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the wellbeing of the student remains a priority.
The graphic next to this text from our colleagues at UWC South East Asia offers some very simple and useful tips.
Digital Citizenship
Digital Citizenship
You all know that there are certain basic rules for online communication - we talked about them in mentor groups. Here’s a reminder:
Some tips for parents or guardians from our school counsellor
Some tips for parents or guardians from our school counsellor
When supporting children or teenagers in this situation, it is crucial to:
1. Consider that our wellbeing is strictly intertwined with our relationships and connections. This is especially true for children and adolescents since they are influenced by what happens around them. Therefore: a. if we, as adults and caregivers, can keep a confident enough attitude in this situation, this can be reassuring for them (naturally this implies that we should be able to take care of our own wellbeing); b. cultivating interactions even if online can be an additional help.
2. Listen and recognise that we are all going through a difficult situation and give honest and open answers to their questions.
3. Connect (and invite to connect) regularly and give (honestly) the perception that life goes on even if in a different way. Human nature is elastic. We can continue to learn, to speak, to share experiences even if in a limited way.
4. Consider and say that routines and boundaries help. Therefore it is essential to make plans, get some exercise if possible, get enough sleep.
5. Be elastic and understanding towards our challenges, difficulties and failures. Forgive ourselves and/but keep/ing in mind that ultimately we are responsible for our own choices and decisions.
6. Be curious about ourselves and especially about our irregularities and imperfections. We need them! Also in this situation there are things that we can learn and discover. Life never stops to surprise us as long as we are available to listen and explore.
7. Ask for help if necessary. Don't feel alone. Talking and processing our experiences with the support of a professional can be extremely important!
Finally, here's a link from which you can get some more information.
Parents' Ultimate Guide to Google Classroom
Parents' Ultimate Guide to Google Classroom
This webpage from Common Sense Media is a great introduction to Google Classroom for parents who want to know more about the tool.
Remote Learning Etiquette
Remote Learning Etiquette
1. Be on time.
1. Be on time.
Punctuality is especially important for online meetings, because we are working in the absence of normal checks to ensure that everyone can be gathered to start classes on time.
2. Wear proper clothing
2. Wear proper clothing
Learning from the comfort of your room can make it feel desirable to dress down, but we want to make sure we are looking presentable and professional for each other, just like we do at school. It it is our expectation that you dress in a way that is modest, clean, and avoids any unnecessary distraction.
Unless you are ill, you will be expected to share your screen through video in order to engage in discussion, so please dress well. Sleepwear and anything that could be perceived as immodest should be avoided. If you have any questions about proper clothing, have a conversation with your toon parents. It’s always better to be overdressed.
3. Choose a good location.
3. Choose a good location.
As you plan for online lessons, it will be important to think through an ideal location. The most important thing is to have a clean and non-distracting background. If you must work in your room, make sure the bed or decorations are not prominent in the background. If possible, set up a desk with materials ready and a neutral background.
4. Mute yourself if you experience unavoidable background noise.
4. Mute yourself if you experience unavoidable background noise.
If noise becomes a problem in what you thought was a quiet space, please mute your audio. Try to do this sooner rather than later, and either ask room mates to move or else move yourself.
If it’s impossible to find a quiet place in your current scenario, it’s still important for you to attend the meeting. Just mute yourself for the whole time, except when called on, and let your teacher know by a private chat message what the situation is.
5. Taking pictures of the classroom
5. Taking pictures of the classroom
Many students feel uncomfortable about pictures being taken while everyone is on screen and sending them around privately. Please don't.
6. Be ready to take notes.
6. Be ready to take notes.
While teachers may have different instructions in different subjects and scenarios, online meetings aim to condense the time that everyone is present together.
So in many cases it will be beneficial for you to be able to jot down a note on the instructions the teacher is giving or important information he or she is sharing with you. While you can always ask later by email or another means of communication, or check the recording of the video, this can be time consuming. It will often be helpful to be on the look-out during the meeting for what you need to know to complete the next assignment well.
7. Give your full, focused attention.
7. Give your full, focused attention.
It goes without saying that giving your focused attention is one of the best things you can do to learn efficiently. However, when on an online meeting it may be tempting to use another device or engage with someone or something else in your surroundings rather than the meeting that you are a participant in.
Giving eye contact to the screen is a good way to show your instructor that you are attending, unless of course you are taking notes. Side conversations with other students via another means of communication are definitely off limits. Show respect to the learning process that you are engaged in during the Google meeting, just as you would if you were present in person with your whole class.
8. Be more careful with your words
8. Be more careful with your words
So much of our communication is built on presence with a person, including our truly incredible ability to read facial expressions and other non-verbals. We can’t always articulate what we are reading in another person’s countenance, but it informs the tone and temperature of our interactions with others in ways we don’t even realize.
9. Check your email regularly.
9. Check your email regularly.
There are a few reasons that checking your email regularly will be important. First, your teachers will be emailing you assignments, instructions, and links to online meetings.
While they will try to keep the schedule they have announced, it is always possible that a teacher could experience a disruption of some kind that requires them to reschedule. Checking your email ensures that you will receive these notices in a timely manner and be able to adjust your schedule for the day.
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