Impacts of distance learning on high schoolers
As featured in Montana Parent Magazine
The effects of the coronavirus pandemic continue to disrupt our daily lives. With cases back on the rise, it looks like this may continue for quite some time. And as we all focus on staying afloat financially during this time, our kids are experiencing quite a disruption of their own. They are quarantined at home and unable to socialize with their peers which is a hugely important task of the developmental stage of adolescence. In addition, the mode of delivery of their education has changed in an unprecedented way. Distance learning has drastically changed the way our kids learn and it is fitting for us to make adjustments in our support and expectations of them to guide them through this turbulent time. For this article, I will focus on how this can best be done with high school age students.
Although it isn’t often stated, one of the major pieces of learning that happens in high school is social learning. In high school, teens have formed an identity around their role as students and this is intertwined with their social identity. Distance learning separates this to a large extent and much of the motivation for engaging in school goes away when their peers aren’t involved. I suspect this is a major reason that many students struggled to keep up toward the end of the last school year. What distance learning has created is a system in which the regular reward system normally inherent to school is absent.
To address this obstacle, it is important to do two things:
1. Empathize and identify the difference and what feels like it is missing.
2. Implement a new system of incentives to create renewed motivation to engage in this new way of learning.
As for empathy, this is always important anytime we see someone in our lives struggling. This is best created when we genuinely go through the process of understanding what makes something difficult. In this case, take a moment to think about the time in between classes, hallway conversations, lunchtime gatherings, and after school activities that are a big part of the high school experience. Without these, school just becomes a job. Wake up, get on a computer, complete assignments. This is what adults do. Of course, this is good preparation for becoming an adult, but keep in mind that high schoolers are still preparing for this. They are not yet ready, nor are they supposed to be, to take on responsibility like this. Make sure to spend time in this space of empathy. If you don’t believe it, ask them. Then, be sure not to dismiss what you hear. It is important!
The other part is to create a new system of incentives. This can be done in a number of ways considering the flexibility that comes with distance learning. Some options include mixing in some fun time between work, maybe even playing video games with friends. Work with your teen to create a new schedule that includes breaks, some that may even include social time. A phone call, video chat, or video game time with friends may be appropriate. As you do this, make sure to be specific about the time slots for each activity and be ready to enforce them. In school after the bell rings, they’re tardy. It is important for it to be the same at home, otherwise these breaks can take over and little work will be done. Also, help them to understand that, if they work hard early in the day, they may finish early and have more time to do what they want. Just be sure to check on their progress to let them know they won’t get away with slacking off or getting behind. Discipline comes with age and it isn’t fair to expect most teens to stick to a schedule without enforcement.
There is a quote I really like, “Prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child.” If you let your teen use distance learning as an excuse for not completing their school work, they will get used to thinking that obstacles mean they can stop trying. Instead, listen about what’s hard so you can understand and empathize. Then, help make a plan so that they can overcome this obstacle. This will help set a precedent that life’s struggles are both valid and able to be worked through. What a great lesson to be learned so early in life!