Article written by Pamoja Teacher, Zena Taha Bjorgen
For more than a decade, Pamoja Education has been a leading educational organization specialized in online learning. Online learning with Pamoja places the student at the centre of the learning process, and the goal is for the students to become independent in their learning.
Some of the challenges of learning online is motivation and staying disciplined. We understand that many students may struggle with these challenges, and we believe parents can help.
For all of our current and future parents, this article is for you. We put together a few tips to help you stay involved in your child’s online learning and to encourage them to stay motivated.
- Remember the Pamoja Academic Week. Pamoja’s academic week starts and ends on Tuesday at 11:59pm GMT. All assigned reading and activities are due by Tuesday. Some students plan their work to be completed during the weekend. Communicate any family plans for upcoming weekends with your child in advance. This will give the student a chance to make changes to their studying schedule.
- Engage with your student about recent classroom discussions. Many of our Pamoja online courses include discussion activities within the weekly assigned work. Ask them about their recent discussion topics and their contribution. A big part of the learning happens in the classroom discussions so it may be worth to learn what they have discovered!
- Encourage the student to attend a live lesson. Ask your student about the last time they attended a live lesson. If it has been a couple of months, then it has been too long! Attending live lessons helps students stay motivated as they connect with the teacher and other students in their class. Isolation is one limitation of online learning and staying connected helps. If the student isn’t able to attend a live lesson, remind them to watch the recording. Follow up with them and ask them to reflect.
- Use your parent access to Pamoja Platform to stay informed about what your child is learning. From the parent’s view, you can access all course material and upcoming assignments. In addition, you are able to check on the student’s progress and grades to date. Many submitted assignments receive detailed feedback. Ask your child about their teacher’s feedback. Help them focus on their weakness points and to reach out to their teacher for further questions. Any missing or late submissions? A conversation to find out why would help them stay on track.
- Be willing to provide supervision and oversight for testing. Ask your child if they would like for you to supervise any upcoming exams. Many of our exams are taken at home from the comfort of the student’s room. It may help the student if someone is keeping time and supervising them while taking their exam so they get the full experience. This will help the students to practice taking final exams that must be invigilated.
Pamoja Education recognises the important role that parents play in a student’s education. We hope you find these tips helpful and empowering as you guide your students in their online learning.
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