Supporting continuity of learning

A positive and an engaging environment encourages children as theyfeel supported for learning at home. What is it that you as parents can do specifically, to support continuity of learning for children of different age groups is suggested below. Adopting these practices will help in keeping children engaged, demonstrate your interest in their studies and conveyto them your keen ness to support them.

Become aware of the learning goals of your child

Learning outcomes have been laid down for every class and every subject. Discuss with the teacher the learning goals and standards that are expected of your child, in simple language. This is the beginning point of your participation in your child’s home-based learning. Find out the basic resources you need for ensuring the achievement of these learning outcomes, such as textbooks, work sheets, e-content (if you have digital devices). It is important to find out that your child is actually learning, therefore, discuss with the teacher if there are anysimple learning assessment tools that you can use to assess their learning progress.

You are already their teacher

As a parent or care giver,you can support children’s learning even ifyou are not a trained teacher or have basic literacy skills. . Remind your child that they are still a school student, even if the school is closed. For a few minutes every day, starting with 20-30 minutes, sit with your child and discuss what they were learning in school. Ask about the learning resources they have received, follow up with the teacher if the child is not receiving learning materials. Request for printed materials in case the family does not have access to digital tools. This will help them feel positive about the future and ready to return back to school assoon as they reopen.

Keep learning simple

Your children may have access to learning materials through books, radio, television, or the internet. Aside from learning materials, you can help children learn in many other ways. Talk to your children about your daily tasks. Share positive memories from your own childhood. Explain what you liked to learn atschool or from your own parents or other family members. Play counting or number games, word games, read-aloud stories, invent new games or songs or discuss a big idea like what if or talk about a family tradition, make a family tree, write the family history, talk about the history of the village.

Talk to your child

Encourage your child to talk to you and discuss what he/she is learning. Children are picking up a lot of new knowledge and have gathered information on many new topics including COVID-19. In case you are unable to address their questions, contact the teachers and ask for their support.

Children learn from children

Encourage older siblings to explain concepts and topics to younger siblings. This supports joint problem solving and reinforces learning for both. Encourage children to work on a task together. For example – draw a map of the village, mark all important landmarks such as school, health centre, Anganwadi centre, police station; list the vegetables and crops grown in the village. Then ask them to explain what each of these institutions is meant for or talk about agriculture.

Be aware and vigilant

Asfar as possible, ensure children are not involved in any household work during their designated time to learn and that girls get equal opportunityto continue learning. An adult must always try to be with young children when they are engaged in their learning activities. As far as possible, a designated space that issafe and ventilated may be made available for children fortheirlearning activities. If the family has digital tools that can be shared with children, then make these available at a fixed time so that children can access their learning resources. Keep children safe online by using tech fixesin your home and involving children in creating family practices around healthy device use. Spend time with your child when they go online. Also, make them aware of privacy issues, cyber bullying, etc. The PRAGYATA Guidelines for digital education issued by the Ministry may be referred to in this regard.

 Parents as partners with teachers

Connect with the teacher regularly and share updates about your child. Inform the teacher about whatyour child islearning and any areas that your child needs additional support, also talk about your child’s well-being. Inform the teacher if the child has any special educational needs or disabilities. Ask teachers to share with you any educational videos, online resources that you can share with your child.

For working parents

There may be a situation where both parents are working and no adults are there for supervising children and children may have to be left alone at home. In such situations, as a parent,you may want to consider the following

• Is your child physically and mentally able to care for himself or herself?
• Is she/he willing to stay alone in your absence?
• Does he/she knowwhomto contact/how to contact in case of emergency
• Does your child obey rules and make good decisions?
• How does your child respond to unfamiliar or stressful situations?
• Does your child feel comfortable or fearful about being home alone?

Ensure the safety of home and neighbourhood, teach your child how to contact you, how to raise alarm in case of emergency.

In such situations, inform the school teachers and community volunteers if any, to supervise the children. In rural areas, families often support each otherin taking care of children.

In this period of Covid-19, which is declared as a global pandemic, our teachers, parents, and students have to remain at home to prevent its spread in the community. In this situation, it is our responsibility to provide them with multiple alternative ways of learning at home through interesting activities. It is necessary because in the present environment of stress we have to not only keep our children busy but also to maintain continuity of their learning in their new classes. In this context, NCERT has developed an Alternative Academic Calendar for all the stages of school education.

Please find the link to the NCERT alternative academic calendar Here.

Source : Ministry of Education