The world has been going through unprecedented, challenging times over the last several weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic. Our collective psyche has been shaken and many of us have felt panic and uncertainty set in as we see our lifestyles drastically change. The education sector has also been faced with a great deal of shocks to the system, including the cancellation of GCSE and A-Level exams in the UK and the postponing of university admissions tests such as the ACT and SAT. Schools all around the world are struggling to make the transition to online learning as teaching large groups of students remotely is a challenge that most schools have never faced before. Having spoken to many families across different schools, the trend is clear: the situation is increasingly difficult for school teachers during this time, and students are often seeing less hours of classes, less class engagement, and less class assignments to support their learning. Families are unsure of how to deal with this entire situation. It is indeed a lot to process.
However, every cloud has a silver lining. The students who remain proactive in this self-quarantine time are the ones that will come out of this challenging situation as the real winners. With inevitably more time on their hands due to the lack of in-person social distractions and less intense schooling, students can use this period to continue to truly learn and prepare themselves for the time when this pandemic will eventually cease. This includes learning new, valuable skills outside of the classroom that they previously did not think they had time for and that would also be highly beneficial for their university applications. Indeed, several of the families that I work with have taken this proactive approach and students are continuing to work hard during this period of uncertainty as they wish to remain positive and make the most of the extra time they have.
Students, the world is still your oyster and now is the time to truly reflect and make the most of the increased spare time afforded to you by this pandemic. Seize the moment and stay ahead of the curve!
As a wider society, we should all be adopting a positive approach to our current situation of working/studying and living from home. It is critical for our mental health, particularly if this situation continues for the foreseeable future and/or if we encounter a second wave of this virus down the line. Fortunately, technology allows a lot of studying to be done online and there are plenty of learning resources and extra support that students can access outside of just school. As many students will unfortunately likely remain idle and stagnate in this period through lack of school supervision and a general lack of motivation, it presents a real opportunity for those proactive students to stay ahead of the curve and enter the next academic year at the forefront of their year group. Here are some suggested ways that students can spend their self-quarantine time productively:
Seek online support of private tutors and academic counsellors to continue to advance a student's learning through individually-tailored sessions
Leverage general online learning platforms such as the Khan Academy who provide free online material on a wide range of subjects
Learn a new language through online platforms such as DuoLingo
Learn computer coding - Python is a great introductory programming language
Learn a new musical instrument through online tutorials provided by companies such as Udemy
For my students in particular, this all means spending the increased time they have now to really buckle down and prepare for critical university admissions tests such as the SAT and ACT, bolster their Mathematics and Physics skills, and prepare for their university applications. Fortunately, I have had plenty of experience over the last several years to deliver my services online with my students who live outside of London, leveraging tools such as graphics tablets and shared Google documents. Working one-on-one also has a real benefit in this online world as it allows for far more focused work with a student versus large online school classes, where it is often difficult to keep every student's focus for longer periods of time.
So, my overall message is for everyone to remain as positive as possible in this undeniably challenging environment. Students, the world is still your oyster and now is the time to truly reflect and make the most of the increased spare time afforded to you by this pandemic. Seize the moment! And to everyone out there, please stay safe and keep healthy. We will all get through this together.
Integra Education is an educational services firm specialising in the provision of US & UK university admissions counselling, SAT/ACT test preparation and Mathematics & Physics tutoring.
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