How To Study At Home
Here we go again; time to give home schooling another whirl!
Yep, we all thought that the first Lockdown back in April would be the one and only time we’d be forced to deal with “unprecedented times”. But we now have the trilogy no one wanted ; Lockdown 3.0.
Once again the government have closed schools, unless you’re a 6th year, but let’s be honest, that could change very quickly. So now you’re faced with home school, again.
You might be finding it difficult to take your education into your own hands and study at home. No one knows how long schools will stay closed for this time, so it’s very important that you learn to stay motivated.
Here are our tips on how to study at home:
Establish A Routine
One of the most important things to do when studying from home is to establish a routine. This doesn’t have to match exactly to your usual school routine but keeping a similar flow is a good idea. Wake up early, grab a shower, have breakfast, do the things you would usually do on a morning before heading to school.
During ‘school hours’, outline a timetable for yourself, or stick with the one you would have followed in school. If you have maths first thing on a Tuesday morning, then try to do maths first thing Tuesday morning, and so on.
Depending on your school’s situation some of you might be having lessons via Skype or online, this will help with your new routine. There may be days when you indulge in a lie-in or take an extra long break, don’t beat yourself up about it. Instead, put in the same hours you usually would in school. Start late? Finish later, and vice versa.
Get Dressed
It can be tempting to roll out of bed, slip into your dressing gown and chill like that all day whilst getting your school work done but this isn’t great for your mindset. Instead, change out of the pjs you were sleeping in, even if it’s just into a fresh set of pjs or loungewear. Making this change in ensemble will help you to separate your day.
Take Breaks
When you don’t have a bell ringing every 40 minutes to signal the ends of lessons, or announce lunch and break it can be easy to let time go by. Set alarms on your phone to remind you to take your break and lunch like you normally would at school. Even taking a few minutes between each subject to replicate the walk you’d usually take to each class will help you feel a bit more normal.
Set Up Your Environment
Lying on the sofa with books and notepad in tact whilst Friends blares in the background is tempting, I know, but it’s not very effective when studying from home in the long haul. If you have a desk set it up like you would have your desk at school. If you can, try have it in a room that isn’t your bedroom. If you are confined to your bedroom, face your desk away from the bed. This just helps you to separate your work space from where you sleep, allowing you to adapt the two different mindsets needed for these two very different activities.
Put Away Your Devices
You’ll more than likely need your laptop or iPad to access online teaching resources or join in on online lessons being offered from your school. However, your phone should be kept in a separate room when lessons are in session, just as it would usually be in your bag in class.
Socialise (Distantly)
To stop the spread of COVID-19 we all have to play our part in social distancing. It would be very counter productive for schools to shut, only for everyone to go hang out with their friends. So, instead of socialising face to face with your friends, use Skype, FaceTime or the traditional phone call to catch up with your friends. Fancy watching a movie with your pals but can’t? Try Netflix Party!
Use Resources Available To You
There are a lot of online resources available to students in Ireland. Sites like Scoil Net, Teach Net, and apps like Duolingo can be really helpful.