Online Learning Tips from Sevenstar Academy Students
- Posted by Ashley Barrick
- Categories How To, Online Learning
- Date February 16, 2024
Keeping up with the demands of online learning can be challenging for students—and it can be especially challenging for those students who have become accustomed to working in a more structured brick-and-mortar environment. In addition, every student is different, so learning strategies that work for some students may not work for others.
Sevenstar Academy has a diverse group of students from all over the world. Because of their diverse learning styles, cultural backgrounds, and other factors, students have tackled online learning in a variety of ways. Over the years, we’ve gathered many tips from students that they’ve shared in newsletters and student orientation sessions, reflecting a variety of learning styles and preferences.
What follows below are some of the highlights from those many tips we’ve gathered over the years. Whether you’re a student who’s new to online learning, a parent looking for ways to support your child, or an educator who seeks to understand learning from a student’s perspective, these tips are a great place to glean ideas on how to make online learning a successful experience.
Create a School Schedule
“Schedules are very important. They help you maintain a moderate load of work, proper rest and breaks—and of course, recess. Also, remember that at a traditional school we used to have an alarm and bells. . . . To imitate this, you can use an alarm system.”
“Start the day with a list of tasks to complete. Start school at a specific time. I try to start school at 8:00 a.m. These methods have helped me adapt to being an online student.”
“Just because you can do school anywhere with the internet does not mean you should. For maximum productivity, cultivating a good school environment is critical.”
Cultivate a Productive School Environment
“Online school is wonderful because you can do it anywhere. I have done homework in off periods during my job, in airports across Europe, in hotels, at my friend’s house, etc. However, just because you can do school anywhere with the internet does not mean you should.
“For maximum productivity, cultivating a good school environment is critical. Unlike any brick-and-mortar school, you can build your own environment. I suggest finding an area that you work well in. Natural lighting, minimal distractions, and a clean workstation all help. Personally, I do school in my dining room. I used to do school in my room, but I ended up getting lonely and getting distracted with my things and sometimes my music. Identify what you need in your school environment to be productive, and then build your environment based on these things.”
Accountability
“Setting goals, planning out your weeks and days, and having accountability are all really good methods to avoid getting behind. Having a reason to want to finish school and making your goal to get it done is really helpful. I’ll write my week plan on the weekends and then my day plan the night before. I also run these plans by my parents. They help make sure I’m actually getting my schoolwork finished. For example, I’m really scared of tests and if it were up to me, I would just procrastinate them all to the end of the week, but my parents help me not do this. So accountability has been really helpful for me.”
Take Notes
“Another key tip for online schooling is taking notes. Taking notes helps you study for quizzes and review, and it’s more beneficial than going back to the lessons and saying, ‘Well, where did I see it?’. Keep your notes simple and concise, with what you think is very key to remember.”
“Setting goals, planning out your weeks and days, and having accountability are all really good methods to avoid getting behind.”
Dress for Success
“Yes, the allure of doing school in your pajamas is seductive; however, it translates into a continually sleepy mindset. Getting ready in the morning will help put you in a better mood.”
Take Advantage of Flexibility
“There is a lot of independence that you get with online schooling, and while that does have some downsides if you’re undisciplined, there are also upsides to having that amount of independence. You should take advantage of your online schooling! For example, if you’re very stressed out, or you just don’t get a concept, you can take a walk in between [lessons] to calm yourself down. That’s something that you can’t do with traditional school.”
Find Your Learning Style
“It is kind of up to you to figure out what techniques and strategies work best for you, because every single one of us is different and has different needs and circumstances. I would suggest you try out techniques and tips. . . . It will take a lot of time, but in the end it will definitely be worth it.”
Stay on Pace
“One of the hardest things about the transition to online school is managing your own pace. Do your best to stay on track with your classes. When I started online school, I got pretty behind, and catching up was hard. If possible, avoid getting behind—it saves you a lot of stress.”
Conclusion
Online learning can pose new challenges to students, as they learn to take more responsibility and embrace independent learning. While a brick-and-mortar school provides a more rigid structure that must be followed by all students, online learning allows individual students to customize their environments, and to discover the learning strategies that help them learn best. So take the time to consider each of these tips, and think about how you can apply them to your own unique learning environment.