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In the face of the health emergency, director of the School of Education of the UCN delivers a series of recommendations to continue at home with the learning process of children and adolescents.
On March 15, it was announced that there were 75 positive cases of COVID-19 in the country, which led the authority to decree the suspension of classes in kindergartens, high schools and municipal and subsidized schools.
Since then, a plan was initiated so that students did not lose the learning processes, causing a real readjustment of family life. How to organize time?, Can you educate or teach the same contents that are studied in schools and colleges? A real challenge for students, parents and guardians who must maintain an educational routine inside the homes.
Faced with this scenario, the director of the School of Education of the Catholic University of the North (UCN), Nielka Rojas González, delivered a series of recommendations to maintain an educational space at home.
“We all have a responsibility to educate; The school and the family are the two great educational institutions that children and adolescents have to build themselves as citizens. In the context of global public health and the COVID-19 crisis that affects us, this gives us as families more time to continue advancing in this alliance of educating”, explains the UCN academic.
He adds that information is important at all family levels, especially to make known and explain why it is necessary to stay at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We must avoid over-information so that it does not generate uneasiness, especially in children and young people who may feel fear or anxiety. Therefore, they must know the situation in their level of understanding and in family take advantage of reinforcing aspects such as social responsibility, self-care, hygiene habits and keep busy in the day doing various activities, “says Nielka Rojas.
He also emphasizes that this time should not be considered as “vacations”: “they are times to learn, strengthen affectivity and share with family; You have to organize yourself so you don’t get bored, have patience in the face of the situation and maintain a positive attitude.”
At home, she recommends establishing flexible family routines in which time is considered for everything and everyone, as much as possible. “A flexible routine allows children and families to anticipate the actions of the day and, therefore, reduce anxiety about the contingency we live.”
In this aspect, it details a series of actions that must be combined for a good result. “It helps to adjust the times and generate plans with spaces to do the activities that the teachers are sending, with breaks to rest. It is important to be in communication with teachers, complementing with them, respecting sleep spaces, performing regular activities of the house and physical activities, having free time to encourage creativity. ”
In that line, it is an opportunity to set an example as parents who work from home. “Workstations can be implemented, that is, both students and their families who are working from home, establish schedules and workplaces within the house explicitly in order to respect and value everyone’s time and space,” emphasizes the academic.
The circumstances in which you must move forward with the contents go through the use of technology, so Nielka Rojas affirms that it is important to give it a pedagogical use and use it responsibly. Students should maintain communication with teachers to be attentive to directions and classes that can be scheduled in videoconference or seek information, but it is recommended to limit time in front of technology. An example of this is to control the use of video games and mobiles, among others, in order to encourage other tasks such as physical activities, manuals and being with family.
The planning of activities must be fulfilled, because it is designed with activities of interest to children and leads to develop new skills and cultivate others. “For example, we can agree in one day to get homeschooling up, read a story, discuss the story, help tidy up the house, eat, rest or play, watch a movie and share impressions … Surely everyone with their family can organize better every day.”
It is also important to have a clean and clear study space at home, which is free of distractors such as the television on, music, noise or cell phone in sight, which distract and can obstruct concentration.
Along with the platforms or virtual spaces that the educational authority has arranged, there are other applications or web pages that can support student learning.
Virtual spaces are an alternative to learn, for example, Aprendo en línea (https://aprendoenlinea.mineduc.cl/estudiante/621/w3-channel.html) is one of the spaces that the Ministry of Education of the Government of Chile has arranged to work from first grade to fourth half topics of mathematics and language and communication, also having resources for other subjects; textbooks to support self-employment; Digital library that allows you to download a variety of texts (https://bdescolar.mineduc.cl). Guidelines for preschool education (https://parvularia.mineduc.cl/recursoseducacionparvularia/) are also presented, ranging from recommendations for play-learning, promotion of basic skills, stories and recommendations for shared reading. The Mineduc will have a space on TV to promote learning from home.
Kanh academy (https://es.khanacademy.org) is another digital option that seeks deep and solid understanding in math, science, and more. There is a version that allows you to work without having access to the internet.
A math, English, and science game app can be Academons (http://bit.ly/Academons_Gratis); while to know the secrets of the Moon, the stars and the work of astronauts a good alternative may be to visit the page https://www.esa.int/kids/es/Home.
In https://sincopyright.com/museos-virtuales/ you will find access to virtual museums, which is a good didactic resource to explore great works and exhibitions.
Another option without a computer and internet is to advance curricularly with school textbooks and coordinate with the teacher to assign activities. Perform tasks that enhance language or language skills that can be promoted through reading, writing, communication, and others for the development of adaptability, flexibility, autonomy, self-regulation and social responsibility, which can be cultivated from conversations, reflections and games, etc., without forgetting the development or strengthening of affectivity within the family environment,which is paramount.