With the new Phase 2 Heightened Alerts measures undertaken in Singapore, schools and tuition centres have been closed due to a large number of community cases happening. Let us see how you can prepare your child for Home-Based Learning in this guide on How to Prepare for Homeschooling.
According to the Straits Times, Home-based learning will begin from May 19 until May 28 when the school term ends and this applies to all primary, secondary and junior college, Millennia Institute and special education schools students.
What is going to happen to the mid-year national examinations?
The mid-year GCE O Level and A Level mother tongue examinations will continue to proceed as planned with strict safety management measures in place.
1 – Planning and scheduling
It may be a short two weeks of HBL before the term ends, it is encouraged to plan and schedule every day to prepare your child for Home-Based learning.
It is to ensure your child does not fall behind during these two weeks.
Every school has a different plan for their students and Home Based Learning assignments can be based on:
1. E-learning (online assignments through Student Learning Space or other learning platforms)
2. Email messages (notes, worksheets through email)
3. Hard Copy assignments (worksheets or textbooks)
HBL to a certain extent is much more flexible than attending physical school hence, it is good to be aware of what your child is tasked to do during their HBL week to keep them on track.
Parents are highly encouraged to establish a timetable or learning structure with your child and incorporate break times for your child to get a breather from school.
(Source: The Straits Times)
2 – Tuition
With the June holidays coming and the sudden announcement of school and tuition centre closures, the graduating students might be caught in a tighter spot.
Online tuition like Tutopiya offers convenient and fuss-free tuition at the comfort of your home, you will be able to meet your tutor online and learn as you would face to face.
Tutopiya offers a pool of experienced Singaporean tutors that are readily available to teach your child. We also conduct assessment tests to find out your child’s strengths and weaknesses to plan their tuition learning schedule in their best interest.
Our tutors are trained and ensured to deliver quality online tuition for your child. Academic help has never been this convenient and hassle-free!
3 – Resources
It might be difficult to find useful and relevant study resources now that tuition centres and schools are closed.
There are a lot of education forums, blogs and resources available online, which may include past year papers, additional worksheets that are aligned with the syllabus.
In addition to online tuition with Tutopiya, the resources that we provide for our students are prepared by a team of experienced tutors and teachers who understand the MOE syllabus well and the resources are intentionally curated to be aligned with the syllabus that your child is studying.
We also ensure that our graduating students receive the help they need to prepare for their upcoming national examinations.
4 – The administrative things to online learning
Besides all the tips mentioned above, to embark your child on their Home-Based Learning, it is good to ensure that your child is ready too.
They can do so by:
1. Setting up an area conducive for learning
2. Ensuring they are familiar with the following:
2.1 Password and login IDs to their student portal and accounts
2.2 Their HBL timetable and relevant materials
2.3 Point of contact for HBL queries, teachers will inform their students their preferred way of communication, and teachers are not required to share their personal numbers with their students
Make sure that your child also has access to the following tools:
1. Digital tools that allow annotation of notes
2. Digital shortcuts
2.1 Students can bookmark their browsers for quicker access to their studying materials and they will know what to do when the class starts
5 – Understand what your child needs when you consider how to prepare for homeschooling
Whilst it is important to prepare your child for Home-Based learning, we understand that it is not an easy time for our parents and children. Hence it is important to understand what your child might be feeling, especially our graduating students.
It can be difficult for graduating students to cope during this time and it is always good to ensure that your child is mentally healthy. Parents are encouraged to spend quality time together as a family and let your child enjoy time spent together despite the ongoing pandemic and temporary school closure.
You can plan indoor activities as a family, cook together or spend time watching movies together to unwind and relax at the end of the day. Encourage your child to speak up if they feel uncomfortable and unconcentrated.
How to prepare for homeschooling in a nutshell?
It is everybody’s responsibility to stay safe and be a civilised learner. Our schools have to be the safest place for our children hence, we are all in this together to overcome the pandemic!
Read also: 5 Tips That Can Help You Ace Your Chinese O Level This Year!
Read also: Essentialism: The BEST way to study better before examinations
