20 March 2020

Our top tips for learning at home

Our top tips for learning at home

Online learning, distance learning or independent learning is set to become the norm for school, college and uni students across the country for, well nobody is too sure, so we guess we should embrace it!

As the government advises us to close schools and colleges, we thought we’d put together a handy little guide to help you get the most out of your online education.

Learning is still really important and it would be a real shame to let all your hard work and effort go to waste. Plus keeping your brain active is great for your mental health and well-being.

So to help you get the best out of this situation we think you should try the following tips.

It’s all in the setup.

Putting a learning structure in place, although sounds very dull, can work wonders for your ability to learn with ease. Try to keep everything as familiar as possible. Mirror your daily school, college or uni routine so everything feels as normal as possible. Attend (virtually) lessons at the same time as you would at college, be ready to work, putting away any distractions, and let the knowledge pour in!

You’re not alone.

Keeping in touch with your classmates can help to keep your spirits high. Try collaborative working with your classmates by teaming up for projects. There are online tools such as Google Hangouts and Skype, as well as social media to help you work together, ask each other questions, test each other, set each other challenges. Even a simple phone call can work well here.

Help is still on hand.

Your teacher will be on hand to not only set you work but also help you out. Feel free to ask for help if you’re unsure about what you need to do or if you can’t access the work you’re being set.

If you access Study Support or have a Classroom Learning Assistant, please remember that they can support you with your learning remotely too – do not hesitate to contact them via email.

Don’t feel bad for taking a break.

Sitting at your laptop or computer for 8 hours will be draining. Help to refocus your mind by taking regular breaks. Get up, have a walk around, maybe do some lunchtime yoga. Make a snack, grab a cup of coffee - whatever you like, but taking a break every 30 or 60 minutes will help you to remain focussed.

Once your day is done, spend it however you normally would. Continue binge-watching your favourite series on Netflix, listen to a podcast, read a book, or play your Xbox - anything to help you switch off and relax - ready to go again in the morning.

Friends reunited.

Catching up with friends in between ‘lessons’ or after the college day has finished is also an important part of the mix. Have a catch-up, gossip, banter, whatever you usually do together when you hang out at college.

Don’t underestimate the power of sleep.

Sleep is a very powerful tool! Getting enough sleep will help to keep you in tip-top condition. It’s easy to let a sleep routine slip if you don’t need to travel to college, but try to keep things as normal as possible. Perhaps you’d be forgiven for hitting snooze once or twice more.

Think long-term.

Developing good independent study skills and managing your time are two of the best skills you can have. The skills you develop now will prepare you well for University and your career - so there are plenty of positives to this temporary fix.

Once you’ve mastered studying at home, why not sure some of your best tips with us? Send them to us via our social media channels. We’ll share the best ones!

@EastSussexCollege on Facebook

@ESColleges on Twitter

@eastsussexcolleges on Instagram