Connections Academy Blog, Virtual Learning Connections

Starting out as a Learning Coach for an elementary school student can seem a bit overwhelming, particularly if you have preschoolers at home. But it can be done, and done successfully! First-year Learning Coach Alyssa Erickson, who hosted our recent Twitter chat, “The Parent to Learning Coach Transition,” says that virtual school is a great way to enjoy time with your children, while making sure they’re learning. She offers these pointers for helping your little scholar succeed while keeping younger siblings content:

• Do practice computer skills before school begins. Children in early grades will have a smoother start in virtual learning if they have fundamental computer skills. Find some child-safe online sites or games where your little one can get the hang of using a mouse, scrolling, clicking, and using pull-down navigation menus.
• Don’t try to maintain a separate “classroom.” Placing your student in a quiet school area, away from the sounds and sights of frolicking preschoolers, sounds good, doesn’t it? In reality, doing this quickly becomes unmanageable for the Learning Coach, who has to hop back and forth between the classroom and the “play” room.
• Do pick a central location for doing schoolwork. Find a space in your home where all of you can coexist. You’ll need a work surface for school—and room for preschoolers to spread out. For some families, the kitchen table becomes the classroom; others choose the family room or another area with ample space.
• Don’t save school for a sibling’s “nap time.” Trying ...

Many of the following scheduling ideas are inspired by Denise Kale, a Learning Coach from Arizona.

If you’ve wondered what a typical day of virtual school is like, you’re not alone! In fact, questions about the daily routine or schedule are probably the most common inquiries we receive. The irony of this type of question is that one of the most delightful things about virtual school is that there is no typical day!

Virtual school gives parents and Learning Coaches the flexibility to arrange their schedules to fit children’s needs and the family’s lifestyle. Naturally, there are some limits, such as regularly scheduled virtual classroom sessions and teacher conferences. And in high school, when courses become more challenging, the number of fixed-scheduled online classroom meetings increases. Within these limitations, online school families enjoy freedom from the typical “bell system” of traditional schools.

But how does this freedom translate into a family’s lifestyle? Here are just a few samples of how having a more flexible daily schedule might work for various situations:

Sample Virtual School Schedule 1:

For some families, one lesson per day for each class works well. Here’s how one family uses this type of schedule for children of different ages and attention spans:

Parents with questions about making the switch to virtual school found great answers during this week’s Tweet chat, “The Parent to Learning Coach Transition.” Learning Coach Alyssa Erickson hosted and chatted about her experiences starting online school with a first-grade daughter this past school year.

Families were curious about how to establish a daily routine, opportunities for socializing, and how to motivate students. Teacher interaction and the type of adjustments involved when starting virtual school were also discussed. If you’d like to learn more about how virtual school works, check out the recap below, and use our list of helpful resources.

New virtual school Learning Coaches can check out these resources to learn ...

• What it takes to be a great Learning Coach
• Skills online students need to succeed with online learning
• How to ensure that kids attending virtual school have enough socialization
• Ideas for providing positive motivation in virtual school
• Tips for keeping kids motivated in the home classroom
• Ways to minimize digital distractions in online schooling
• Tips for creating a learning schedule that suits your family
• The important role of teachers in online learning
• What it’s like to transition from homeschool to virtual school
• How to make a smooth transition to virtual middle school
• How to help teens transition to online high school

Follow us on Twitter @ConnectionsAcad to find out about our next live Twitter event.

Do you have any other questions about virtual school? Feel free to ask us in the comments.

Getting started as your child’s Learning Coach might seem a little intimidating, but you can do it! Just ask Alyssa Erickson, a first-year Connections Academy parent, at our upcoming Twitter chat, The Parent to Learning Coach Transition. Alyssa will answer your questions and chat about her switch to virtual school live on Tuesday, March 19, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. EDT.

Although Alyssa and her husband knew they wanted to homeschool their children, once they began, Alyssa felt unsure of her ability to explain concepts and ensure that her kindergartener understood. They discovered that Connections Academy offered the perfect blend of at-home education and the expertise of certified teachers.

Like most new families, the Ericksons had some challenges while learning the computer system and figuring out the daily routine. However, Alyssa reports that her daughter now breezes through the learning management system. Alyssa also enjoys taking her daughter to field trips and meeting other Connections Academy families. The friendly support from other Learning Coaches and the teachers makes Alyssa confident that their family will continue to thrive with Connections Academy.

To chat with Alyssa, follow us @ConnectionsAcad. Then, on Tuesday, March 19, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. EDT, sign in to Twitter and Tweet your questions using the hashtag: #AskConnections.

The Parent to Learning Coach Transition chat will be open to the public to help any parents who are considering virtual school, so feel free to tell your friends. We invite ...

It’s that time of year again. Kids all over the country are sharpening their #2 pencils and anticipating their state tests. Whether your child has a standardized test coming up in a few days or in a few weeks, these test-prep tips and strategies will help you to help him or her relax and do his or her best.

Test-Prep Ideas for Grade K–5 Students

Make testing more fun by having younger students wear a special outfit each day in the week before the test to signify a specific testing tip. This is an effective way to introduce and reinforce important testing techniques, and the element of fun it provides can decrease student stress.

• Monday – wear your pajamas to signify how important it is to get a good night’s sleep the night before a test.
• Tuesday – wear bright, fruity colors such as orange, red, and yellow as a reminder to eat something healthy before taking a test.
• Wednesday – wear your shirt backwards to remind yourself to always go back and check your work.
• Thursday – wear something with words on it to signify the importance of reading each question thoroughly.
• Friday – wear all black to remember to completely fill in the test circles with your pencil.

Another tip is to introduce your student to light physical activity with a simple, fun routine like this:

• Do twenty jumping jacks.
• Touch your toes ten times.
• Do windmills for a minute by swinging your arms forward from the shoulder. ...

We all have days when we’re just not at our best, even Learning Coaches. Whether you don’t feel well or are simply not on your “A game,” sometimes it seems like those Learning Coach superpowers have left you. You may have taken all the right steps: setting a daily routine, assisting your student with lessons, and keeping him or her motivated and on track. But still, your child struggles with schoolwork. Where can you turn? With virtual school, you have a remarkably powerful resource: your child’s online teachers!

Remember, helping kids learn is their specialty! The questions that stump you are probably ones they’ve heard many times before—and chances are, your child’s teachers will even have great answers! And although students may have a million reasons why they don’t want to call the teacher for help, you should stick to your guns. Your student’s teacher is your go-to person for just about any assistance you or your student might need!

Take a look at the song lyrics below, written by Mr. Keller, a high school English teacher from our cyber school in Pennsylvania, about the helpful role teachers play. Then watch and enjoy his video for yourself!

“I have a dream,” said Martin Luther King, Jr., in his most famous speech, “that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Wanting children to have a brighter future was just one of Dr. King’s dreams, but it’s a dream that parents and teachers continue to have for their students.

Virtual schools have their own “D.R.E.A.M.” to promote students’ well-being and success. “D.R.E.A.M.” stands for: Dedication, Responsibility, Education, Attitude, Motivation.

If you’re new to virtual learning, D.R.E.A.M. exposes some common misconceptions and shows you what online learning is really about, helping you determine if the virtual school D.R.E.A.M. is right for your child. If you are an experienced member of the virtual education community, D.R.E.A.M. is a great reminder to keep you and your students inspired every day.

Dedication

Because virtual school requires students to be more self-motivated and independent, one of the most important traits that virtual students need to have is dedication. Although virtual school gives students the flexibility and freedom to dedicate themselves to learning, no student can feel dedicated 100% of the time. That’s why Learning Coaches, parents or guardians who assist with school, are there to keep students on track.

However, when a student gets frustrated, disorganized, or faces other common problems, even his or her Learning Coach can get discouraged. Like their students, Learning Coaches have to resist ...

All children have unique learning styles. Students gain strong benefits when their teachers and Learning Coaches recognize their strengths and weaknesses as learners. Howard Gardner, a psychologist and professor of neuroscience at Harvard, developed one theory in 1983. Gardner defines “intelligence” not as an IQ but, rather, as the skills that enable anyone to gain new knowledge and solve problems.

Gardner proposed that there are several different types of intelligences, or learning styles.

1. Verbal-Linguistic (Word Smart) – People who possess this learning style learn best through reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Verbal students absorb information by engaging with reading materials and by discussing and debating ideas.
2. Logical-Mathematical (Logic Smart) – Those who exhibit this type of intelligence learn by classifying, categorizing, and thinking abstractly about patterns, relationships, and numbers.
3. Visual-Spatial (Picture Smart) – These people learn best by drawing or visualizing things using the mind’s eye. Visual people learn the most from pictures, diagrams, and other visual aids.
4. Auditory-Musical (Music Smart) – Students who are music smart learn using rhythm or melody, especially by singing or listening to music.
5. Bodily-Kinesthetic (Body Smart) – Body-smart individuals learn best through touch and movement. These people are best at processing information through the body. Sometimes kinesthetic learners work best standing up and moving rather than sitting still.
6. Interpersonal (People Smart) – Those who are people smart learn through relating to others by sharing, comparing, and cooperating. Interpersonal learners can make excellent group leaders and team players.
7. Intrapersonal (Self Smart) – Intrapersonal-intelligent people learn best by working ...

As we celebrate the New Year ahead, it’s traditional to look back over last year’s events. For Connections Academy's blog, Virtual Learning Connections, 2012 has been a year of tremendous growth, with more frequent updates, a wider variety of topics, and more people reading and sharing our posts than ever before.

In 2012, as always, we were committed to posting informative, entertaining posts to enlighten people about some advantages of virtual school. Other posts offered learning activities and tips for families that had already switched to online education. We’ve also shared stories from virtual school students, parents, and teachers. We hope you’ll enjoy taking a look back at these posts that generated the greatest number of readers in 2012.

The Virtual School Experience

1. 5 Questions to Ask When Considering a Virtual School
   School choice is often a difficult decision for parents to make. Use these questions to help determine if virtual school will be a good fit for your family.
2. Flat Stanley Goes to Virtual School
   Flat Stanley shares photos and impressions of his visit to virtual school. Come along to take a look behind the scenes of Wisconsin Connections Academy.
3. 5 Cool Things about Online Education
   Find out why we think online education is really cool, and how your children benefit. This post was featured on Getting Smart, a community passionate about innovations in learning.

Learning Coach Tips

4. New Year’s Learning Resolutions: Making Goals with Your Child
   Use this New Year as ...

Can you believe it’s the middle of December already? If you’re part of an active virtual school family, you know how much hustle-bustle the season will add to your already busy life! To help you prepare for the midpoint of the school year, we’d like to offer some tips for catching up with schoolwork, plus fun learning activities families can do over winter break.

• Is your student on schedule? Before break, take a few minutes to review your student’s attendance records to ensure he or she is completing the hours required in your state. Check your student’s lesson completions, too. Are they on track? If your student’s attendance and lessons are up-to-date, enjoy the vacation!


• Make a plan for catching up. If short on hours or behind on lessons, your child may need to put in some extra school time during winter break. Don’t let your student rush to complete lessons, but instead create a plan to finish by the course’s scheduled end date. This could be as simple as doing one additional lesson each day or working one day each weekend until caught up.


• Get prepared. If your student will need to work on lessons during winter break, plan for this before the school closes and the teachers go on break. Review the objectives, lessons, projects, and assessments your student plans to complete. Make sure you have all the materials needed. If you or your students have any questions, ask your students’ teachers now.


• Make a backup ...