"Do less to achieve more," this is a tip straight from an e-learning app CEO. During this time wherein our kids are forced to transition into e-learning, a portal or app like Koobits Philippines is something that parents should know about. How does it help and as a parent, what is your part in this?
Online learning apps and portals are there to help parents
Transitioning from traditional school to online learning or homeschooling can be tough -- not just for the kids, but also for the parents. But Koobits Philippines CEO Stanley Han believes that apps and online learning portals like this one are created to help parents out. Instead of worrying about teaching them and learning their curriculum from scratch, the app actually does this on their behalf.
There is a process in online learning. And sometimes, the lack of structure is what causes the problem. As a dad himself, he admitted that he had the same struggle when his kid started homeschooling during the lockdown period.
"I had no idea how to handle my child. I was not familiar with their curriculum. My child was in kindergarten and I didn't know what to teach her. I needed to quickly pick up information from her teacher. So lack of structure is really one of the problems that parents face. Though, this is a continuous effort, this is something we need to quickly improve to help parents manage their children's learning."
Parental control
If learning will be online-based, how does a parent control their schedule? And how would they know if their child is making progress through this given time?
"Personally, I don't want my child to constantly spend too much time staring at the screen. I'm a big believer that in doing less, you'll achieve more. I think in every subject, if the child learns the correct way and put in consistent effort, it will be better."
A lot of online portals or e-learning apps have suggested time limits per activity or subject. On Koobits Philippines, there is also a parent app wherein you can track their progress and the amount of time they spend on the portal.
There is also a customized user experience wherein the app will adapt to the kid's preference. For example, a usual Math activity should be done by 20 minutes. But if the child finds it too difficult, the portal will adjust on its own. But if it detects that the child is staying on the activity just because they want to, there will be no extra incentive for this. Because generally, they just don't encourage it.
Know your child's preference
If you're want to know what works for your kids, the key is knowing their preference. Having a clear objective of what you want to achieve will help you determine whether or not the type of approach you are using is effective.
According to Koobits' user data, a lot of kids enjoy group activities. Even if it's a Math class or even if it's a boring topic -- the social element of an activity boosts their interest in it. But you also have to take note that every kid is different and what works for some would not necessarily mean that it would work for your child.
Give them a little time to adjust and ease in to the new setup. Don't be afraid to go through trial and error because this will be more fruitful in the long run.
To add to this, he also mentioned how peer support can be a good thing for your kid's learning.
"Peer support is just one way. The other way is to seek support from parents. Parents [should] act as the second teacher in a child's life. The solution lies in not just solving one problem. Make sure that the child can self-learn, but try to also involve him in collaborative learning -- either with friends or through parents."
Koobits Philippines
Now that Koobits is available in the Philippines, your child can actually access it and learn advanced lessons that are based on Singapore curriculum. In this way, they don't even have to study abroad to get that level of quality education. At the same time, they also get to interact with other foreign students and get to immerse themselves into different cultures.
"Parents can customize their user experience to their preference and also for it to suit their child's personality. Do not overdo it, let your child spend a reasonable amount of time in the portal so they will come back to it the next day. Once you get the timing, everything else will follow."
Even after this pandemic is over, Stanley believes that online learning and traditional schooling can co-exist. It is not comparable because online learning is not a replacement for traditional school. There are limitations to each of the approach and it should just be used to improve the other.
You may check out Koobits here.
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