Online Learning Tips From Beijing's Int'l Students Themselves

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Let's be honest here, whether it's working from home or online learning at home, it's easy to gradually lose your rhythm and motivation as time drags on. We start our life online full of enthusiasm the first few days, but as your days and weeks start blending in with one another, holding on to what drives you can become truly difficult.

For myself, I find that good lighting and something as simple as getting dressed as if I'm going to be working in the office instead of lounging around in my PJs all day helps keep me motivated.

We reached out to a few students at international schools in Beijing to ask them to share their tips and tricks for staying focused and motivated while doing online learning.

Ayşe Nil 

"I'm excited to see my friends and teachers in the morning every day," says 9-year-old Grade 5 student Ayşe Nil from British School of Beijing (BSB) Shunyi. "I adjust my alarm every day, but I wake up before the clock rings. The increasing number of Covid [cases] worries me. I feel safe at home and I do not interrupt my education. I also experience digital learning ways. I take care of my cat, Cookie, between classes. She sleeps next to me while I study. My play room is now my online classroom. I know I will be going back to school again and I look forward to these days with confidence."

Staying social with your friends and teachers online keeps the sense of community alive and dedicating a space at home to your online learning helps put you in a school mindset.

For Grade 5 student Acacia Whitney from AISB-Hope International, it's about staying organized.

Acacia Whitney

“Online school is not easy but if you stay organized and keep up with your work you can still make it fun and not too stressful," she says.

Acacia’s tips: 1. Keep your books and notebooks organized in order of your classes so you are ready. 2. Rest your eyes often by shutting them for a couple minutes every now and then.

Finally, it's refreshing to have a positive outlook no matter what life throws your way. Instead of looking at shifting your school life online as a handicap in your edcation, some are choosing to see it as an opportunity to better themselves.

Ryan Zhang

Grade 8 student Ryan Zhang from Western Academy of Beijing puts it this way: “Online learning is an opportunity for improvement, not a case of risk management like many may think. In online learning, teachers give us more freedom to complete work independently and improve our skills through our own learning. This is where student agency comes in – you must learn to research and lead your own learning, whilst still asking questions to your teacher, [and] managing your resources. Let's be honest, it's hard to stay organized during online learning. I have many issues with this – I start a task, and suddenly I remember I have to do something else, and get distracted. I have found that it definitely helps to make a to-do list of your tasks, and erase any items that you have completed. I do this by having a small whiteboard to my side that I can note down my tasks with. I also use the pomodoro strategy when doing work over large periods of time, which means using a small physical timer to time myself. I work for 20 minutes, rest for five, work for 20, and repeat.”

Got a tip to help make the most of online learning? Let us know in the comment section below.

Images: Courtesy of schools, Pexels

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