Learning Online: Your Space

The biggest thing that everyone seems to be missing about School is the people: seeing your friends, interacting with teachers and manoeuvring corridors were things about School, we took for granted. Many schools have done their best to go online but how can you make your learning as effective as possible when it comes to your environment and space?

Firstly, create a physical learning space. If you haven’t done so already, find somewhere in your flat or house where you can go to learn. It is good if this space isn’t in your bedroom as you can have the physical departure from where you slept to a new room, where your learning takes place. This physical movement and change in space helps your brain engage in its ‘focused’ mode. (Read more about the different modes of your brain and online learning here.)

It is also important to create a space for social interaction. Friendships keep your brain active and are necessary for positive mental health. It’s really important to make sure you are still connecting with your friends, whether that be in break times or lunch times. We are also missing the process of collaboration - in school, teachers will often get you to work in groups and in online learning, school has become much more focussed on independent learning. If this is something you are missing, you could ring friends to discuss your ideas before embarking on your essay or you could work collaboratively on a topic, if your teacher permits it.

One of the reasons collaboration is effective is because it provides you the opportunity to verbalise your ideas. Verbalising is an important way to ensure you have learnt something in a reviewing process and also helps you connect ideas before putting pen to paper. Some ideas of how to do this are: teach a pet or a younger sibling, or record a voice note of you explaining something. This is why our tutorial sessions are so effective - Compass Tutors provide the opportunity and space for you to talk your own ideas and knowledge through with an expert.

Top DON’T: Lock yourself in the same room for a day of school. Make sure you are changing your physical space in order to give your brain some mental space too.

Top DO: Buddy up with a friend and agree to send each other voice notes of you reviewing your daily learning? Being able to review and verbalise this information, as well as socialising, would have a massive impact on your motivation and efficiency in online learning.