Now that digital learning is our new reality, the learning specialists over at ARL have some tips and strategies to make this transition to a new learning environment as smooth as possible.

Tips and Strategies:
● Schedule – Maintaining a daily schedule and routine is important. Sticking to typical waking and sleeping times, when possible, as well as eating meals and regular self-care, will help students maintain a sense of normalcy and predictability.

● Workspace – If possible, students should have a dedicated, clean, and spacious workspace in the home that is conducive to learning. We suggest a desk or table of some sort.

● Distractions – Non-essential electronics should be silenced and placed in another room when working on school work. TVs should be off.

● Materials – Supplies you might like to have on hand would be:
           ○ Pens
           ○ Pencils
           ○ Erasers
           ○ Loose Leaf paper
           ○ Post-it notes
           ○ Note cards
           ○ Markers
           ○ Highlighters
           ○ Ear buds/headphones
           ○ Graphic organizers

● Time Management – Make a plan for your day. Write out a schedule. Make sure to include breaks, meal times, and movement. See below for a template that might be useful.

● Breaks – For every 25-30 minutes of uninterrupted work, you should take a 5 minute break. These breaks should be timed so that you aren’t tempted to linger (If you find yourself stretching breaks to longer periods, set an alarm to remind you to get back to school). Breaks should include going to the restroom, getting something to drink, and moving around.

● Exercise – Try to include 20-30 minutes of exercise in your daily plan.

A note from ARL: As we dive into the CLP, we want you to know that the ARL is here for you! We recognize that it will take some time to acclimate to this new way of learning; however, we are here to help you achieve that with success. The following are some things the ARL can help you with day-to-day as you proceed with your CLP:

           > Manage your day with the new schedule
           > Preview assignments
           >Brainstorm project ideas and writing solutions
           >Be available to conference via Zoom
           >Wednesday Workshops: join us on Zoom every Wednesday from 3:15-3:45 for a different workshop topic
           >iNewman organization and management
           >Virtual Bulletin Board: check the bulletin board in the ARL iNewman group for resources, links, videos, and announcements
           >Drop in to ask questions during our Office Hours, posted on the iNewman ARL Bulletin Board

Please reach out to us via email to schedule Zoom calls, ask questions, get support with assignments or organization, or just to say hello. We miss seeing all of you in the ARL and are excited and prepared to facilitate your transition to online learning.

Mrs. Yarborough, Ms. Massey, and Ms. Holmes