Kindergarten years are crucial for a child’s emerging language and literacy skills. Children have an inherent curiosity that propels them to ask questions and learn at this age. Hence, it imperative that they have access to structured, age-appropriate resources and impactful guidance from trained early learning professionals. In absence of one or both of these may result in a wobbly foundation that may come in the way of stellar academic performance in later stages.

Do kindergarten students struggle with their lessons? Yes, they do. We may laugh and say how can someone struggle with kindergarten reading, but it’s true because kindergarten is not just about ABCs and Numbers. It’s also about social interactions, communication, emotional growth, and learning key skills like following a routine and accepting authority. An issue with any one of these can negatively impact their learning.

Moreover, learning ABCs and 123s is also a tedious task at that age. Kindergarten numbers and phonics for kindergarten can easily boggle young minds. Read on to understand the key strategies that can pilot their progress in the right direction.

Key Learning Strategies for Kindergarteners

Learning Routine

Kindergarten is the year when children transition from all play to academics becoming a part of their routine. This transition has to be smooth for a child to accept it and understand its importance. While schools provide a disciplined learning routine and ambiance, parents must also make an effort to make academics a part of their home life. A study table in the corner of their room and a fixed time for reading comprehension for kindergarten or kindergarten numbers is mostly what is needed at this age to kickstart a lifelong predisposition for learning.

Hybrid Learning

Today’s generation is born with gadgets. Some of the little ones are more tech-savvy than their parents and teachers. To connect with such technologically advanced minds, it is important to employ hybrid learning, right at the kindergarten level. Teachers and parents must find a balance between the traditional methods of learning and modern methods that use the power of the internet. Educators and caregivers have to open up to the idea of a kindergarten virtual classroom.

Parental Involvement

Several studies have shown that children perform well when parents get involved in their academics. This is true for all age groups including the kindergarten. When parents sit down with their children to complete an assignment or affirm their learning with simple activities at home such as practicing phonics of kindergarten, children feel motivated to do better. While all parents can’t get immersed in their children’s academics, some level of involvement is highly recommended.

Individual Learning Pace

The school system has a structure and even kindergarteners have to go through some basic assessments but not every kindergartener may perform at the same level. Some children may pick up kindergarten numbers in just a few weeks while others may take one complete year to match up. Indeed, every child learns differently and that is why kindergarten teachers and parents have to employ unique teaching methodologies to provide an individualized learning pace.

While this sounds impossible to achieve at the school with so many children in one class, slowly and surely our educators are trying to take relevant actions both in terms of classwork and homework. Parents are also expected to walk away from comparison and offer an encouraging learning environment at home.

Kindergarten Tutoring

Tutoring is a great way of providing much-needed help to kindergarteners. One of the most important things that it can give to little minds is personal attention. Kindergarten tutoring can be both face-to-face and online. Several online platforms offer online tutoring to kindergarteners and one of them is eTutorWorld. With eTutorWorld, your child can enjoy personalized lessons with a reading tutor for kindergarten and that too without stepping out of the home.

Kindergarten Tutoring at eTutorWorld

eTutorWorld offers personalized, interactive, one-on-one tutoring for kindergarteners. We have a team of early education experts, who create personalized lesson plans according to a child’s learning requirements. Every session has 50-55 minutes and the best thing is that these sessions can be divided into two, to cover two subjects in one session.

Our Kindergarten Tutoring Program is based on the Common Core Code. We cover ELA and Math and personalized lesson plans that are filled with age-appropriate activities, media interactions, and interactive sessions with highly trained and experienced kindergarten teachers. Head to our kindergarten page today to learn more and register your child for our efficacious kindergarten tutoring program.

Kindergarten is step 1 of the school; therefore, it has to be strong. Consider the points listed here and help your child put a firm foot forward towards formal schooling. If you notice any learning issues or gaps at this stage, do not take them lightly. Yes, your child may catch up in some time but that might be too late with ongoing lessons. Start kindergarten tutoring today to watch your child match pace with peers with some extra but potent guidance.

Online learning has become a necessity as of late, and it is likely it will continue to be prominent in 2024 and beyond. Online learning and tutoring can be challenging for some, but it will evolve as it becomes essential. You can expect a few things of value in the field this year, including some points relating to unique technologies within the industry. These developments will make online learning easier to support.

Incorporating Virtual Reality

People are always trying to find online learning forms as close to the real thing as possible. Virtual reality could be one point that makes learning easier.

Virtual reality is an exciting concept that will influence the online learning world in 2024. Virtual learning entails people exploring a real or fictional world through a virtual reality device. A person can move through the environment and explore many features.

Virtual reality is ideal for studies on sciences and other physical concepts, but it could be adapted to cover any other subject. It provides a format for learning that will interest people. It also removes the idea of language from the learning process, making it easier for people to comprehend what they are studying.

Accessibility on Mobile Devices

People will become more mobile in 2024. The online learning world will adapt to this by making it easier for people to access their learning content through their phones or other mobile devices.

Mobile learning lets people access their study materials through their phones. People can review their data while traveling or doing other things. It becomes easier for people to see what they are studying at any moment.

The development of 5G wireless technology will simplify online learning. With people having access to faster speeds and online connections, it shouldn’t be tough for people to access whatever learning details they wish to manage.

Learning is a twenty-four-hour process. Mobile learning makes it easier for people to figure out what they are studying.

Will 5G Make a Difference?

The 5G concept is essential for how it makes communications easier to manage. Raconteur writes that 5G data works at a higher radio frequency to transfer more data over the air. The setup reduces latency and congestion, plus data become accessible in less time. While 4G technology uses a bandwidth of 200mbps, 5G works at 1gbps.

Having significantly faster times for loading data will be critical for online learning for many reasons:

• Educators and online tutors can utilize more virtual and augmented reality programs.
• Internet of Things-enabled devices may also be available.
• Teachers and tutors can plan their projects and send more data out to their students.

It may take a while for 5G systems to move through all parts of the country. But 5G connections will become more visible after a while, especially as people start to use devices that can support these links. The hope is for about a quarter of the world’s population to have access to 5G technology within the next five years.

Is Artificial Intelligence Going To Make a Difference?

Artificial intelligence has become more commonplace in today’s technical world. AI systems allow machines to think and respond to different ideas in real-time. A machine learns from its environment and interactions and starts producing personalized responses.

As convenient as artificial intelligence can be, it can never be a replacement for one-on-one interactions. People will continue to choose online tutor services that help them understand their subjects and can cater to their unique needs.

But don’t be surprised if tutors start working alongside AI solutions to assist them in their teaching efforts. Online tutors can use AI to identify what students understand. AI systems could review the subjects being taught and what gaps are still open. The AI system can work with the distinct intellectual and pedagogical concepts the tutor recognizes.

What Is Gamification?

People want to be motivated when they are learning. Gamification makes it possible for people to feel motivated in their work.

According to BI Worldwide, gamification is a concept where game mechanics enter a non-gaming environment. It uses a few steps:

1. People are provided with objectives to complete.
2. A user will receive feedback when finishing the work.
3. The user will be rewarded after doing things right
4. The program then provides more steps on what things someone should complete next.

Gamification encourages people to work towards the objectives they wish to finish. The goals one must complete are easier to understand. People will also notice whatever things might be more interesting in the work they manage.

Gamification is necessary for education, as people will feel motivated when learning. They will feel that by completing their educational efforts, it becomes easier for them to know how to study.

Video Becomes More Prevalent

Traditional learning entails reading things and studying what one’s texts say. While text materials can feature plenty of details, they might not always be easy for people to follow. You can expect video to become more visible in the online learning world in 2024 and beyond.

Video learning allows people to see things in action. Students become more invested in the work, as it is presented in a lively form that supports interactions. Some advanced programs may include questions, menus, pointer phrases, and other features.

Online video is highly accessible, as seen through platforms like YouTube. You can expect video learning to become more popular as people start to pick up this format.

The only issue with video becoming more visible entails how people can produce and script videos. Teachers and tutors must review how they can convert their lesson plans to video formats.

A Final Word

The excitement of online learning will continue to be worthwhile. There’s a possibility that online learning will evolve further in 2024. But as it becomes more of a necessity, it will need to change with the times. The increasing role of technology in society and the simplification of how teaching works will make online learning more valuable.

The world of online learning is new to a lot of students and teachers who are still adapting to a modern learning system. Stepping into a virtual classroom for the first time to tutor students using e-learning techniques and tools can be daunting, and you are bound to make a few mistakes in the process. Here, we discuss some common online tutoring mistakes and how to fix them.

1. Ill-equipped for virtual classroom participation

First and foremost, tutors must have quality equipment to conduct online classes. Invest in a good laptop with a built-in camera, a headset with a microphone, and a stable and speedy Internet connection. Always test the equipment and whatever applications you use to conduct an online class to ensure a smooth operation.

2. Distracting background in a virtual classroom

A student’s concentration in online learning can be disrupted by distracting background settings and sounds. Therefore, choose a neutral space in your home to set up the online tutoring session. Ensure your housemates, be it humans or pets, don’t interrupt your tutoring sessions as it will distract students from the learning process.

3. Dressing inappropriately for online classes

Although online classes are conducted in the comfort of your home, you have to dress professionally for the duration of the tutoring session. It’s easy for students to forget decorum and etiquette without proper monitoring in an online class. Therefore, it’s your responsibility to set a professional tone in a virtual classroom setting by dressing appropriately.

4. Going in unprepared for online tutoring sessions

Time management is of the essence in any learning process. Make it a habit to prepare weekly and monthly lesson plans for the subjects you teach much like how you would create a traditional lesson plan for brick-and-mortar classroom learning. Online learning has wiped out the location constraint but not the time constraint. Therefore, planning and preparation for online classes are vital to effectively manage the curriculum.

5. Unlimited tutor talk-time in online learning

Communication is complete only when the listener is allowed to convey feedback about what the speaker has said. Tutors must encourage students to ask questions and give feedback on the day’s classwork. This way, the monotony of hearing the tutor talk for the majority of the class duration is cut down. Keep the tutoring sessions lively by having one-to-one interactions.

6. Students coming unprepared for the class

Tutors should give a preview of what topic will be taught in the next session so that students can come prepared for the forthcoming class. This preparation will save you time and effort in teaching a new topic. It will also help students gain confidence in the subject matter as they develop the habit of self-learning.

7. Lack of communication with parents

Tutors should establish an open communication channel with the students’ parents so that they can coordinate with each other on how to instruct the kids on virtual classroom etiquettes. Parents can help tutors by making sure their kids are well-equipped for online learning. They can unobtrusively monitor their kids to make sure classwork and homework are done on time.

8. Uncoordinated online classes with students in different time zones

Digital learning tools and technologies have broadened the horizon for students from all over the world to take up classes in any school or university regardless of their locations and time zones. Tutors must make a conscious effort to adjust class timetables to accommodate students from different time zones in their online tutoring sessions.

Now that you are aware of the common online tutoring mistakes and their solutions, it will become easier for you to master the process of online learning. Remember, students take cues from the teacher, therefore, it’s up to you to set a good example for them. Once you have learned the ins and outs of online learning, it becomes easier to make the most of the resources given to you and help your students derive the benefits of online learning.

As most schools across the country continue to remain closed, parents of K-12 students are actively looking for effective educational solutions for their kids. Many online tutoring services have addressed the need of the hour by offering Virtual Learning Pods to students from the same grade and same school districts to ensure that children are not only acquiring knowledge but also have room for interaction with other kids, thereby providing some respite from the ongoing crisis.

What are Virtual Learning Pods?

Virtual Learning Pods are basically small groups of kids who join online tutoring sessions and learn together from the comfort and safety of their homes. Virtual Learning Pods are gaining traction by the day, and have become a popular educational option in the US. The number of children in each Virtual Learning Pod can range from 3 to 10 depending on the online tutoring service provider. For instance, eTutorWorld’s Virtual Learning Pods consist of 3-4 kids from the same grade and school district. 

Why are Virtual Learning Pods growing so quickly?

School closures across the nation have interrupted learning and made it difficult for kids to learn with the same effectiveness as they did while attending school regularly. While many schools have begun offering online or virtual classes, students find it harder to grasp concepts due to shorter attention spans, especially among younger children. Moreover, online instruction via videos means that students will not be able to ask questions and get their doubts cleared as they did in class.

Even online classrooms with live teaching throw plenty of challenges at both teachers as well as students. The time for each class is limited, which means that teachers often rush through topics and concepts in order to complete the curriculum in a predetermined period of time. As a result, some kids tend to learn effectively, while many others are left behind.

Another major complaint among parents is the lack of interaction in online learning and virtual classrooms. Virtual Learning Pods address these concerns effectively so that students not only have the attention of a tutor who can answer their queries and clear their doubts but also facilitate engagement during the sessions, thereby promoting interactive peer learning and effective tutoring solutions.

Benefits of Virtual Learning Pods

• Safety: In keeping with social distancing protocols to avoid the spread of COVID-19, students can attend online classes on Virtual Learning Pods from the safety of their homes.
• Interaction: Virtual Learning Pods allow students to not only communicate with their tutor but also with each other to discuss the contents of their course.
• Convenience: Learning through Virtual Learning Pods is as convenient as it gets. All you need is a laptop and an internet connection to get going.
• Independence: Parents need not be worried about their child’s academic progress. Virtual Learning Pods enable kids to develop independence when it comes to their studies, thus allowing parents the freedom to focus on their own work.
• Affordable: There are many online tutoring services that offer Virtual Learning Pods at affordable rates. These pods are relatively inexpensive when compared to live, one-to-one tutoring sessions.
• Guaranteed Progress: Online tutoring services that offer Virtual Learning Pods have tutors with immense experience and expertise to ensure that your child makes good academic progress with each online tutoring session.