In February, our IELA team facilitated a Student Welfare Meeting directed at our IELA High School Programme students.

It was great seeing our High School Students who are currently attending our partner public or private secondary schools and boarding schools nationwide. Students who attended the meeting are from different year groups from 1st – 6th Year, including Transition Year, so it was interesting to hear about each student’s individual remote learning experience.

Overall, students are quite satisfied with the organisation of their online classes and after one month of remote learning, students have slowly but surely found a routine.

Tips for Remote Learning & Self Study:

  • Plan your schedule & commit to it
  • Develop a routine
  • Clear your workspace
  • Manage your use of time
  • Remember to take “screen time” breaks (20 minutes of study + 5 min break)

 

Students are used to moving around between classes and we all agreed that it is difficult to stay in the same position for long periods while learning remotely, especially if you are required to self-study material or complete exam papers.

Some useful study tips discussed were:

  • Use flashcards for notes
  • Revise notes away from your desk when you can
  • Use mind maps or visuals to help you remember important information
  • Watch YouTube videos or listen to podcasts on particular subjects

Some students raised the topic of “motivation” and they were asked to share ideas around this topic.

 

The question asked was: What can you do to stay motivated during lockdown?

Motivation & Mind Set

  • Reward yourself (after studying watch a Netflix series, have a snack or a cup of coffee/hot chocolate)
  • Stay connected: talk to friends or family
  • Have a chat with your assigned Guardian, host mother, host father or host sibling
  • Get out for fresh air and go for a walk
  • Stay adventurous – go cycling, hiking, running, jogging – (all within 5km of course)
  • Choose an activity you enjoy that you can do online – like yoga, workouts or art
  • Cook with your host family – try new Irish recipes or introduce them to food you like to eat
  • Listen to music or podcasts – a great way of improving listening skills in English too
  • Read books, magazines or articles on topics that interest you
  • Start with difficult tasks first and then finish with something you enjoy doing
  • Keep a journal to look back on in years to come

The High School Programme Student Welfare meeting ended with this helpful technique:

IELA (which we made the same as Ireland’s Eye Language Academy acronym so they won’t forget!)

I – Identify the problem

E – Express (talk to a friend or family member)

L – Look for (a solution)

A – Action (take action)

Students found the above tips helped them during the months of February and March and will continue to use them moving forward.

Under IELA Guardianship, students know that the IELA team are with them every step of the way and are here 24/7 to assist them.

We would like to wish all our students then best of luck on their return to face-to-face learning which will happen in phases from 1st March 2021.