Tips for School from Home

Guidance for Happier Online
School from Home

Sora Schools • January 2023

Table of contents

01 Establish Space(s)
02 Establish Routines
03 Higher Level Parent Involvement
04 Ownership and Motivation
05 Impacts on Homelife
06 Strategies for Effective and Efficient Learning
07 Find Occasions to Celebrate Success
08 Anticipate and Plan In-Person Social Connections
09 When Things Don’t Go Well

01 Establish

Space(s)

Establish Space(s)

For Zoom sessions and Screen-Heavy days, a comfortable and compatible desk and desk chair with proper lighting can be invaluable, especially for screen-heavy tasks.

Furniture

For Zoom sessions and Screen-Heavy Tasks, a comfortable and compatible desk and desk chair with proper lighting can be invaluable. Also, think about your background for Zoom. Show up with your best self!

• For less screen-heavy tasks, utilize other furniture and spaces. This can create variety and assist with task completion.
• Outside seating when the weather cooperates or a comfy sofa or chair can be great for reading, journaling, drawing, etc..
• Kitchen table/counter, garage/basement spaces can be good STEM project workspaces.

Establish space(s)

Lighting and Eyewear

• Natural, soft, indirect, and/or adjustable lighting can ease eye strain, as well as blue light glasses, with or without a prescription can help ease eye strain.

Auditory Surroundings

• Consider whether complete silence is helpful, possibly some soft background music, or the low din of a coffee shop.
• Explore different music/sounds based on tasks… quiet for reading, upbeat music for less cognitively demanding or “dreaded” tasks.

Establish Space(s)

Tech Set-up and Maintenance

Visual

Consider an external display and/or camera for a higher quality experience for your student and others.

Audio

Headphones, earbuds, external speakers may all enhance a student’s ability to be focused during live sessions as well as avoid distractions during async work.

Computer maintenance is essential

• Upgrade operating systems and apps like Zoom on regular basis.
• Clean up cluttered desktops and memory.
• Check Slab for Tech requirements, supported devices, and recommended broadband capacity.
• Be sure to test your internet speed in the location where you’ll be working most of the time. If needed, consider upgrading your wifi system.

02 Establish

Routines

Establish Routines

Night Owl or Morning Bird?

• Pay attention to your teen’s circadian rhythm; in general teens don’t get sleepy until later in the evening.
• Conflict can arise when one family member’s pattern is different from others and is disruptive to the routines of others.
• Find a mutual time to discuss how to be aware of others' rhythms.

Healthy Habits

Google Calendar - students should use and depend on it. Learn to set up alerts for synchronous sessions. Schedule async work time. Sora takes more time than just the live synchronous sessions.

Care for your whole-self

• Healthy foods - help your child by having healthy foods available.
• Screen breaks - encourage and help your child schedule screen breaks.
• Take mini breaks throughout the day… 10-15 min between tasks.
• Walk the dog, play with your cat, dance, sing, play an instrument, shoot hoops, go skateboarding, “touch grass,” get moving!

03 Higher Level Parent

Involvement

Higher Level Parent Involvement

The Role of Parents at Sora

Unlike a traditional, in-person school, Sora requires and expects a unique approach to parent participation and support to ensure student success. Sora has limited means to intervene when students are not physically present. As a result, we need and expect parents and guardians to support their child by providing various appropriate supports within the home as needed.

This might include greater direct supervision regarding task completion, regular attendance, time management, and even supplemental academic support when a student is not on pace with their Expedition. Start conversations with your student early!!! Maintain that as an open and ongoing conversation.

Communication

• Learn to Use Sora Home and check it frequently.
• Communicate as a Family with your student about their learning. Here are some resource links:
  • Link 1
  • Link 2

Communicate with Sora

• Let your child’s House Advisor know when life circumstances change… a move, a big trip, loss of a family member or other challenging events. It’s helpful to know.
• Check email and Heartbeat, and respond.
• Consider a designated email… mychild-atsora@gmail.com

04 Ownership and Motivation

Ownership and Motivation

Students Thrive at Sora

For High School students, an emerging sense of ownership and intrinsic motivation about learning is one of Sora’s big goals.

• Consider the question, “Who does school and learning belong to?”
• Instead of an either/or proposition, consider a continuum of partnership between parent/guardian and student that may vary from topic to topic, or other aspects of school.
• Scaffolded support with continual release of responsibility.
• Progress is rarely linear or universal, so be prepared to adapt for short term “back on track” plans.

05 Impacts on Homelife

Consider Impacts on Homelife

Home School Practicalities

Consider how your student being home will impact others in the home.

• If alone, what support may they need? What expectations are there for their day?
• If others are around, consider the impact on common areas and family responsibilities.

Consider the following as a scenario to discuss home life expectations…

• If your students were at a “brick and mortar school” they wouldn’t be able to take the trash out during the school day. Similarly, if they were at school, they wouldn’t leave a mess in the kitchen in the middle of the day.
• Help your student establish “Do Not Disturb” times throughout the school day.
• Keep communication open.
• There are no simple answers. Every family’s situation will be unique, so open a sustained dialogue and seek agreement. Revisit topics when things are going well… set discussion dates/times in advance, not in the heat of the moment.

06 Strategies for Effective and Efficient Learning

Virtual learning at Sora requires a high level of engagement, ownership, motivation, and self- advocacy due to the nature of Sora’s daily schedule. Don’t confuse flexibility with less demand.

Engage with Experts

Sora Experts are eager to support students and help them along their learning journey. They will regularly and repeatedly make themselves available to students, but students need to demonstrate the initiative to approach them.

Office Hours

Utilize Office Hours with faculty experts for additional content-specific support.

Advocate for yourself! If things are not going well, ask for help.

Consider time management strategies for efficiency

“Chunking”
Pomodoro Technique

• Utilize mutual accountability with a study partner or group.
• Utilize mutual accountability with a strategies for Fiveable - An online tool to help.

Fiveable - An online tool to help students study, work, and be more productive together.

Try apps to block distractions and help maintain focus

• "The best approach is to use empathy, compassion and collaboration to help the young people in your life find ways to manage their digital workflow." - Ana Homayoun
• HeyFocus.com
• Avoid rabbit hole distractions of text messages, social media, video games, web browsing.
• The 8 best apps to help you focus and block distractions in 2023.
• Multiple free and paid focus apps are available online:
• 10 Best Apps for Focusing on Your Work (Free and Paid)