Tips for studying at home during lockdown

The National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT), in partnership with the Department of Basic Education issued tips for studying at home during the coronavirus lockdown.

Use these tips to stay on track with all your projects and preparations for exams and don’t get left behind.

Take responsibility

You have to take charge of all your assignments and tasks. Set yourself a daily schedule that includes studying, relaxing, spending time with family and some physical activity. Even though your parents and guardians may also be home, they shouldn’t have to remind you every day to do your work. Remember, it still falls on you to get good marks at the end of the year.

Don’t hesitate to ask for help, especially now 

Ask your parents, siblings, teachers and others to support you. Look around you and see whose talents or experience you can tap into; if your older cousin is good at maths, ask her to coach you for 30 minutes every day. If you don’t have access to a laptop or mobile phone, see if a parent can allow you to use theirs for your study periods. Remember that if you ask people for help, prove to them that you’re committed to doing well.

Look for creative ways to study

In the age of technology, there are many resources to support you. Join virtual classrooms such as Worksheetcloud, which connects learners to a live online classroom with a fully-qualified South African teacher and offers free online lessons for Grades 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. The platform covers lessons in mathematics, English and natural sciences.  YouTube also has a “study with me” genre, where you can follow along with other students’ videos of themselves reading, taking notes and prepping for exams.  If the cost of data is a problem, you can access free platform like https://learn.mindset.africa/ and Siyavula Education anytime.

Team up with others

Studying at home alone can become really boring after a while. If you find that you’ve lost your motivation, join or create a study group on WhatsApp with your friends and classmates to bring fresh energy to your sessions. Share links to helpful videos, set up ‘question and answer’ sessions and share daily tips and alerts. However, remember that while study groups are great, they need rules; keep them small enough to manage and ask people not to flood the group with too many jokes, songs and other things that can be distracting. Also, agree ‘active’ times, for example, between 8am and 5pm daily, so that you don’t get messages all day and night.

ALSO READ: The 9 BEST Scientific Study Tips

Take care of yourself

In order to study well you need to be well-rested and have energy. Pay attention to your physical health by getting a good amount of sleep and exercise. If you are worried about the Covid- 19 pandemic and how it’s impacting your life, find ways to reduce anxiety such as skipping rope, dancing or talking to an adult you trust.

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