Preparing for the Virtual School Day
Last week, we covered the importance of a student routine for academic success. Building on those principles, the way your student organizes their day, both before and after school, may need customization to best work for their needs and scheduled activities. This newsletter aims to provide you with some guidelines to increase your student’s productivity before and after the school day.
ROUTINES: BEFORE & AFTER SCHOOL
Starting the day strong will help create consistent habits and optimize overall academic performance. We’ve written about the importance of study spaces and scheduling; the small details of how your student starts their mornings and spend time after school are just as important. Let’s start with the mornings. It might be easy for your student to roll out of bed in their pajamas 15 minutes before a virtual lecture. In all likelihood, though, they won’t be awake enough to engage in the lesson. In setting a routine that works for your student, morning preparation is crucial. This means physical and mental preparation, as well as ensuring that all materials are ready for the day.
These are our top tips for morning routines that can boost your student’s academic performance:
Setting consistent alarms: Even if the start time of your classes are not the same throughout the week, setting an alarm for the same time each day helps reinforce circadian rhythms and improve sleep, and improved sleep is linked to better academic performance. If you give yourself an hour before school starts, your morning will be far less stressful. The exact timing can be adjusted depending on the tasks they need to complete.
Eating breakfast: You often hear that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and there may be some truth to this. In a study examining college students, researchers found positive correlations between healthy eating habits and GPA. The students with higher GPAs were recorded as having healthier diets and eating breakfast consistently.
Spending time on an enjoyable activity: When you wake up earlier, you can start the day with an activity you like doing. Doing so will improve your mood for a more positive outlook and adds a little fun to what may seem like a boring routine. Exercising, reading, listening to music, or catching up with friends for a few minutes can give you some extra energy to start the school day.
The after-school routine is also important. Once the school day is finished, your student should take some time to review materials from the day's lessons. This will keep topics fresh and serve as important review time. After finishing all academic work for the day, they should also save some time to prepare for the next day. They should keep all school materials in the designated study area and organize books and notebooks according to the following day’s agenda. The morning routine can be made simpler if most preparation is done the evening beforehand.
All the aforementioned recommendations are intended to reduce stress levels through early preparation. With distance learning, it can be challenging to remain engaged all day, but routines and plans prepare your body and mind to make the most of the school hours and approximate the time spent in the classroom.
TACKLING BACK-TO-BACK CLASSES
Back-to-back classes in an in-person school environment can be a bit easier for students, because they can get up and move to another classroom, chat with classmates for a few minutes, and take their mind off the last lesson. In a virtual setting, keeping attention in one physical space may be a bit more daunting. What your student can do in between back-to-back classes will depend on how much time there is in between. We recommend planning for this time before school and making any needed preparations.
Let’s assume your student has a 5-10 minute break between classes. This time should be used to relax and prepare to fully engage in the next class. Below is a list of activities that may help your student make the most of their mini-break:
Have a snack: Prepare your snacks the night before or before school starts. To improve cognitive function, ensure that at least some of these snacks have healthy carbs, which can be broken down into glucose for the brain to use. Check out these brain snacks!
Stretch: Sitting in a chair for hours leads to tensing of the muscles and can be a source of additional stress. You should take a few minutes to move their legs and stretch major muscle groups, including their back.
Organize for upcoming classes: To keep your focus on the next class, you should clear your desk of all books, notebooks, and papers from the previous class, keeping only the material for the upcoming class out. Doing so will help avoid physical and mental clutter.
Go for a walk: If you have the time, your student can take a lap around the house of walk to the end of the street. Exercise, including brisk walking, is excellent for cognitive function and stress reduction. Keeping yourself relaxed through endorphin production elevates mood for a better approach to classwork.
During these short breaks, your student should try to avoid eating unhealthy snacks and spending time on their phone. Food quality does impact performance and checking their phone will prevent your brain from fully resting between classes.
MORNING & EVENING CHECKLISTS
In order for your student to make the most of their morning and evening routines, they should have easily accessible checklists that ensure they are prepared for the school day. You can help them incorporate the following action items into their morning routine:
Eat breakfast: Even if the meal is small, it will provide energy and prevent mid-morning hunger during a lesson.
Complete your normal routine: As you would for an in-classroom day, brush your teeth, shower, get dressed, and do anything else that helps you get ready.
Check materials: Double-check that all your school materials are in your study area and organized for the day.
Spend a few minutes each evening preparing for the following school day:
Write out to-do list: Organize your thoughts and agenda the night beforehand so you know exactly what you’ll be working on the next day. This may also include your detailed schedule of the day.
Lay your clothes out: Worry less about what you plan to wear in the morning by getting your outfit ready the night before.
Charge all devices: Laptops and tablets will need to be charged for the following day, so make sure they are plugged in overnight!
Prepare snacks and lunch: Instead of spending time during the school day looking for food to eat, have it ready to go beforehand.
These are general items for productive school days, but add any specific points that are best for your student’s individual success.
CONSIDERING CHRONOTYPES
Some interesting research has been conducted on when humans are the most productive based on their circadian rhythms. Because distance learning may allow for greater flexibility in your student's schedule, considering when the body works best may help to set these morning and evening routines, as well as when to get work done in between classes. Chronotypes define the typical pattern of alertness and activity levels throughout the day. Identifying one’s chronotype can help dictate which times of the day are best for productivity.
Chronotypes can be broken down into the following four categories:
Lions wake up early and are most productive in early to mid-morning.
Dolphins have difficulty with consistent sleep schedules and are most productive from 10am to 2pm.
Bears have cycles similar to sun patterns; most fall into this category. Productivity is often best before noon.
Wolves have difficulty waking up in the morning and find productivity in the afternoon and evenings.
Use this chronotype worksheet and the associated daily routine guide to help create a schedule that optimizes academic performance and productivity. Though this approach may not always work with a set school day, it is important to consider how our bodies play an important role in ideal performance.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR DISTANCE LEARNING
Association of Sleep and Academic Performance: Sleeping and Breathing
How to Proactively Prepare for Distance Learning: New York Times