Nir Eyal, a student in Estelle Erasmus’ Writing Parenthood course this Spring, recently published an article in The New York Times providing tips for parents across the country to better navigate school closures as a result of the coronavirus. Eyal emphasizes the importance of maintaining a routine for school-aged kids and suggests that, with some creative planning, the cancellations provide an opportunity for new kinds of self-regulated education.
For parents juggling their kids’ schooling with their own remote work schedules, technology can be utilized to supplement parent-taught instruction. Eyal writes, “Enrico Bertini, an associate professor of computer science and engineering at New York University, relies on technology to help home-school his 12-year-old son.” He continues, “Dr. Bertini uses a mix of free and paid sites like Outschool.com, ProdigyGame.com and KhanAcademy.org to give his son a full roster of classes. While many traditional schools provide students with access to online education during a shutdown, supplementing with other tools can help kids explore interests they don’t have time for during the school year.” Social media sites and online games, when monitored and limited appropriately, can also keep students socially active while they’re away from their friends in the classroom.
Read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/12/well/family/coronavirus-school-closings-homeschooling-tweens-teens.html
Sign up for one of our Writing courses this summer: https://www.sps.nyu.edu/professional-pathways/topics.html#PS0297