Spartan TTs
Tips and Techniques for Today’s Virtual Learning
It’s almost 7 am — you’re still a hundred meters away from the university premises. You ran fast and prayed hard like a madman, “Sana wala pang prof sa room.” Later on, you realized, the gods and goddesses heard your prayer for you as you scan the room, and the professor was not there yet. “Sinuwerte,” you thought.
Perhaps, almost every one of us has experienced this kind of “near-death” scenario. But these are probably the things we miss the most, especially now that face-to-face classes are prohibited. You won’t be able to wear your uniform, to physically go to school just to whine about home, and to do your usual study routine like how you did before (if you had one, though). The setup is new to everyone, so here are some tips for you, Red Spartan, to survive virtual learning.
- AYE for 3A!
ACCEPT: This transition to new normal brought inevitable changes in our education. In actuality, the main concerns that bother us are how we will adjust, how will we conform, and how we will we study while carrying those worries with us. While we may not wish to acknowledge it, we need to accept this change.
In an interview with Mr. Mike Nicole Cano, a student of BSED Social Studies, he stated that we, as humans, have a strong survival instinct; thus, we will do anything to survive the unusual learning setup and even the crisis. Instead of wasting our days doing unnecessary things during quarantine, why not make it worthy by pursuing learning?
APPROACH: Ask for flexible ways of learning. You must reach out and be proactive if you’re struggling with a lesson. There’s nothing worse than pretending that you understand a topic and stressed yourself out later. Ask your instructor for help if you need it. Let them know your concerns.
ADAPT. Allow yourself to adapt change; respond instead of just reacting. You can remember some insignificant and challenging days of your life that you thought you would never overcome. It is an excellent tip to remember those difficulties in the past and how you’ve dealt with them. Set your goals, identify the challenges that you might face along the way, and remind yourself why you study in the first place. Give yourself some time, and you’ll be able to adjust and focus again.
2. DISCARD DISTRACTIONS
From notification sounds piled with hundreds of messages and app updates up to your dishes piling up the sink, you could name several distractions at home. While online class is ongoing, isolate yourself from all the disturbances that can quickly derail your studies. Make a schedule for your study time, cut some of your gadgets off, or keep them silent. If you’re still having trouble resisting those temptations, set a leisure time, let yourself rest and be distracted for a while. That way, you’ll be able to breathe and, somehow, satisfy your lazy self a bit.
3. READ, READ, READ!
Not everyone enjoys reading– that’s a fact. Imagine indulging yourself in academic reading, a stack of pages (or even a single one) with nothing but words. “It’s boring and exhausting,” some might say. But with today’s situation, you have no choice but to learn and love reading. We must not settle with reading just one document or lecture — read, read, read! If you want to learn, explore other related readings. It will be instrumental not just for the current semester subjects but also for the next ones.
4. SET YOUR DEADLINES
Almost all of us are fans of procrastination. “Procrastinate now, cram later,” as our saying goes. We subconsciously normalized the mañana habit, which is unhealthy for many. What you must do is create a to-do list, and include the date it is required to be submitted. It does not end there, though — set your own deadline, which is at least two days before the actual deadline. This way, you’ll have time to revise and make the best out of your output. Throw away your habit of settling with your last-minute outputs and give enough time and effort to things that actually matter (no hugot intended) — your studies.
5. ACKNOWLEDGE YOURS AND OTHERS’ EFFORTS
By the time you finish and submit your requirements, pat yourself on the back. Normalize giving yourself a prize after accomplishing stuff. Be it giving yourself three bars of chocolate, sleeping more than the usual hours, binge-watching your favorite series in Netflix, or playing your favorite online game. It can be anything that you know which can make you extra happy. It also gives you a boost and something that will keep you going, something you will look forward to. You can cut yourself some slack sometimes, you know.
You wouldn’t be able to do things without others’ help. You have your family who let you excuse yourself from washing the dishes, classmates who chat you jokes and whims (sometimes, answers) in your GC just to keep you going, and professors who never stop imparting knowledge despite the hardships of the new setup. Acknowledge the efforts, small or big, and you’ll naturally feel grateful.
Let us all make the most out of what we have. We can’t let the pandemic stop us from achieving our dreams. In studying amidst these trying times, we have to discover endless possibilities and take great strides to reach our long-held goal: to go upstage, gain a degree, and finally get our diplomas. We won’t know the journey waiting after that goal if we stop now, so keep going.
Padayon, Spartan!
