Assessed the impact of distance learning on Lithuanian children: the results are not encouraging

According to their results, students in grades 9-12 experienced the most fatigue, up 28 percent. named one obvious difference, another 25 percent. said he felt a slight increase in fatigue, the press release said. About 24 percent. Grades 1-8 the students’ parents also said their child was more distracted. 10 percent older students (grades 9-12) experienced sleep disturbances, 9 percent. slowness occurred. Education experts and psychologists discussed how we could respond to these worrisome symptoms and help children feel better.

It’s not science that’s more frustrating than staring at the screen

Commenting on the results of the survey, psychologist Asta Blandė stated that any form of teaching (learning) or work, when a single sensory channel is used and the body is forced to take the same position, is very debilitating both physically and emotionally. .

“If distance learning allows you to move a little, get away from the screen, change your position, do a task, such as a piece of paper, or create something from the environment, that rest will help you regain strength and continue working as remotely efficiently. ” – assured the psychologist.

He also emphasized that in cases where purposeful teaching / learning activities are carried out remotely, both the tasks and the activities themselves are carefully selected by the teacher, there may be a curiosity, a challenging factor that moves , encourage effort and learn something new.

“It just came to our attention then. Unfortunately, often in games or social media platforms of your choice, time is simply killed for no purpose, and the result is often fatigue and irritability,” emphasized A. Blandė .

Spend more time on screens

According to the study, children spent significantly more time per day in the spring in front of screens than their parents would like, on average 5 hours. Explaining the gap between how many parents would like their children to sit in front of screens and the actual number of hours spent, which exceeds expectations by 2 or even 3 times, the psychologist emphasized the importance of the role of parents in early childhood .

“The most common reason for long hours in front of the screen is that from an early age a new generation of reduction in children’s leisure and boredom is related to screen time. After all, so little is needed and the child is busy. “To keep expectations ahead of facts, parents raising preschool and elementary-age children have an important task: to show and participate in a wide range of activities together, so that in the future the child has a wide range of options when asked what to do in his spare time, “he said. A. Blande.

On the other hand, for some children, says the interlocutor, the screens are an opportunity to escape from their difficult experiences. A way to forget and calm down.

“Reducing anxiety and stress with the help of screens tends to become addictive very quickly. By communicating with a child who behaves in this way and finding other ways to solve difficulties together, the time on the screens decreases rapidly, ”said the psychologist and author of the books A. Blandė.

Not to prohibit, but to make agreements together

The survey, commissioned by Light, also revealed that children’s behavior did not change significantly during the spring distance learning period, although they did spend a lot of time in front of screens. According to Simonas Šabanovas, educational expert, pedagogue, doctor of social sciences and professor at Vilnius University, this is completely natural and could have been expected.

“Let’s not live in a world of illusions. We are all witnesses and participants in the digital age. We use a variety of smart devices on a daily basis. I don’t think you should be against the times, because no matter how old you are, most digital devices are used. The training (s) used to be mixed, and the quarantine both in the spring and now only accelerated the changes and the feeling of reconciliation with them, ”said S. Shabanov.

However, according to him, to say that in the future only distance education (s) will prevail would be too bold, but it would be just as bold to expect the world to return to the previous educational system. An education expert said that the screen is not necessarily an evil in itself. According to the Doctor of Social Sciences, emerging stereotypes in society and heightened negative examples of the use of smart devices do favor and unnecessarily thicken colors.

“There is a need to broaden the understanding of parents about the use of information technology. The impression is that screens are needed to perform the dry part of information technology (IT). However, not only computer skills are important in teaching, but their use in subjects and in life, ”said S. Šabanovas, adding that to avoid confrontations it is important to define clear agreements with the child regarding the use of computers and smart devices.

According to the education expert, the clauses of the agreement should be small and specific, predicting what will happen if the agreed parties do not comply with them and what will happen if they comply.

“Agreements and responsibilities should not be limited to children, obligations should also apply to parents. Let’s not forget that we must also spend time with children and at the same time agree on a time limit for screens. It is also possible to have an incentive system that shapes the behavior of the child and parents, ”advised S. Shabanov.

How to reduce child fatigue?

Speaking about ways to reduce the fatigue that children experience from long time spent in front of the computer, education expert S. Shabanov said it is necessary to remember that some children do not even need to be encouraged to go out or read a book.

“After all, we are all different and our hobbies are different. If you see that your child needs an incentive to move or do something else, let’s help him with a constant system of encouragement. For the child to go out or organize, go together and find out activities that everyone can do, set an example, evaluate successful work ”, emphasized S. Šabanovas and emphasized that the child always chooses to do what is interesting and avoids it first, which requires a lot of effort.

The psychologist A. Blandė advises in a similar way. According to her, to prevent children from getting tired or resting, parents should show various forms of free time when their children are still in preschool and elementary age.

According to the psychologist, children under 10 years old. better reproduces the behavior of adults. Therefore, it is worthwhile for parents to try as many different activities as possible together with their children, so that they can choose later when the child decides what to do alone or with friends. It is also important to agree with the child how long and what activities to do on the screen, discuss the agenda, what activities should be done first, what to do next, and when to decide for himself what to do.

“Be an example of an interesting and curious person who strives to learn new things, experience new impressions, and involve as many members of your family as possible in worthwhile experiences. See for yourself: how much time you “lose” on screens; he is often an invisible thief, which children detect very quickly and gives as a serious argument why they also want to be on the screens a lot and often “, emphasized A. Blandė.