应急居家教学模式下家长的第一守则

梅琳达·温纳·莫耶

Its not like you have to worry about teaching calculus or advanced biology. Not yet， at least. 居家教學并不意味着要你去教孩子微积分或高等生物学，至少现在还不用这么发愁。

There was a moment this month when I was helping my 8-year-old with his school science project while spelling the word “mermaid” aloud for my 5-year-old while browning meat on the stove while fielding1 a work call.

That， I think， was the closest my head has ever come to exploding.

Its hard enough to be a calm and effective parent during a pandemic in which theres a shortage of toilet paper. When you also factor in2 having to teach your children fractions and social studies， surviving each day becomes a superhuman endeavor.

To ease our collective parental burden， I gathered tips from education researchers， teachers and longtime home schooling parents on things we can do to make distance learning easier and more effective.

First： Relax your expectations. Your children are probably not going to learn advanced calculus this spring， and thats OK. What we are doing now is not the same as traditional home schooling.

What were attempting now is something else entirely—some call it “crisis schooling”—and we cant possibly give our children the kind of learning environment that home schooling parents provide during a regular school year. The goal is just to get through these next months with our lives （and， ideally， our sanity） intact.

Still， one thing that may help is to “make a schedule for school that fits your family” and to try to keep it somewhat consistent from day to day， said Angela Victory， a mother who teaches fifth grade language arts at the New Albany Elementary School in Mississippi.

My husband and I print a schedule every day， and the structure helps to ground our children and create a new normal. Teachers say the schedule doesnt have to mimic a regular school day or even involve schoolwork first thing in the morning—do what works best for you and your children—but ideally， it should include short blocks of focused schoolwork interrupted by snack and meal breaks， outdoor play and time for activities such as reading and crafts.

（Of course， how much youll be able to do largely depends on your circumstances. My husband and I can work remotely and have flexible schedules. We also have computers， tablets and internet at home. Many families arent so fortunate， and they may not be able to do as much.）

Keep in mind， too， that learning blocks can be short. In March， the Illinois State Board of Education published remote learning recommendations that advised parents to aim for focused learning blocks of three to 10 minutes at a time for children in grades K3 through 2; 10 to 15 minutes for grades 3 to 5 and 30 minutes for grades 6 to 12.

You may also want to set up a consistent space for schoolwork. Keep it stocked with what they might need： pencils， erasers， paper， other craft supplies and maybe a dictionary.

And “do what you can to make that learning space as distraction-free as possible，” suggested James Lane， Ph.D.， a professor of elementary education at Columbia College in South Carolina. Ideally， you wont have a TV blaring in the background， and youll close the blinds if things are happening outside. If your children frequently get drawn in by texts or app notifications， turn off your Wi-Fi or change their notification or device settings.

If you have a very active or creative child， though， you might want to experiment with more flexible work environments.

“Some kids， like my daughter， learn best while moving，” said Michelle Mista， who lives in the Bay Area and has been home schooling her sixth-grade daughter since kindergarten. “One of the main things that Ive found helpful as a home-schooler is letting go of the idea of what learning ‘should look like. Learning at home often doesnt look like what we may be used to in a classroom environment with a teacher at a board， students at their desks.”

Christie Megill， who lives in New York City and has been home schooling her three children for three years， agreed. “One of the biggest lessons home schooling has taught me is flexibility，” she said. “If you think its time for your kids writing lesson， but theyre bouncing off the walls4 and need to create an obstacle course inside the house to burn off energy， you can change direction.”

Use your discretion， too， on how much schoolwork you make your children do. When I saw that my 5-year-old grasped a particular literacy concept the other day， I didnt make her do the extra three sheets of practice.

“Im not saying ignore the assignments，” said Barbara Stengel， Ph.D.， a philosopher of education and professor emerita at Vanderbilt University， but during a crisis， parents “dont need drill and practice for the sake of drill and practice.”

Still， if your children are struggling with their schoolwork in ways that concern you， or if youre struggling to keep up， dont hesitate to contact their teachers and ask for help. “They know what your child has responded to in a classroom situation，” Dr. Lane said. “They probably also know what has been really challenging for your child.”

If your children are pushing back on the very idea of doing schoolwork at home， schedule a one-on-one conversation between the teacher and your child， Ms. Maloney suggested.

It can help when the teacher explains that school is still happening—its just happening at home now.

But what if your school isnt doing much distance learning， and you want more？ One excellent resource that began in March is WideOpenSchool， a free collection of online learning experiences curated by Common Sense Media， an independent nonprofit organization that provides technology recommendations for families and schools.

Teachers also recommend Khan Academy， a free website that engages children （and adults） in different subjects; Epic， a digital library featuring 40，000 childrens books; Storyline Online， a website featuring videos of well-known actors reading childrens books; and Starfall， an educational website and app for children in pre-K5 through third grade. Your library may also have audiobooks and digital loans available.

You may not be a trained teacher， but as a parent you probably know more about teaching than you realize. Trust yourself and what your children need.

“You have the great strength of knowing your children better than any teacher could，” Dr. Stengel said.

这个月某天，我一边辅导八岁的儿子做着学校的科学项目，一边大声教五岁的孩子怎么拼写“美人鱼”这个词，一边在炉子上煎着肉，一边接听着工作电话。

那一刻我真正体会到“头都要炸开了”是什么感觉。

疫情大流行期间，连卫生纸都抢断了货，作为家长要想保持头脑冷静、得心应手可谓十分不易。如果此时你还得考虑教孩子分数和社会课程，那每一天都将无比难熬。

为了减轻家长们共同面临的负担，我向教育研究者、老师和长期对孩子进行居家教育的家长征询了一些建议，可以把远程学习变得更便捷、更高效。

首先，降低期望。你的孩子很可能不会今年春天就学到高等微积分，这不要紧。我们现在做的事并不等同于传统的居家教学。

我们现在要做的是一种截然不同的事，有些人把它叫作“应急居家教学”。另外我们不可能给孩子提供居家教育的家长在常规学年里给孩子构建出的那种学习环境。我们的目标仅仅是安稳度过接下来几个月，最好还能保持精神正常。

不过，安杰拉·维克托里说，有个办法或许能助我们达成这个目标：“制订适合自己家庭情况的课程表”，并尽量坚持每天执行。安杰拉任职于密西西比州新奥尔巴尼小学，教授五年级语言文学课程，她自己也是一位母亲。

我和我先生每天都会打印一张课程表，课程安排可以帮孩子们收心居家学习，还有助于建立新常态。老师说居家课程表不必模仿常规的在校教学安排，甚至不必把学校功课安排在清晨，制定适合自己和孩子的最佳方案。同时，课程表最好包括多个短時的集中学习时间，以零食和用餐时间、户外活动时间、室内活动（如阅读、手工）时间衔接。

（当然，能做多少很大程度取决于你的具体情况。我先生和我都可以远程办公，时间安排灵活。我们家里也有电脑、平板电脑和互联网。很多家庭没这么幸运，可能做不到这么丰富的课程安排。）

还要记得，学习时间可以设置得很短。今年三月，伊利诺伊州教育委员会发布了远程学习指南，建议家长为幼儿园至二年级的儿童设置每次3至10分钟的集中学习时间，三至五年级每次10至15分钟，六至十二年级每次30分钟。

你或许也需要给孩子安排固定的学习空间。备好可能会用到的文具，比如铅笔、橡皮、纸张和其他手工材料，也许再加上一本词典。

此外，南卡罗来纳州哥伦比亚学院的小学教育学教授詹姆斯·莱恩博士还建议我们，“要尽量确保学习空间不受外界干扰”。理想情况下，孩子不应在学习空间里听到电视机吵个不停。如果窗外有干扰，就把百叶窗关掉。如果孩子频繁因为手机短信或移动程序推送通知分心，就关掉无线网络或者调整手机上的推送设置或系统设置。

如果你的孩子非常好动或者喜欢奇思妙想，或许需要尝试更加灵活的学习环境。

“有些孩子边动边学效果最好，我女儿就是这样。”家住旧金山湾区的米歇尔·米斯塔说。她女儿从幼儿园开始就一直居家学习，现在已经六年级了。“我从居家教学中学到的重要一点就是要抛弃对学习方式的固有印象。居家教学的环境往往不像我们所熟悉的学校教室那样，老师站在黑板前，学生坐在课桌后。”

家住纽约市的克里斯蒂·梅吉尔也赞同这一观点，她给自己的三个孩子居家教学已有三年。“居家教学让我学会了灵活处事，这是我最大的收获之一，”她说，“如果到了该上写作课的时间，孩子们却精力过剩、疯玩疯闹，你就可以调整安排，组织室内障碍赛跑帮他们消耗体力。”

你也可以自行决定给孩子布置多少功课。比如前几天，我看到五岁的女儿已经掌握了一个读写概念，就没再要求她另做三页习题。

“并不是让大家忽视作业。”范德堡大学荣休教授、教育哲学家芭芭拉·施腾格尔博士说。但疫情期间，家长“无须为了练习而练习”。

不过，如果你的孩子功课吃力，让你感到担忧，或者你很难跟上孩子的学习进度，要随时联系老师寻求帮助。“老师知道在课堂上什么方法对你家孩子奏效，”莱恩博士说，“他们很可能也知道你家孩子学习上有哪些问题。”

如果你的孩子抗拒居家教学这种学习模式，马洛尼建议安排老师和孩子进行一次一对一谈话。

若是由老师向孩子解释学校课程还在继续，只是现在要在家学习，这会有所帮助。

如果你想要进行更多的远程教学，可孩子就读的学校没有提供足够的资源，该怎么办？WideOpenSchool网站是一个非常优质的学习渠道。该网站于今年三月上线，免费提供学习经验合集，由为家庭和学校提供技术建议的独立非营利组织“常识传媒”打造。

以下资源网站同样受到老师推荐：可汗学院，免费为儿童（和成人）提供多学科学习资料;Epic数字图书馆，提供四万本儿童图书;故事在线，专门提供知名演员朗读儿童书籍的视频资源;星落平台，为幼儿园学龄前至三年级儿童开发的教育网站和移动程序。图书馆也可能提供有声读物和电子资源借阅服务。

也许你不是专业的教师，但作为家长，你可能比自己意识到的更懂教学。相信自己，相信孩子的需求。

“你比任何老师都更加了解自己的孩子，这是你的巨大优势。”施腾格尔博士如是说。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）