I recently added tips for how to have a successful tutoring session. These tips are particularly important for distance learning. During the shutdown, while conducting reading lessons on line, I was amazed at the variety of settings I found my students in. Students showed up lying in bed, sitting in a swivel office chair far from the computer, holding a cat or a sibling.
I taught one group when almost every child was being served a snack. I felt like a comedian trying to entertain a crowd in a bar in which the patrons were more interested in their drinks and companions than in me. I do understand. The child probably had complained of hunger and the parent felt it would be easy enough to eat a snack and listen to a lesson.
It is so easy for a child to be distracted, especially if he or she is involved in a task they would really rather not be doing, like school work.
The setting for distance learning should be as close to a school setting as possible. That means no toys, no food, no animals or siblings. It is very hard for a teacher to compete with a cookie or a cat. It is sometimes cute when the toddler comes in or the cat walks on the desk, but it is not best for good learning.
As we enter the 2020-2021 school year which will probably involve at least some distance learning, the proper setting will be particularly important.