How Does Virtual Schooling Prepare Children for the Real World?
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure here.
Virtual schooling for children has gained a lot of popularity over the past few years. At the start of the pandemic, many schools have chosen to go remote, forcing students around the country (and the globe) to lose access to traditional education methods and enter the world of online learning.
Some of these schools have gone back fully in-person, while others remain completely online or adopted a hybrid model. However, many parents are switching their children to fully remote learning.
As a parent, guardian, or even educator yourself, you may be thinking: Why? Are there really any benefits to virtual schooling? Let’s take a look:
Critical Thinking
Contrary to popular belief, with the use of technology, students can develop their critical thinking skills. How? Because the Internet is full of information, students will learn how to evaluate the reliability of these online sources, which in the long run develops their analytical skills. Oftentimes, they will have to rely on their own abilities rather than relying on those of others to decipher such information.
Furthermore, students can still have intellectually stimulating conversations in a virtual setting! Through threaded discussions and chats, they can elaborate on different discussion questions to see how topics relate to themselves, others, and the real world, allowing them to go into deeper and more meaningful thinking.
Digital Literacy
Nowadays, it’s necessary to understand how to navigate the digital world in order to succeed in school and jobs. In virtual school, students learn how to use different tools and online platforms on a daily basis for exams, homework, and communication that they otherwise wouldn’t have access to and or would use less of in a traditional brick-and-mortar school.
The more students use these tools and platforms, the better and more fluent they will become with it! Many years down the line, when they begin to join the workforce, that student will be one step ahead of the competition, simply because they have that familiarity and understand how to communicate and collaborate in a digital context. Using technology is a “must-know” skill for the future, whether in the workforce or everyday life.
Responsibility and Accountability
School schedules tend to be a little more fluid in an online setting, allowing students to have more of a choice with what to do with their time. With this type of independence, students have to take the initiative of motivating themselves to get their schoolwork and studying done as well as participate in school from home.
This makes students independent from an early age and, with the help of the parent/guardian, they will know how to take charge of their time without trouble. Virtual school allows students to enjoy the freedom of working at their own pace.
These are just a few of the benefits of virtual school; there are so many more including flexibility, better school-life balance, increased safety, and self-paced learning. We are not saying to completely rule out traditional, brick-and-mortar schooling, but rather consider virtual schooling as one of your many educational options. We want you to do what works best for you and your family!
We also understand that parents may have concerns about virtual school, such as lack of socialization, cheating, and even privacy issues, but with the right online school, your child can succeed!
Strike School is an accredited virtual school for grades K-12 helping students learn their interests at their own pace. We offer personalized learning and virtual classroom and homeschool help options. Check them out HERE.
