“More time to do creative activities!” Our Lower School Students Share Their Experience

Compared to conventional schooling, online schooling offers greater flexibility and ease to students. This benefit is enjoyed by students of all ages, especially lower school students between the ages of 11 and 13. As one of the most critical growing stages, this age group requires a good school-life balance. While students should be given the opportunity to grow academically and intellectually, they should also get ample opportunities to achieve personal, social, and extracurricular growth.

At Cambridge Home School Online, we ensure that our lower school students secure top grades and enjoy a wide range of creative pursuits. The nature of online schooling makes this possible. Instead of enduring a long commute and spending the majority of their time at school, our students spend the appropriate and recommended amount of hours attending online school classes. This helps them reap the benefits of a healthier school-life balance.

Students don’t return home from school feeling tired, overwhelmed, fatigued, overworked, and stressed. Since their classes don’t drag on for the bulk of the day, students feel more energised and alert. As a result, they have more time to explore their hobbies, passions, and interests.

Our lower school students play a wide range of sports, including tennis, badminton, fencing, polo, sailing, and horse-riding, among others. They also participate in competitions like the Spelling Bee, declamation contests, Math championships, Chess tournaments, and so on. Moreover, they uncover their passion for hobbies like art, technology, sculpting, photography, painting, writing, hiking, computer programming, and the like.

We believe that extracurricular growth helps students develop well-rounded personalities and enjoy ample growth in different facets of their life. We recently requested our lower school students to share their experiences with online learning. In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at what they had to say. We’ll also help you understand the benefits of online lower school, as highlighted by our student body. Let’s begin.

1. Availability of Time

The online schooling model helps lower school students enjoy a lot more free time at home. Most of our students expressed their appreciation for this boon. According to a student, “While I enjoyed my previous school, I wasn’t able to have fun after school. I felt tired and sleepy once I got home. Cambridge Home School Online helped me focus on other exciting parts of my life.”

By offering greater availability of time, online school helps students explore their creative and curious side. Lower school students love learning new things, having exciting experiences, and satiating their inquisitive thirst. When students have ample time after school, they’re able to go on excursions and adventures as they please. At CHS Online, we believe that these activities help students develop their personality. They’re able to answer more questions about the world they live in and learn new things.

For instance, a brief hiking trip can help lower-school children learn about different plants and animals. They can also understand critical issues like climate change, deforestation, environmental displacement, and so on. Every trip and activity is an opportunity to learn. When students are accompanied by a knowledgeable guide, parent, teacher, or chaperone, their experience is further enriched. The availability of time is integral for this.

2. Imagination

As an institution, we strive to help lower school students secure top grades, progress to the IGCSE stage with flying colours, ace their A Level examinations, and attend some of the most prestigious universities across the globe. Academic growth is one of the biggest foci at CHS Online. However, we also help students become more creative and imaginative. To cultivate a rich imagination in students, we plan exciting activities for them from time to time.

At CHS Online, we have a team of MA/MSc/PhD qualified teachers on board. Our teachers use advanced audio-visual technology to plan a wide range of exciting in-class activities for students. Since these activities are related to the curriculum, students gain intellectual insight into their lessons. However, they also solve puzzles, answer questions, and work on exercises that require them to tap into their imagination. As students are presented with unique ideas in a supportive learning environment, they’re encouraged to think more deeply and creatively.

Students explore their personal passions, work with their peers, develop new skills, and think outside the box. According to a lower school student at our institution, “I love working on fun projects with my friends. At first, I didn’t quite understand how I would be able to work on projects online. I’m used to conventional school, so this switch was a little confusing for me.

My teachers made me feel comfortable from the first day. They used advanced software to make our projects, group activities and exercises lifelike. I’ve started enjoying my lessons so much. Our teachers encourage us to think critically and creatively. They give us prompts to help us see things from different perspectives. This has helped me develop more original thoughts and approach topics from unique angles. I’m excited for the activities ahead!”

Parents often worry about how students can perform hands-on activities at online school. Our pupil’s response perfectly encapsulates the efficacy of our approach. By planning creative activities across different subjects, we ensure that students are compelled to explore their creative side in a multi-faceted way.

3. Improved Mental Health

At CHS Online, we have a razor-sharp focus on adolescent mental health. In recent years, research on adolescent stress and anxiety has increased significantly. Adolescents’ academic growth is affected when placed in a stress-inducing learning environment. Moreover, they’re at a greater risk of developing low self-esteem.

As an institution, we believe that contentment is the first step to healthy and creative learning. Our teachers establish a safe, secure, and supportive learning environment to help each student feel empowered and motivated. Students receive one-on-one success coaching and pastoral support from our teachers, which helps them address their problems as they arise. Establishing good mental health ensures that students feel excited to learn and grow.

According to a lower school student at our institution, “Online learning has helped me feel less stressed and anxious after school. My classes are flexible, not rigid, and nerve-racking. My teachers encourage me to do my best and gently steer me in the right direction when I’m confused about something.”

In many conventional schools across the globe, students are pushed beyond their limits and disciplined using force (verbal, emotional, and often physical). This has disastrous effects on a student’s mental health and well-being. By adopting the empathetic learning model, we ensure that students feel more capable of learning and growing. Mistakes are part and parcel of learning. As educators, we shoulder the responsibility of helping students get back on track without feeling discouraged. We equip students with the confidence they need to become assertive learners.

Recommended Read: Stress Management for Students: A Guide

4. Option to Travel

Travelling is one of the best ways to explore one’s creativity. At CHS Online, our lower school students often travel with their parents. Since our classes are held online, students have the flexibility to visit different places without disrupting their education. Our students often go on weekend trips and even brief trips during the school term. As they explore diverse cultures and traditions, they embrace new ideas and tap into their creativity. This is one of the most exciting benefits of online lower school.

5. Independent Learning

While collective learning is important, independent learning is imperative for a student’s creative development. Every student learns at a different pace. Instead of exclusively promoting collective growth, teachers should work towards understanding each student’s unique learning trajectory and customising their teaching approach accordingly.

At CHS Online, our teachers use the individualised learning model to ensure that each pupil’s unique strengths, weaknesses, and knowledge gaps are addressed. Our teachers encourage autonomy to help students understand their performance and set the bar higher and higher for themselves. Independent learning encourages self-assessment and creates room for self-improvement.

Our teachers actively discuss each student’s learning patterns. When students develop these insights, they can critically and creatively analyse their academic, personal, social, and extracurricular growth. Creative self-analysis is a powerful tool for everyone, especially lower school students who are preparing for rigorous IGCSE and A Level studies.

According to a student at CHS Online, “As a teenager, I wasn’t so sure of myself when I started online school. I was a little shy and nervous about how I would perform in an online learning environment. My teachers helped me get out of my comfort zone. Instead of pushing me, they encouraged me to embrace the online learning model. I received one-on-one attention and guidance from my teachers. They helped me grow as a student and feel sure of myself.”

We empower our lower school students to bring out the best in them. Once students start actualising their true potential, every door within sight opens automatically. We ensure that our students don’t face any barriers in accomplishing their goals.

Recommended Read: How Online Learning Fosters Self-Directed Learning And Curiosity

6. Social Growth

Parents often wonder whether their children will be able to socialise with their friends once they switch to the online learning model. At CHS Online, we ensure that students develop strong bonds with their peers. Social learning is a big part of creative growth. When students collectively brainstorm ideas, bounce thoughts off each other, have meaningful discussions, and understand each other’s perspectives, there’s a lot of room for imaginative development.

Each student thinks differently. When varying ideas are brought to the table, the outcome is a kaleidoscopic discussion that helps everyone involved learn something new and evolve. As students listen to what their peers have to say, their imagination is stretched.

According to a student at CHS Online, “My fellow peers have helped me learn a lot about myself and develop a creative flair. I’m very passionate about creative writing. As my friends and I discuss different storylines, dialogues, characters, plots, perspectives, and themes, we stretch our imagination and reach exciting new points.”

Social growth helps students thrive academically and personally. It also plays a big role in helping students develop their passions. As their peers introduce them to new hobbies, interests, books, movies, art, music, and so on, students further develop their creative taste. At CHS Online, many students play sports together, pursue creative interests like music, photography, and the like together, go on trips together, and so on. The element of “togetherness” is a binding force that creates more room for intellectual growth and thoughtful self-cultivation. Students introspect, learn new things about themselves, and grow with their peers. This is one of the most pronounced benefits of online lower school.

7. High Level of Excellence

When students get the opportunity to grow personally, socially, academically, intellectually, creatively, and critically, they achieve a high level of excellence. Instead of progressing in one or two facets of life, they learn many ropes and start developing proficiency in their unique passions.

Excellence is the foundation for exemplary academic growth. When students’ creative interests are fuelled and fulfilled, they develop a well-rounded personality and achieve immense success. This is the goal of our institution. We give students the boost they need to become high performers and enjoy a bright future.

If you’re looking for a reputable lower school, Cambridge Home School Online should be your top selection. As one of the most prestigious British online schools across the globe, we provide quality Cambridge online education to students living in the UK, Europe, Central Asia, South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

We offer four competitive homeschooling programs: Primary Prep/Key Stage 2 (ages 7 to 10), Lower School/Key Stage 3 (ages 11 to 13), Upper School/IGCSEs (ages 14 to 16), and Sixth Form/AS & A-Levels (ages 17 to 19). Explore the following resources to get started:

We have a razor-sharp focus on helping students secure top grades, enjoy extracurricular growth, achieve excellent academic growth at an advanced level, and kick-start a fulfilling career in the future. Thank you for trusting our institution. We look forward to equipping your children with the tools they need to enjoy bright futures. Let’s begin!

FAQ

How does online schooling at Cambridge Home School Online enhance lower school students’ school-life balance?

Online schooling offers lower school students flexibility, saving time usually spent on commuting and attending lengthy school days. This allows students more energy and opportunities to pursue creative pursuits and hobbies after their studies.

What creative pursuits do lower school students engage in through Cambridge Home School Online?

Our students partake in a variety of sports, competitions, and hobbies, such as horse-riding, sailing, art, technology, and computer programming, benefitting from the flexibility that online schooling provides to explore these interests deeply.

How does the online schooling model impact the mental health of lower school students?

The stress-free and supportive environment of online schooling at Cambridge Home School Online contributes positively to students’ mental health by providing a nurturing space for learning without the fatigue and pressure typical of conventional schools.

Can lower school students at Cambridge Home School Online still travel and participate in external activities?

Yes, the flexibility of our online schooling model allows students to travel with their families and participate in activities or excursions, enabling them to continue their education without interruption.

How does Cambridge Home School Online foster independent learning and creativity?

Our online school encourages independent learning through activities designed to stimulate imagination and creativity, facilitated by our qualified teachers using advanced audio-visual technology, thus promoting critical and original thinking.

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