Private schools have already started online classes and students feel safe against the Covid-19 virus because they are learning at home. Depending on the curriculum and schedule, online classes can also help students practice effective time management as they are studying at their own pace.
While online classes can offer relief to students who have anxieties associated with in-person interaction, other students may start experiencing increasing feelings of isolation due to the lack of face-to-face interaction.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), students may experience health concerns related to increased screen time such as fatigue, headache, lack of motivation, and avoidance/procrastination among others.
DOH recommendations
To avoid these negative feelings, the DOH has recommended the following:
- taking breaks in between classes and having time away from the computer;
- establish a routine where there is academic-personal life balance, which includes being physically active, eating, sleeping;
- practice self-care, self-compassion and self-awareness of their thoughts and feelings;
- encourage students to speak out about their feelings to people who can validate them; and
- utilize online mental health resources.
To avoid health problems like stress and eye problems, the Department of Education (DepEd) said that schools may adopt a combination of asynchronous online teaching in consideration of the screen time guidelines by age as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and World Health Organization.
In a Department Memorandum 2020-00162, “Suggested Strategies in Implementing Distance Learning Delivery Modalities for School Year 2020-2021” Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio said that such a strategy was made pending the “Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of Learning Delivery Modalities for Formal Education” due to schools being shut because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Screen time
The memo stated Kindergarten pupils should have a maximum of one hour daily screen time; Grades 1 to 5, maximum of 1.5 hours daily; Grades 6 to 8, maximum of two hours; Grades 9 to 12, a maximum of four hours daily (two hours in the morning and another two hours in the afternoon).
“While preparing the Weekly Home Learning Plan and Class Programs, schools shall comply with the recommended screen time for learners,” the memo said. It may be recalled that in a survey conducted by DepEd in July, 3.8 million parents preferred online learning.
Earlier, the DOH said that online classes should be shorter than six to eight hours a day.
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire even cited a study that said children five years old below, are not fit for eight hours of online learning.
“There should be physical activity. They should not sit in front of the computer for eight hours. It may strain their eyes,” Vergeire said.