Tips for Online High School
Successful online students display the following qualities:
1) Self-discipline
2) Excellent reading comprehension
3) Resistance to distractions
4) Acceptance of limited peer contact
Self-Discipline
First, online students need to have self-discipline. You won't have a lecture to attend, and you won't have the support of the teacher if problems arise. You need to be able to negotiate setbacks. Set your own goals. Start big and work down.
For example, create a semester goal such as 'Pass all classes with an 'A'.' Then, work your way down to daily goal setting to reach your semester goal: 'determine research topic today, do research tomorrow and write the paper the following day.' Obviously, if you are a procrastinator, you will need to quickly learn to change your ways.
Excellent Reading Comprehension
Second, online students must have excellent reading comprehension. Your peers in traditional high schools will be learning, in part, by listening to teacher lectures, taking notes and asking questions. As an online student your main avenue of understanding is through reading the course material. While its true that some distance learning courses offer video recordings, audio clips and limited person-to-person assistance, most programs are designed in such a way that students understand a large amount of the information only through the written text.
So, read a lot and read often. At the end of a chapter, page or even a paragraph stop and ask yourself 'What did I just read?' Then, summarize the information you just read to yourself. As time goes by this process becomes more and more natural, until you'll hardly notice yourself doing it at all.
Resistance to Distractions
Third, you must be aware of and know how to combat distractions. Whether it's the phone ringing, the kids screaming or the TV, everyone faces distractions. You can reduce distractions by choosing the time during your day that has the least activity.
Also, if the phone does ring, let the answering machine do its job. If you find yourself staring at the television, reward yourself after completing a significant portion of your assignment with 15-30 minutes of television. Also, don't feel bad turning down invitations from friends.
Limited Peer Contact
Last, you must accept that, as an online student, you will not have certain 'high school norms' like homecoming, prom and student elections. Reminding yourself that you value your independence. This will help combat any feelings of isolation. Also, in place of the traditional high school social scene, look at what interests you and get involved with an organization. Don't forget that you can usually contact other online peers through email, message boards and other forums. Look into whether your online school provides these opportunities.
