Brazil, like dozens of countries in the world, is facing a serious health crisis with the pandemic of the new Coronavirus, COVID-19, which already has more than 300 confirmed cases in the country. In order to prevent the spread of the disease, many educational institutions, by their own guidance or by the government, decided to suspend face-to-face classes, which makes many people anxious: and how are my studies? That's why we separate some tips for you to study at home.
The removal, it is worth remembering, is a preventive measure and should not be seen as an early vacation or a week of recess – in addition to the increased attention with COVID-19, we must keep our studies up to date, since the university/college course must always be our priority at this stage of life.
And what do I need to do in the midst of all this? To do this, we spoke with residents and teachers to help you organize and maintain your rhythm in the midst of this peculiar situation, but of attention, in our lives, in addition to basic hygiene and prevention rules.
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keep your routine
“Studying at home is difficult because we never learned how to do it”. These are the words of Simone Carvalho, Professor of Political Science at the School of Communication and Arts at the University of São Paulo (ECA-USP), when talking about the habit of studying at home. And it's still true!
Unlike many countries, which already institute distance education, education in Brazil still has a strong tradition with face-to-face classes and the teacher who dictates what we should (or should not) study.
Use your time that you would be in class to… study! This way, you keep up to date with the material, do not postpone your obligations and, above all, maintain your commitment to your educational institution. In fact, many of them are transferring classes to online media, and with that comes our tip number 2.
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Pay attention to the new schedule of your educational institution
Many universities and courses have interrupted their face-to-face classes, but continue with the content on digital platforms. Although not all of them have their own distance learning program, some other services such as Skype, Zoom and Google Meets have been used to circumvent this time outside the classroom.
The ideal is for you to contact each professor and understand the dynamics of each one. And, of course, use this online time to focus and learn – attend classes, ask the teachers and remember that, even far away, the person most interested is you, whether by videoconference or other online channels. At my university, for example, classes are being held via Google Meets, and a lot of additional material has been posted on Moodle, where I can also contact each professor.
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Organize a study schedule
Creating a schedule, for example, is what has kept Marília Noelly up to date with her Master's Degree in Economic Law at the USP Faculty of Law. Ma, a resident of Uliving 433, said that she kept her reading schedule and even made a spreadsheet so she wouldn't get lost in them, setting daily goals and deadlines for each delivery. Taking her example, we created a model for you – just copy it to your drive this worksheet and change with the right data!
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Use technology to your advantage
We know that technology is a double-edged sword – although it helps a lot in studies, much of the inattention comes because of it. Those basic rules of leaving the cell phone aside to focus fully on studies we don't even need to talk about, but it's also worth using what's good to help us.
Marília, for example, uses an app artifact to optimize her studies. O Evernote it is her app for “taking notes on books, transcribing audio from classes (…)”, which helps to assimilate the content and review what may have left doubts.
In addition to it, Google has a number of tools that it (and I!) use to get organized, including the Google Tasks: Calendar and himself Drive, where you keep your texts in pdfs and notes. At the end of the post there is a link to each app, and if you want to know about other apps that can help you, take a look at this old post here!
Check out the best apps for students!
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Most important of all: you!
Take the time you have extra for not going back and forth by transport to take care of yourself! Keep your routine, but use this extra time to take care of yourself and solve issues that are taking away your sleep and well-being. Whether those things are overdue texts for college, or that healthier dinner you didn't have time to prepare.
Héctor González, a resident of Uliving Jardins, takes a course for medical residency and gave some tips for residents and the general public. In addition to all the hygiene recommendations recommended by the WHO, described below, he reminded us of something essential: eat well and drink lots of water!
- Wash your hands regularly with soap and water! And always have a 60% or 70% gel alcohol with you;
- Avoid agglomerations;
- Keep about 1,5 m away from people when talking, especially if someone (or you) is sneezing or coughing;
- Avoid touching your own nose, eyes and mouths without hygiene;
- Sanitize your personal objects and cell phone regularly;
- Do not leave the house if you are unwell except to seek medical help.
Ah, Héctor also gave an important reminder: physical activity is good for your health! Even at home, find a way to exercise. This period at home is temporary, but, in his words, "let's stay calm and, as a family, let's help each other"
Let's use this time to reorganize ourselves and rethink our attitudes towards the world. As Milena said in our conversation, “although the situation is very sad, it is a time to slow down and readjust. Rethink our way of life, readjust the gears; After all, why were we in such a hurry?” There's the reflection.
Links to apps that will help you study at home:
Evernote
iOS Android
Google Tasks
iOS Android
Google Calendar
iOS Android
Google Drive
iOS Android
