An Open Letter to Students Worldwide

Dear freaked-out student,

Hi - it's me, a freaked-out human too. At this moment, we are probably living in the most remarkable and craziest of times that the world has seen in probably a good while. Every structure and foundation that seemed unshakable concrete has begun to fragment and sway. Never before have we been so connected and informed in a catastrophe of a global scale.

Many of you will be unable to attend classes and lectures due to lock-downs and social distancing. It is imperative for us to be supporting our community and the healthcare systems by behaving sensibly and not leaving our homes where not necessary. However, it is important for us to make sure that we keep progressing in our academic and extracurricular activities.

For this reason, we have gathered advice and links to projects and resources from the educational experts at the One Young World Future of Learning group to share with you!

Being disciplined

Stick to your working-week schedule and start your day off early. Although tempting, try to avoid looking at social media applications first thing in the morning and rather, start planning the tasks you would like to accomplish that day. Some useful tools to help in planning and scheduling are Evernote, Google Keep and Trello to categorize your tasks in order of its priority. With so much going on around you, it is easy to lose track of time and miss out on important things. It is a good idea to schedule important events like upcoming lectures or deadline on Google Calendar. You can even add people to an event and in this way, plan meetings with your colleagues.

Staying healthy

It is essential to take small and frequent breaks to re-energise and avoid burn-out. It's likely you will be spending a lot of time looking at a screen so it is very important to take a break! While every country’s policies are different during this pandemic, it is a good idea to try to get some fresh air and sunlight by going for a short walk or a run around the park. Additionally, try to dedicate some time and space during the day to do some indoor workouts like yoga and calisthenics. There is an abundance of video tutorials available on YouTube for every skill level and type of workout. Recently, gym instructors have also been providing live workout classes. Alongside this, make sure you try to maintain a well balanced diet. It is easy to fall into bad habits with a stocked fridge close by so be cautions and stay hydrated!

Mental well-being

There is no doubt that this is a stressful time for all of us. Whether it is concern for our loved ones or not knowing what the future holds, we need to make sure to be conscious of our mental health. There is an information overload through social media and messaging platforms. If it's all getting too much, reduce your time or completely avoid these platform and stick to the official news that is coming from your government and local authorities. Trust only valid sources and do not get caught up in a forwarding chain with things you are not completely sure of!

Giving back to the community

Although it may seem like there is little we can do to help, unifying in this crisis is the most important thing we can do. To help protect your healthcare system and prevent the spread of this disease, try to stay at home as much as possible, only leaving for your essentials. You can donate to a local health shelter or a food bank to help those in need. And instead of going to a big supermarket for your weekly shop, try shopping at the independent and family-run stores local to you, especially in these times where small and medium enterprises are being hit the hardest in the economic crisis.

Resource Bank for Learning Classified by Geography & Age Group

International

1. Brilliant: problems in maths, physics and quantitative finance

2. Khan Academy: video tutorials and lesson from kindergarten to university

3. Coursera: MOOC with many free courses during the virus

4. Math is Fun: math puzzles and games for K-12

5. EdX: MOOC for university level courses

6. ZNotes: revision notes for international exams

UK [(i)GCSEs and A levels]:

1. Cambridge Resource Plus: free resource for all CAIE exams

2. BBC Bitesize: interactive quizzes and games for UK schools

3. Chemguide: online textbook for all chemistry exams

4. S-cool: GCSE and A-Level revision

5. Underground Mathematics: A level maths teaching resources

Contribute additional learning resources:

[email protected].

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