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It’s at about this time – the middle of spring, when the flowers are finally emerging – that high school students daydream about the summer ahead. It’s a natural feeling, the culmination of a lot of hard work throughout the traditional school year. But before you throw in the academic towel for an entire two months, consider the merits of summer learning.
“Summer school” has changed drastically in the last decade with the emergence of online high schools like Ontario eSecondary School. Summer learning doesn’t have to be restrictive or time-consuming. You can neatly slot it into an otherwise leisure-filled summer.
For your consideration, here are four undeniable benefits of hitting the (digital) books this summer.
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It Prevents Summer Learning Loss
Summer learning loss is a genuine problem among educators and students, researched extensively in journals and academic literature. Essentially, those two summer vacation months make it easy for students to backslide, forgetting or failing to retain important concepts from the prior year. Because subsequent high school years build on the preceding year’s learning outcomes, this loss in learning can cause serious disruptions.
Online learning prevents summer loss by keeping students immersed in the concepts and ideas that will form the backbone of future academic endeavours.
It Can Help Students Work Ahead
Perhaps you aren’t worried about summer learning loss – you have a mind like a steel trap! Taking summer courses can still be beneficial.
Students who wish to complete high school sooner (or devise an easier year next year) can work ahead in their courses. For instance, if you’re finishing up grade and have calculus fresh on your mind, consider taking a grade 12 calc course over the summer. You can finish high school sooner and get a head start on applying to competitive universities or colleges.
It Can Help Students Recover Lost Ground
Conversely, students might view summer courses as an opportunity to reflect and retry. If you were unhappy with a particular grade or outcome, consider carving out time this summer for an upgrade course.
Online upgrade courses allow students to retake a course on a shorter timeline. At the end, the higher grade of your two attempts appears on your transcript. Again, this proactive approach to education can help you in your future post-secondary admissions applications by strengthening your GPA.
It’s Flexible Enough to Facilitate an Exciting Summer
As mentioned, summer school has markedly improved in the last ten years. With the advent of online courses, summer learning is flexible enough to facilitate an exciting summer. Because online summer courses are self-paced, your activities don’t have to fit around your studies. It’s the opposite: You can fit your studies around activities. You can travel, hang out with friends, attend camps, play sports and more. Your education will be waiting at the computer when you have spare time.
If you want to work ahead toward an easy senior year, boost your grades before application season, prevent summer learning loss and still have time for fun summer activities – consider applying for online summer courses.