«Emirates Today» accompanies 7 students and records the details of their studies behind the «screens»

Emirates Today accompanied seven students from different academic levels in private schools, to monitor the details of a full school day in the distance learning system imposed by modern education patterns.

Between the differences in home environments, faces, and study subjects, the scene remained the same in every home: a lit screen, successive virtual classes, and continuous educational interaction through digital windows.

In detail, students from different academic levels revealed how their educational lives are managed behind screens, during a full school day during which Emirates Today accompanied them to monitor the distance learning experience, as the day no longer begins with ringing the bell and ends at the school gate, but rather extends over continuous hours during which the student moves between classes inside a house, which has been transformed since the morning into an open classroom.

At the home of second-grade student Darren Hani, the class seems calmer and more focused, as she sits at a small table in a corner of the living room, surrounded by her books and pens.

As the mathematics class begins, she follows the explanation with focused eyes and raises her hand in front of the camera when needed, while her mother helps her install the device and open the activities. Dareen says: “I love when the teacher asks me to answer, I feel as if I am right in the classroom.”

She explains that the biggest challenge is sitting for a long time in front of the screen, which causes her boredom and the desire to move, so her mother is keen to give her short periods between classes, with simple rewards that enhance her commitment and focus during the school day.

In a corner of her house, the fourth-grade student, Layan Al-Suwaidi, sits at the dining table, which has been transformed into a daily learning space, repeating English words behind the teacher, using picture cards and educational songs.

She says that she prefers lessons that contain pictures and interactive games, because they make time faster and more enjoyable, while her mother confirms that maintaining the focus of children at this age requires constant family presence, even from afar.

At the home of the sixth-grade student, Salem Al-Shamsi, the second period begins after finishing the first period. He quickly moves on to the Arabic language lesson, getting ready in front of his small desk after making sure the camera and headphones are ready. He participates in reading in a clear voice, then writes down his notes in his notebook, saying: “The organized transition between lessons helps me focus, because any delay makes me lose part of the explanation.”

He points out that the most prominent challenge he faces is maintaining his attention during the successive lessons, so he takes short breaks between lessons during which he steps away from the screen to regain his focus and continue his school day with greater discipline.

As for the seventh grade student, Omran Abdel Ghaffar, he lives a different experience during science class, as the screen in front of him turns into a virtual laboratory that displays an interactive experiment about chemical reactions.

He confirms that watching the experience visually makes him more capable of understanding compared to an abstract theoretical explanation, but he admits that fatigue begins to creep in gradually as the hours of the day progress, especially in classes that require intense mental follow-up.

In another house, the eighth-grade student, Shahad Hani, follows the mathematics class, with eyes that do not leave the screen, while she records in a quick hand the steps of the solution that the teacher displays on the digital whiteboard.

She explains that mathematics is one of the subjects that most requires continuous concentration, because missing one step may confuse understanding the entire problem. While she receives immediate feedback through the platform, her mother watches the scene from afar, contenting herself with providing the necessary calm without direct intervention.

At the home of the 12th grade student, Qismatullah Sharif, the fourth period is spent in intense concentration, as she follows the explanation of physics on her mobile device, surrounded by her books and review papers in a crucial academic year.

From the beginning of the class, she makes sure to take notes carefully and follow the explanation step by step, realizing the importance of every detail in her final year.

She says: “Grade 12 requires constant focus, because any small piece of information could make a big difference in the final result.”

She points out that the most prominent challenge she faces is balancing between live classes and preparing for tests, so she adopts a daily plan to organize study and review time, while allocating a fixed time after lessons to summarize the material, which helps her avoid accumulating lessons and maintain her academic readiness.

As the end of the day approaches, the 10th grade student, Abdullah Sharif, begins his last class in social studies, where he follows a digital presentation on maps and participates in a group discussion before submitting his electronic homework via the platform.

He points out that the last classes are the most difficult, because concentration is gradually consumed, which makes reviewing lessons in the evening a necessity to compensate for what may be missed during mental exhaustion.

In a discussion with teachers about managing digital classrooms, measuring student interaction, and controlling attention, Arabic language teacher Ilham Bakri Al-Dweik confirms that evaluating interaction is not limited to recording attendance, but rather depends on monitoring voice participation, speed of response, and the level of interaction in text conversations. Distinguishing between a student who is formally present and one who is mentally absent is the most prominent challenge for teachers, as the screen obscures traditional classroom signals.

Science teacher, Asmaa Ammar, believes that real interaction appears in applied discussions and virtual experiments, where it is measured by the student’s ability to analyze and link results to scientific concepts.

She confirms that the most prominent challenge is transferring the practical laboratory experience to the digital environment, as some scientific concepts require a direct sensory experience that is difficult to compensate for via a screen.

English language teacher, Hanan Sharaf, stated that distance learning has contributed to enhancing students’ listening and speaking skills through continuous interaction via digital platforms, but in return it requires greater effort from the teacher to keep students engaged and motivated, so the teacher relies on diversifying explanation methods and using short interactive activities to ensure everyone’s participation.

Mathematics teacher, Hadian Muhammad, stated that real-time assessment tools, such as quick tests and interactive whiteboards, help measure understanding, but they do not always reflect the true depth of understanding, especially with some students relying on external sources of assistance during the solution.

She adds that the most prominent challenges are the varying levels of understanding among students within a single class, and the difficulty of repeating the explanation individually in a time-limited virtual environment.

Family and educational consultant, Omaima Hussein, recommended the necessity of including short, regular time breaks between distance learning sessions, so that their duration does not exceed 20 to 30 minutes, because of their role in reducing mental stress and improving the quality of concentration among students.

She explained that the continuous sequence of classes without sufficient rest periods leads to cognitive fatigue and a gradual decline in the level of attention, especially among younger students, noting that the brain needs short “reset” periods to regain its ability to comprehend and interact.

She added that these breaks should not be limited to staying away from the screen only, but rather it is preferable to include light activities such as moving, stretching, or changing the place inside the home, which helps stimulate blood circulation and stimulate attention again.

She stressed the importance of the family’s role in organizing this daily rhythm, by setting break times, reducing distractions during study periods, and monitoring the children’s commitment to a balanced pattern that combines learning and rest, stressing that “the balance between classes and rest is the real key to continuity of focus and quality of distance learning.”

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Continuous focus

The school day in the distance learning system extends through successive classes that last several hours a day, and their duration varies according to the academic level and the number of subjects, which makes maintaining focus and time discipline a daily challenge for students and families.

In the upper grades, the school day amounts to approximately five hours of successive classes via screens, which requires a continuous effort to maintain the level of concentration until the end of the day.