Online courses have grown by leaps and bounds over the past few weeks as providers of both entertainment and education seek to serve people who are at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And many of us are eager to spend some time learning.

Of course, it’s the kids who need it most. And while the allure of online classes might sound like a great way to relax and learn at the same time, it’s not ideal.

Students learn far less material online than they do in a normal classroom. Alas, there’s really no choice right now.

We have to forge ahead and come up with new and engaging ways to do our best to keep young minds learning.

Interrupting education entirely hurts in the long term.

In response to this education crisis, the British Broadcasting Corporation (more commonly known as the famous BBC) has announced a program to engage students in England and the rest of the UK. It’s called Bitesize Daily and the network has gathered 200 teachers to record tutorials for students (and parents can watch as well!).

The courses will be broadcast over a 14-week period.

Unfortunately, you’ll have to be across the pond to see the classes when they come out beginning on April 20th at 9 am BST via the BBC iPlayer. But Americans (along with the rest of the world) could get a glimpse in the future if they prove popular enough.

One reason we’re all clamoring for this education? The expertise that will be on display! Imagine having the best and most passionate instructors talk about everything from geometry (which, yes, you can be passionate about!) to geography.

For example, just picture how amazing it would be to learn natural history from someone like the legendary Sir David Attenborough!

Even if that name isn’t ringing a bell, we’re willing to bet that you’ve heard his voice. And while his credentials are not that of a university professor, he did earn an undergraduate degree in natural sciences from Cambridge! Since then, he’s written over 40 nature documentaries and participated in hundreds of other conservation projects.

He is, quite literally, the voice of the great outdoors – and he’ll be teaching a series of classes on earth and oceans!

If for some reason you’re not into wildlife, perhaps lectures by physicist and public intellectual Professor Brian Cox are more your style. There will be all sorts of material in mathematics, history, music, languages, and much more!

This homeschooling initiative is one of many creative responses to our current worldwide crisis – one that threatens the education of all the world’s children.

Alice Webb, the Director of BBC Children’s & Education, drove home the necessity of helping out:

“We said the BBC would be there for people through this crisis, and we meant it. It’s vital that every child is able to continue learning, and the lessons we’re putting on will make sure they have fun at the same time.”

And while, once again, these efforts are an incredible resource, they certainly can’t take the place of being in a school environment. But they certainly can help tide students over and keep them engaged in learning until it’s safe for them to go back to their classrooms.

If you’re keen on getting your Attenborough fix in order to learn about the great outdoors that we’re so restricted from right now and you live outside England and the UK, you can always look for documentaries on Amazon Prime or Netflix.

In fact, Netflix has set up a streaming platform where even non-subscribers can watch some documentaries, including all eight episodes of Attenborough’s 2019 nature series Our Planet!

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Source: Bored Panda, BBC America, The New York Times, Netflix via YouTube