Amid the coronavirus pandemic, as many parents juggle working from home with-helping their kids continue school assignments, some in Ontario are choosing to opt out, saying the remote-learning framework just doesn't work for them.

'Come together as a family to figure this out'

That approach — following a child's own interests and ideas — is perfect for engaging students during this unprecedented time, according to Tina Rapke, an associate professor in York University's faculty of education.

"The most important thing is to be thinking about balancing what parents need to do for work and how they can support their kids — and really thinking about how we can be most effective in our support of our children."

Lessons can be found in everyday life, outside of the context of school, and some only require a few minutes at a time, as in the case with learning mental math, she said.

"We're cooking hash browns for breakfast.... Well, if everyone gets four hash browns, how many should we put on the sheet?" Rapke, who specializes in mathematics teaching strategies, gave as an example.

Listen to the CBC News interview below. The segment begins at approximately the  15:10 mark.