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HOMEWORK – To do or not to do?

no comment martina@thebusinesshood.com

Whether you love it or hate it homework is a stressful problem in many households, especially those which are the home to students with learning difficulties.

HOMEWORK FOR STRUGGLERS OR DISINTERESTED LEARNERS

For many strugglers and unmotivated students the school-day is long and trying and they are often truly fatigued by the time they arrive home. The prospect of having to sit and do more ‘work’, is not something they look forward to and is regularly the cause of stress between themselves and their parents.

Many parents report that they just want to be parents to their children- they don’t want to take on the role of teacher, as it leads to fights and breakdowns in relationships.

I am often asked when the best time for homework is, but I really don’t think that there is a one-time fits all answer. For some students they need to get out and run around before they can sit down for more. For others, they need to shower or eat or spend some time out relaxing. Before school is an excellent option for students, especially those who are naturally early risers. Try negotiating how it will work best with your child so that they can own the decision, and then try to stick to a routine.

So here are some tips to help you survive the nightly grind.

1. Book a personal meeting with your child’s teacher/s or set a time to communicate by phone if you can’t be there in person. Negotiate the parts of the homework that are essential and concentrate on just getting those done. (If your child sometimes get the time or inclination to do more, then that can be a bonus. If it is a time guide that your child’s teacher gives you then work to that, (giving praise when it’s achieved), and not more.
2. Discuss whether ‘Mentals’ books and Maths sheets can be modified to include only work at your child’s level, so they are practising procedures that they know and not coming across something unachievable at every new question. Find out if tests can also be modified to reflect this content.
3. For younger students -even if the rest of the class does not take home readers – see if the teacher can provide you with readers at an appropriate level so that daily reading is improving reading, not causing frustration. (Children who choose their own books for home reading time will tend to pick books that are not at the correct level.)
4. For older students- see if an audio version of their English text is available and have them listen to it (following along and reading with it). If possible, listen with your child so that you can keep them focussed, discuss the plot or help them at a later date to complete any associated writing on the text.

There are many facts that need to be memorised and unfortunately there is not really any way around this but to learn them. Try to use the method that best suits your child’s learning style to ensure that they are achieving their goal using the quickest and easiest method.

TIMES TABLES – Every single child needs a solid basis of Times Tables knowledge from as early as possible and must maintain it through to Year 12. Most schools assume that this will be done at home as they do not get time to do it in classrooms. Even though students start to use calculators in Year 7 they still need to be able to recognise patterns and decide if numbers can be divided and by what, so that they can simplify and factorise in algebra and fractions. This is something a calculator will not be able to do for them. If your child has specific issues that mean that they cannot recall tables, ask the teacher to allow them to have a tables chart on their desk, so that they can learn procedures for algorithms without being held up by slow times tables recall. I have found the best way for most students to learn their tables is to spend 5 minutes a day, five times a week, (and ticking it off on a calendar to keep track) rather than spending lots of time on a particular table, only for it to be forgotten down the track. One way this can be done is by using a Tables APP. These are easy to use, self-correcting, can be fun and set in a game format. Other methods include saying tables orally, singing them, using flashcards or a combination of all methods to provide variety.

If you have any questions about the above information or other issues pertaining to your child’s homework issues we would be happy to talk to you and give you some tips. Feel free to call the centre during the hours of 10am – 2.30pm when we are not teaching.