Parent's Guide To Solving Homework Problems - Part 10

SOLUTIONS FROM SCHOOL

When parents, teachers and the school work together, solutions can usually be found in just one or two conferences.

Contact the teacher if you notice consistent errors in one subject area or if homework is becoming an on-going struggle.

Be prepared to describe the negative behaviors or habits of your child to the teacher.

Schools have specialist staff (Psychologists, Councillors, Learning Assistance Teachers, etc.)  who are equipped to provide support and solutions.

If necessary, homework assignments can be modified by the teacher to help your child stay on a curriculum track and provide him the opportunity for success.

The success that a child experiences through modification of assignments helps to promote self-confidence and increase self-esteem.

With specialized help, your child can develop an “I Can” attitude and as success is achieved the level of expectations can be slowly increased.

Homework should always be a beneficial exercise – not a make work project.  The material should always be work that was introduced and explained in class – if your child seems to not have a clue how to do the work then this is most likely an indication that he was not paying attention in class or the material is too difficult.

part 11 to follow...

Free Teaching Aids

Classroom Zoom has over 400 free activities for students from grades 2 to 8.

Once registered you can easily access these resources: http://www.classroomzoom.com

Parent's Guide To Solving Homework Problems - Part 9

Determining The Problem - HELPLESS SYNDROME

The helpless syndrome is characterized by a child who places little faith in her own abilities. She exhibits a lack of confidence and frequently asks her parents for assistance.

While a child should feel free to ask parents when a difficulty with homework is encountered, there is a point at which the requests for help are too frequent and unnecessary.

You can begin to remedy this behaviour by setting an amount of time – say 10-15 minutes – and tell the child that they have to do all the work they can by themselves in that time. If they encounter difficulties they are to move onto the next question and wait for you to come and see what they have accomplished.

Once you have the child working in small blocks of time on their own, slowly increase the amount of time, but now let them come to you after the block of time is over if they have questions or need help. You will still need to set a reasonable time for them to work independently and attempt the assignment before asking questions.

You are there to support them – not do it for them.

Remember, you still have to check the quality, quantity and neatness of the work. Do not accept work that is lacking in any of these three areas.

If your child comes to you with a question that you know they could answer themselves, do not chastise them – instead ask questions that will help them to come up with the answer, then say, “See how you solved this question? Next time try to use this way to find the answer yourself.”

The solutions offered above are simple to initiate – the real difficulty is maintaining the routine, being consistent and retaining your patience and sense of humor.

part 10 to follow...

Parent's Guide To Solving Homework Problems - Part 8

Determining the Problem - PROCRASTINATORS

 

The procrastinator likes to wait until the last minute to get homework done. For most children, this is usually what they are accustomed to doing. If this is the case with your child, then your task is to break a habit that is well engrained (good luck!).

If your child procrastinates with long-term assignments, then it is your job to ensure that these types of assignments are started the day they are assigned, and you and your child have agreed upon how many minutes must be spent on this assignment each night.

A log should be kept to ensure the agreed upon time is adhered to and the parent should check each block of work to ensure enough has been completed in the allotted time.

If your child procrastinates with starting homework each night, a timer is a good tool to help you and your child solve the procrastination problem.

At the start of each homework session ensure your child is seated in the place where they do homework and they are prepared to start on time.

Set the timer for 10 or 15 minutes and leave them to work. When the timer rings they have to bring the work they have completed in that time to you. If you are not satisfied with the amount completed let them know what needs to be done for the next block of time.

Another approach is to take the amount of work to be completed - say 30 Math examples – and establish a small chunk of work – say 10 examples – to be completed in a certain amount of time. If the child does not complete the amount of work allocated for that 10 or 15 minute period then you need to tell them to readjust their rate so it is completed on time.

Remember ‘Practice makes Perfect”. Your child needs time management guidance – something that is not usually taught in school. Set the homework block for each day and homework MUST be completed in that time.

part 9 to follow...

Parent's Guide To Solving Homework Problems - Part 7

Determining the Problem - FOCUS/LACK OF ATTENTION

If the problem is FOCUS (your child cannot spend more than a few minutes before she loses concentration) then you will need to break the work up into 10 or 15 minutes chunks.

Place a timer on your child’s desk and ask her to come and show you what she has accomplished when it rings.

Look carefully at the amount of work completed, its neatness and quality. Comment on each aspect. Let the child know what is good and what needs to be improved.

Continue this practise until all three aspects of the work reach a level that you feel is acceptable (this could take days or weeks!). Once you have reached this goal, set the timer for a longer period of time and go through the process a second time.

Do NOT sit with your child. Do not monitor them while they are supposed to be working. Remember your goal is to develop independent work skills in your child.

NOTE: An inability to focus may be symptomatic of a bigger problem. If your child exhibits this inability with other subjects or other aspects of daily life then you need to seek the help of a specialist. The school should be the first place to begin your search.

Parent's Guide To Solving Homework Problems - Part 6

Identifying The Problem - RESISTORS

Children (parents?) who resist doing homework are usually indicating that there is something else going on…your job is to find out what it is.

Talk with your child to see if you can determine what is going on. Has something changed at home or at school? Are they upset about anything?

Use your skills at 20 Questions to try and elicit what is going on in their mind that prevents them from being able to start & complete homework.

Try to determine if the problem is due to the fact that they are struggling with the material – do they find it hard?

Is it an attention problem – do they find it hard to concentrate for more than a few minutes?

Do they feel lost? Do they need extra help?

If you are lucky enough or not to discover what the problem may be, nevertheless, your next step is to contact the teacher. 

Meet with her and try to come to a consensus as to what is causing your child’s resistance to homework and what steps can be taken to resolve the problem. Working hand-in-hand with your child’s teacher is usually the best way to get positive results.

Again, remember: any plan devised to help your child must be followed through by you. No plan, no matter how good, will fail without consistent parent support.

Part 7 to follow...

Parent's Guide To Solving Homework Problems - Part 5

Identifying Homework Problems - SLOPPY/SPEEDY WORKERS

Sloppy, untidy work is not accepted by teachers and (most) parents. It is usually a clear indication that the creator has rushed and has little if any pride in his work.

If teachers and parents insist on an ‘acceptable level’  of neatness and quality, and insist it be redone until it is acceptable, it will soon become obvious to the speedy producer, that doing it right once is much quicker than having to redo the assignment two or three times.

Parents can encourage neatness and quality by:

1.       Monitoring the child’s homework at regular intervals (yes, dad, you have to do something!).

2.       Create check points e.g.: 30 Math examples – “Come to see me after completing ten.” (this is where you check the neatness and quality).

3.       Establish a homework time block with a set amount of time. If child completes all homework before the time is up, they must read until the time is up (this slows down the child rushing to move on to a more enjoyable activity).

4.       Of course TV, video games, internet, cell phones, devices, etc., etc.  are totally out of the picture until homework time is done.

At this point there may be some of you thinking that these homework ideas require a lot of work. Well…not to spoil your world…but yes this homework problem will require some work on your part…consider it your homework…live with it.