Here are 10 guidelines I've adapted from Lee Canter's Help! It's Homework Time.
Here is some more information about homework from Michael Kassel, author of
Study Skills for Kids.
Consistency
Consistency is the key to this entire program.
Indeed, there
is no such thing as the perfect
study skills
method, except that the best
method is one
that is consistently applied.
This means
studying at consistent times, in a
consistent
place, with a consistent set of skills.
On Television & Studying
When your
Child says, "Mom, I study better
watching TV,"
that really means they have
more fun
watching TV while they sneak in a
problem or
two between commercials. There is
no evidence
that suggests a child studies better
while
watching TV, and a whole lot of experts
who say it's
a distraction.
Let's face
it -- TV is inherently more
interesting
than homework, and your child's
attention
will be drawn away from his or her
work...bottom
line -- No TV!
Getting
Organized
Organization is not just a way of keeping
things in
place, but the logical extension of the
way your
child studies. When I meet a student
who fumbles
for his or her papers in an
overstuffed,
unorganized book bag, he or she
is usually a
poor student. The sloppy manner
in which the
student keeps track of his or her
notes seems
to reflect the sloppy manner in
which he or
she organizes thoughts (although
there are
many exceptions to this rule, Albert
Einstein
being one of them).
The best
students I have encountered are
organized all
the way down to the way they
carry their
materials. While your child may
certainly be
another Einstein, let's go from the
rationale
that organization and neatness never
hurt anybody
.
Homework
Your kids
probably think homework is a form
of
punishment, but it's actual purpose is to
reinforce
material they have learned in class,
which is
particularly important in math,
science,
English and social science.
Indeed,
while children learn a great deal in the
classroom,
they reinforce what they have
learned by
practicing it through homework.
The idea
behind homework is quite simple: "If
you do
something long enough, with as much
variety as
possible, you will begin to learn it."
Just as
practice makes perfect for sports, it
makes perfect
for learning.
Parental Help With Homework
While you
may be tempted to help your child
with his or
her homework, you are best to let
your child
work it on his or her own. Later,
you can check
the work, as well as question
any solutions
that appear incorrect. Under no
circumstances, however, should you work a
problem for
your child. While this sounds like
common sense,
it is very tempting, particularly
when your
child is tired and frustrated.
When your
child encounters a problem he or
she cannot
complete, try to get your child to
think about
the problem. Find a similar
problem he or
she answered successfully, and
ask your
child how that problem is similar to
the stumper.
Then ask, "How is it different?"
Keep in
mind that homework assignments are
grouped
around basic skills that have either
been
previously mastered or explained very
recently.
Thus, the book itself, or the chapter
upon which a
worksheet is based, will have
some clues as
to how to answer or solve the
problem. Your
child needs to refer back and
look for the
similarities and differences in
order to
apply the skills. In that way, your
child is not
just learning a formula, but,
indeed,
learning to think.
Reading Comprehension
I have
taught and read a great deal about
reading
strategies and have found, among the
many ideas,
what I consider to be the best way
to increase
reading comprehension as it applies
to text
books. Though this method has gone
by many
names, I prefer the term "Mapping,"
a technique
which gives the reader a clue as to
where they
are going before they begin.
First, you
must understand that there is a
difference
between text books and general
reading
material. Text books are those
designed for
specific subjects and courses, and
include a
broad range of subject information
arranged
around examples, vocabulary,
concepts, terms,
and homework assignments.
General
reading books are those fiction and
non-fiction
books that look at a story or
specific
subject in detail. Text books have very
strict
guidelines they follow in format and
tone, while
general reading books are limitless
in the way
they are written and stylized.
Because text
books are so heavily formatted,
they are
actually easier to read, so we will deal
with those
first.
But first,
an important fact -- text books are
incredibly
boring. Indeed, as noted above,
they are
boring by design. Text books are
about great
information, not great writing.
Thus, if your
child feels strange because he or
she is bored
by the text, you can set your
child's mind
at ease by explaining that most
children are
bored by such books.
Children
approach textbooks like a fight --
they lead
with their chin and go in punching,
tiring
themselves from frustration. Some kids
can approach
a text like this and come away
with a pretty
good understanding, but many
kids can't.
They need a strategy to get the most
out of a
book, and that is where mapping
comes in.
Ask your
child to think of a text book not so
much as an
end-to-end string of words, but as
a series of
places within a large storehouse of
information.
Rather than simply read the text,
your child
should begin by becoming familiar
with it, one
chapter -- or one section,
depending on
the assignment...
Test Preparation
As far as
I am concerned, there are three types
of test
reviews. The first type is what I call
Non-existent.
The student never reviews his
or her
homework or previous tests or readings
and just
hopes against hope to give back the
right
responses on the test. A very small
percent of
students -- known as auditory
learners
(students who learn and memorize by
merely
listening), may do well like this, but
they are few
and far between.
The second
type of review is what I call
Passive. In
this case the student will glance
over his or
her notes once or twice, perhaps
re-read a
chapter or a section, and then go on
to the test.
This is a bit better than no
preparation
at all, yet it hardly ensures
success. I
call it passive because that is exactly
what it is --
the student reads the material and
hopes it
sinks in, yet does nothing to help the
knowledge
become absorbed.
The third
type of review -- the preferred type --
is called
Active. Not only does the student
review the
material through sight, but through
re-writing as
well as speaking the material
aloud. These
are the students who will rewrite
any notes
they may have, construct lists, use
flash cards,
and recite material. This is the best
method
because it models how we memorize
and maintain
memorized information.
Test Anxiety
While you
certainly want to inspire your child
to do well,
you don't want him or her to think
that grades
are everything. Indeed, many
students who
have had academic problems
early on have
found solutions through proper
learning
techniques presented with support and
understanding. Therefore, if your child tries to
do well yet
brings home a disappointing grade,
you should
applaud your child for the effort
and assure
your child that you are confident he
or she can
improve. Doing otherwise may
produce so
much stress, your child may
actually
continue to do worse. If your child is
taking a test
and thinking about your negative
reaction to
bad grades, he or she will have too
much stress
to think straight for the test itself.
Fear thrives
on such a vicious cycle.
When
approached with compassion, your
child will be
inspired to do well -- and may
even study
harder to repay the confidence and
kindness you
have shown. That doesn't mean
you should
pass off poor grades as
unimportant,
but keep in mind you're not
going to
accomplish academic success through
anger or
disappointment.
Another
way your child can reduce stress is to
avoid last
minute studying. I always
recommend
that students turn away from their
books and
notes at least one hour before any
test.
Hurried, last-minute studying works for
very few
students; all it really accomplishes is
more anxiety.
The old saying is true -- if you
don't know
the material an hour before the
test, you
most likely won't know it within the
hour.
If your
child complains of test anxiety during
the test,
tell him or her to take a few deep
breaths when
the stress begins to hit. Deep
breaths help
break the cycle of stress and can
do wonders to
clear a test-taking child's head.
The bottom
line is this: Good grades and
academic
excellence should NOT come at the
expense of
your child's mental well-being.
Nothing good
has ever come from undue
stress, and
no single test or set of tests is
worth the
problems such anxiety can cause
your child.
If your child is experiencing
unhealthy
levels of test stress, you should
seriously
consider consulting a professional
counselor
trained in dealing with such
problems.
Rewards and Incentives
There are
many ways to reward your child's
academic
successes. While many parents
structure
this around financial incentives, I
tend to
believe that such rewards are better
suited for
chores and allowances as opposed to
grades. While
academic success certainly can
lead to
greater financial rewards as your child
becomes an
adult, that is not -- nor should it be
-- the reason
your child learns.
Education
is not really about jobs -- it is a way
of life.
There are a great deal of positive
benefits from
an education that have little to do
with money.
First, there is the satisfaction of
accomplishment. Second is the mastery of
knowledge
that leads to better citizenship.
Perhaps most
important is that education tends
to be handed
down, from serious parents to
high-achieving student.
Therefore,
rewards for learning should be
intrinsic in
nature. For example, you should
take an
active interest in your child's academic
success,
praising the good grades received. If
your child's
grades are not exactly as you
hoped, yet
your child is making a sincere
effort and
doing the work, you should shower
your child
with encouragement for the effort,
inspiring him
or her to achieve.
In Conclusion
You
must...understand that children learn via a
variety of
different styles. Some learn best
through what
they hear, others learn best from
what they can
picture, and others learn using a
combination
of styles. The point is Don't use
Study Skills
for Kids to try and change your
child's
natural style of learning; rather, have
them
incorporate its lessons in the manner that
suits them
best. The main thing to do is to get
your child
studying on a consistent basis. If he
or she finds
other methods that work better
than those
outlined here, encourage your child
to use those
methods on a consistent basis.
Study Skills
for Kids is not the last-word in
study skills,
but merely a beginning for a
life-long
love of learning.
I truly
believe that Study Skills for Kids
gives you and
your child a sound beginning
and I hope
you find it valuable. But always
keep in mind
that you must be careful to
balance your
desire for your child's
achievement
with love, understanding and
compassion.
Indeed, love, security, and
support are
truly the most valuable gifts you
can ever give
to your child.
All excerpts from Study Skills For Kids,
copyright © 1996, Michael B. Kassel
All rights reserved.
Here is a helpful web site:
http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/tools-for-success/index.html
To download OpenOffice, go here: http://www.openoffice.org/
To download Kiran's Typing Tutor, go here: http://www.kiranreddys.com/products/typing.html