Homework 9-1-1

Presented by Ali Meyers, MSW

Relax. It’s not that kind of talk.

Welcome

   Who I am Why “Homework 9-1-1”?

  Laying the groundwork The struggles are real, and so are the benefits   Maximize learning Peace in your house Caveats:  No silver bullets  Help yourself: an a la carte presentation

6 Questions (There will be a quiz!)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

What is the purpose of homework?

Name two benefits of homework.

How do parents inadvertently increase the stress associated with homework?

How can parents decrease the stress associated with homework? Name three specific action steps we can take.

In what ways can we use homework as a tool to foster learning and life skills in our children?

What do a farmer and a fly have to do with your child’s education?

Tonight’s Agenda

Why Stress Action Steps Parental Involvement Homework

Homework Why

    Practice: reinforces learning and helps students master skills. Extension: enables students to apply skills they already have to new situations. Preparation: introduces material to be covered in future lessons, orienting students to new material before it’s taught.

Integration: students apply different skills to a single task (i.e. science projects or term papers).

Benefits

Homework can teach children:   How to work independently How to prioritize and use time effectively   How to problem-solve Self-help and self-management skills

Why

Homework also provides parents with:  A window into their children’s learning, strengths, and weaknesses   Regular opportunities to participate actively in their child’s education Awareness about what’s happening in school  Opportunities to express positive attitudes about learning and the child’s accomplishments

Homework

Homework Stress

• Context: 21 st century, U.S., Silicon Valley • What we do (intentionally or inadvertently): • Supplement • Subtract

Homework

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Homework Stress: Context

Stress

Modern Life  Schedules, activities, pressure to achieve, competition and pressure associated with college admissions. National Association of Health Education Centers  In a survey of almost 1000 young people (ages 9 13) regarding stress, grades, school, and homework topped the list of stressors identified by kids (even over bullying or family problems). KidsHealth KidsPoll. (2005). Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health:  In a survey of almost 2000 Bay Area parents, 54% reported that their children experience moderate to very high levels of stress.  School and homework accounted for 65% of that stress (in the ranges of “somewhat to very much”).

(KidsData.org, 2005).

Homework

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Homework: How much is too much?

Stress

Seeking balance: too much HW can detract from important developmental needs like:  Exercise     Socializing “Down time” to enable creative problem-solving & imaginative play Sleep Vital family time U.S. Department of Education’s rule of thumb for homework: approximately 10 minutes per grade, per night (1 st grade=10 minutes, 5 th grade=50 minutes, etc.

If your child lacks an hour a day of time “to do nothing”, it’s time to reconstruct the family schedule.

Homework

Supplementing Stress

Stress

Attitudes and Mindsets  Homework grades life success   Reconsidering success Parenting Guidelines   Emphasis on grades  Better evaluation of a child's progress comes from parent-teacher conferences: the teacher discusses a child's attention, study skills, and successes.

The main purpose of elementary school: building a solid learning foundation

Homework

Reconsidering Success

Stress

   We live in a culture that increasingly insists that success is about numbers--test scores, acceptance rates, and salaries. We know that success is complex. It includes a wide range of skills and traits like integrity, creativity, and cooperation that can’t easily be measured, but are critical for success in life. http://www.challengesuccess.org/Parents/YourRole/tabid/855/Default.aspx

Subtract: Taking the “OW” out of HOmeWork Coaching Your Child

Stress

  Collaborative Approach  Not adversarial.  You’re on the same team. Prioritization    Order of events: HW First tough, then easy Flexibility and attention to our children's learning styles (maximize the time)

Homework

Homework

Subtract:

Stress

Taking the “OW” out of HOmeWork

  Dealing with stress in the moment  Enable your child to take short, defined breaks when facing continuous difficulty or a fading attention span Breaks    Elementary-age kids can generally work for 20-40 minutes intensively without a break. This is typically an appropriate length of time for them to absorb and work with academic concepts. Good break activities: 10 minutes of exercise (riding bike, stretching, running around), a low-maintenance snack, or playtime with a pet Use a timer to reduce difficulties around transitioning back to work.

Homework What Parents Can Do to Support Kids’ Homework Learning Action Steps

1) Establish clear routines for homework, including when and where homework gets done, as well as setting up daily schedules for homework.  HW Center (Study Space)  HW Time  HW Habits (ROUTINE) 2) Build in rewards or incentives to use with children for whom learning or academic achievement is not an intrinsic motivator  Goal setting  Motivation

Homework

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Positive Transitions: School to Home

Action Steps

Unwind Time  “… 20 or 30 minutes of exercise—taking a walk, playing in the backyard, doing some jumping jacks— can help a child focus for about 45 minutes to an hour afterward.” John Ratey, M.D., Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Read your child  Kids may not want to discuss their day. That’s okay.

   Ask open-ended questions. Give time and space to regroup, unwind, de-stress. Kids will often open up later, while doing an activity with you (i.e. setting the table, clearing dishes, etc.)

Sample After-school Routine for 5

th

grader

      3:20-4:00 Home from school. Snack, relax.

4:00-4:05 Planner check, organize, prioritize.

4:05-4:40 Homework (HW)/study time.

4:40-4:50 Break 4:50-5:15 HW time 5:15 Wrap up, pack up.

 Check work, check off planner, put materials away.

Homework

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Rewards and Incentives

Action Steps

Rewarding progress  Not all kids need rewards, but some benefit tremendously from them.

  Incentive systems (sticker charts or time tokens for special privileges) can work well for many K-5 kids.

Teach “First things first.” Unrealized privileges Consider each thing your child may consider a birthright… Access to…  Kitchen/snacks    Play time Pet time Screen time (TV, DVD, Computer) These are privileges, not rights. Use them for limit-setting and effective habit-building.

Encouragement vs. Praise

     Connect success with effort. Although parents and teachers have long believed they could build kids' confidence by praising their abilities, the opposite is true. Dr. Carol Dweck, professor of psychology at Stanford University.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Encouragement vs. Praise handout The message: effort and perseverance lead to success.

Homework

Attitude Adjustments

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Action Steps

Kids follow your lead.  Consider deeply-held thoughts and attitudes you may hold regarding homework. How might these affect the way you approach homework with your child?

 Perspective Shift - Are you “the boss” approaching every assignment with heavy sighs, eye-rolls, and a barrage of negativity? If you're (un)consciously conveying how much you hate the daily drudgery of homework, your child won’t feel enthusiastic about it either.

Work on your own attitudes regarding homework, if negative. If you can frame it in a positive light, your children will have an easier time doing that too. Jamie Woolf: founder of “The Parent Leader” and author of Mom-in-Chief

Homework Parental Involvement

Fostering Learning and Life Skills Through Homework

Homework: Your job is to create the conditions…

Be a farmer …not a fly

Homework

Parental Involvement: Create the Conditions

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Parental Involvement

FIRST: Encourage independence and self-help skills (for all ages) Begin as you mean to go on—set the expectation: HW is your child’s responsibility.

Provide optimal space, time, and structure for your situation Ensure adequate sleep and nutrition for your child    Preschoolers need 11-14 hours of sleep each night 5-12 year olds need 10-11 hours Teens need 9-10 hours of sleep nightly National Sleep Foundation (2006)

Homework

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Parental Involvement: How much is too much?

Parental Involvement

Homework is an important way for kids to develop independent, lifelong learning skills.

Make sure your children know that you're available when they hit a snag, but enable them to work independently. When asked for help, provide guidance (through inquiry), not answers.

Giving too much help can convey to children that:   They are helpless. They cannot solve their own problems.

When the going gets tough, someone else will do the work for them.

Encouraging effort, determination, and praising hard work are key motivation and confidence builders.

Student works independently.

(approx grades 4-5 and beyond)

Parent steps away, to another room nearby.

(approx. grades 3-4)

Parent steps away from the table, but is in the same room.

(approx. grades 1-3)

Parent and child at the same table.

(approx. grades K-1)

Homework

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Parental Involvement: final thoughts

Parental Involvement

As age, maturity, and readiness progress, step back and enable the child to assume more responsibility.

When in doubt, communicate with the teacher about what is reasonable to expect and how to best support the child .

Keep lines of communication open and active with school.

Avoid Egypt Report situations.

Keep perspective—what matters most  Family meals are the single strongest predictor of better achievement scores and fewer behavioral problems for children ages 3-12. Hofferth, S.L. (2001). How American Children Spend Their Time. Journal of Marriage and the Family , 63, 295-308

6 Questions (Time for a quiz!)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

What is the purpose of homework?

Name two benefits of homework.

How do parents inadvertently increase the stress associated with homework?

How can parents decrease the stress associated with homework? Name three specific action steps we can take.

In what ways can we use homework as a tool to foster learning and life skills in our children?

What do a farmer and a fly have to do with your child’s education?

Questions?

Homework 9-1-1

Ali Zidel Meyers, MSW Copyright 2009. All rights reserved .