MOUNT VERNON — Like it or not, homework is a fact of life for students of all grade levels. It can range from reading simple stories in kindergarten, to math, science and history homework in high school. Even with good students, according to schoolfamily.com, “Homework has a way of bringing out a child’s tendency toward procrastination, sloppiness and selective amnesia.”
Luckily, there are ways parents can offset that tendency and take an active role in their child’s academic success.
An important first step is setting the stage for doing homework and being consistent in expecting that it will be done. Homework is the pupils’ job, and if students know their parents value education and care about how the students do in school, they may be more motivated to complete homework assignments with a minimum of resistance.
Providing a dedicated place to do homework and making sure the needed supplies are on hand are also important. Although many educators recommend making sure the student has a distraction-free and quiet place to study, recent research suggests some children study better when there is some “background noise.” Depending on the child’s individual learning style, sitting still and focusing for long periods can be difficult for some pupils, and parents are encouraged to be aware of each child’s learning style.
Auditory learners learn through listening. They may benefit from reading their homework assignment aloud or recording the material to listen to later. Other strategies for auditory learners is to talk to themselves or others about what they are studying, and making up a song with the information they need to know. Auditory learners do need a homework area with limited distractions.
Visual learners learn through seeing. They may benefit from parents using flash cards with them at home, creating drawings, charts and graphs to illustrate the information they are studying, writing things down and reviewing notes, color coding or highlighting and underlining important facts.
Kinesthetic learners learn through moving, doing and touching, and may not be able to focus when sitting still. They may benefit from reading aloud and moving a finger along the page as they read. Highlighting and underlining, and copying information multiple times, is another strategy for kinesthetic learners. Allowing them to take frequent short breaks or to play with a toy or stress ball while studying may also be helpful. Educational games related to the homework lesson and hands-on activities, such as building a model, can help the student retain the information.
Once the student is working on his or her assignment, the parent should be available to help without hovering. The Middle School Association recommends parents check the completed homework, but they should not do it for the child. Parents should let their children know it is all right to make mistakes if they are trying to do a good job, as long as the mistakes are corrected later. The parents can check math problems, proofread written papers and look over spelling words. The next step is pointing out mistakes and helping the student figure out how to correct those mistakes.
Some educators suggest that parents provide a three-pocket homework organizer folder to their children. Daily assignment sheets would go in one pocket, papers to be completed, filed or thrown away in another pocket, and all work to be turned into the teacher would go in the third pocket. If a daily school planner is available, the parent should check it daily for assignments and due dates. Parents should also be aware if their child’s school has a homework hotline or publishes assignments on the school Web site.
The national PTO and PTA Web sites have more homework help tips for parents who want more information, and the student’s teacher is probably the best resource of all.
