How can I best support my child's learning at home?

I get this question all the time.  Whether I am in the community and someone finds out I am an instructional strategist and learning coach or whether I am in a parent-teacher conference at school.  The age-old question most parents ask is "What can I do to help my child"?

During my years as a middle school teacher I hear the same answers over and over. "Check the agenda book each night", "be sure to log in to our Homework Hotline on our team webpage" etc.  While these are indeed things you can do to support your child getting their work done I don't think these are the kind of answers parents really need to help their child succeed in school.  Not all parents have children that need help with getting work done, some want to extend and enrich their child's learning.  Besides, what if they already ARE checking the agenda book (and they know their student rarely writes anything in it besides when picture day is or when the next dance is coming up)?  What if they do not have reliable access to an internet connection (not all that uncommon in rural Maine)?  What kinds of advice can we give to parents that bypass the need to rely on a device (agenda or internet) and still feel confident that you are supporting their efforts?  It really comes down to these three things: Teach, Train, Show.

Number 1:  Teach them how to get organized.
       

Study areas should be simple and tidy

This is important.  Many children in the 3-8th grade level have trouble getting and staying organized.  Theses are the years when we assume that our students will be able to manage all of the papers and materials that get passed back and forth from school simply because we tell them to write it down, or not to forget.  The truth of the matter is that this is a period of time in a child's life when astronomical changes are happening both physically and cognitively.  Their executive functioning systems in their brains (the frontal area of the brain that organizes our thoughts and keeps us on track) are still developing and as such can get easily over ridden by a hormonal influx or environmental distraction.  I can't tell you how many times I have seen a student earn a poor grade in a course simply because they did their work and then didn't get the signal to hand it in.  Even some of our highest achievers can struggle with staying organized (but these kids tend to fall through the cracks of organizational support because they appear to be put together).  As parents, you can help your child with their level of achievement by teaching them how to get organized.  Teach them how to study, give them an equipped study space and help them learn how to manage their study time. If you as a parent struggle with these things the best thing you can do for your student is find someone who can teach them -- an older sibling, a tutor, a friend etc.

Number 2:  Teach them how to study.
       

Studying is an active process

I can honestly say, after being in schools for over 10 years, that students are not being taught how to study.  They are certainly being encouraged to study, told to study and given time to "study" but in reality the idea of "study" is somewhat of a foreign concept for many students of this grade 3 through grade 8 age group.  To study is an active process which incorporates multiple levels of organization, application, synthesis and evaluation.  Here is the biggest pitfall that most students who are being asked to study fall into -- quality studying is rarely a solo activity.

        To have the ability to study independently means you have the ability to evaluate and reason with yourself in order to really attain a level of understanding of the material that is needed to be proficient at it.  Most of the time, independent study time turns into more like a memorization session.  Relying on your memory as a sole conduit for retrieving information is like using one notebook to encapsulate an entires year of memories.... while you can cram information in, it is incredibly difficult to store it properly, make connections to it, know where to find it when you need it, and keep it from getting cluttered up with similar concepts around it.

        One fascinating aspect of the human brain is all of the ways it receives information.  Concepts are best learned and retained when multiple modalities are used and as many of the 5 senses as possible, including metacognition.  Fewer than 10% of our students (those in the 90th percentile and above) are efficient at independent studying.  In fact, the average student (those in the 25th-75th percentile, benefit so little from independent studying that studies show that two hours of studying alone may yield only 2-3 vocabulary words or concepts able to be easily retrieved on an exam or essay.  You can also ask your child's teacher for support.  Seek out specialized tutoring facilities and ask if they offer study skills courses for parents as well as children.  The more involved we can get the student engaged in the process of studying the more knowledge they will net from the act of doing it.

Number 3:  Show that you are interested in what they are learning.

       

Be a partner in their learning

Show your student that you are interested in what they are studying. Help them make connections to the world through what they are learning.  Look over their homework with them, go over their quizzes with them and see how they are doing.  Ask them about what they think about the topics that are being covered in their classes.  Even if you aren't particularly interested in fractions or WWII take the time to connect with them.  Share a positive experience, help them connect it to their life outside of school.

        Avoid saying things like "ugh, we had to learn that and I never used it in the 'real world'" or similar statements that can under mind the learning that is going on.  Even if you never looked at another polynomial again after you left Algebra 2 does not mean your child isn't destined to go to medical school and be the next doctor to cure cancer.  You can't predict what they might and might not need to know in their future so be supportive of what they are learning even if it makes you cringe at the thought of reliving it.

        Talk positively about teachers and schools.  Your children spend more time with them than they do with you at this stage in their life and so helping to formulate positive thoughts about that is essential to fostering the growth mindset they will need to achieve higher education and success in their adult lives.  

     

Success is not an option

        Being sure your student is getting adequate physical activity during the day is another way you can help support their school efforts.  There is a distinct connection between physical health and the function of the brain.  As little as a 1-mile jog at a moderate pace prior to classroom work can increase a students ability to retain information and do better in school by more than 60% compared to those who didn't exercise.

       As our education system continues to adapt and change it is important to maintain a healthy view on the skills our students acquire and the knowledge they receive in their education.  It is critical as parents and educators that we recognize that more often than not our kids need us to show them the ropes even if they perceive themselves as knowing how to do something.  If you pair these three tactics with the usual responses you get from teachers about how to help your child at home you will be well on your way to securing a highly productive and effective learning platform from while your student can stand, achieve and be confident.

By:  Andrea L. Logan, MS Ed