Sunday, February 10, 2008

What should do and don’t by parents for their children homework.

The original composition is ‘Helping with Homework’ by Ruth Liew in one of newspaper that I ever read in several week ago. And I think it is helping me to threat ‘my children’ in their homework.

So I want to share with you all, the parents around the world what should do and don’t with their children homework. Here I made the resume from the article. Wish you all, the parent around the world can take over the benefit from my posting.

Homework definitely has a place in children’s learning. At its best, it is reinforces skill practice in reading, writing and maths without the teacher’s direct supervision. Children learn to develop independent study and organization skills when doing their homework.

On the flip side, homework in the form of “drill work” can bring about behavioral problems in children in their primary grades. Many children overwhelmed by school demand and lack of rest throw temper tantrums out of frustration.

Here’s real example. An early primary grade child was given 15 pages of writing to complete and submit to the teacher the following day. She also had to complete homework in other subjects the same day. Failing to complete the assigned homework would make the teacher angry.

Homework should be the child’s work and not the parents. But when it is too much for the child to manage, parent can step in with guidance and encouragement. If parents feel that the child has been given too much homework, they should bring it up with the teacher. Do not complain to your child. You may not be able to change the school policy on homework and undermining the teacher or the assignments can only make matters worse.

Here are a few dos and don't on how parents can help with homework as like Ruth Liew wrote:

Dos:

  • Children need rest and food before they start on their homework. Organize the homework session at a time when both parents and child have had some rest and are not feeling hungry.
  • Take short breaks. You have to remember that children who have had a full day at school will be physically and mentally tired when they get home.
  • Set up homework time-able. Put the fun stuff in the schedule too. Be flexible with the homework schedule.
  • Make your homework time-able eye-catching. If attractive menus work for customer in restaurants, I am sure your child will enjoy looking at her favorite cartoon characters or pop stars decorating her schedule and dread doing her homework less.
  • When you are helping your child learn a subject, try to make it fun. Don’t make it a chore.
  • Make sure your child has a comfortable and fun environment to do her homework.
  • Children need praise and lots of understanding from their parents. No two children are alike in their speed in doing homework. Avoid comparing your children.
  • At exam time, children become nervous and tense because they worry that they will fail miserably and disappoint their parents. To lessen children’s anxiety, you may want to encourage them to learn different things to develop their skills. Children who are confident with learning skill tend to cope better in tests and exam.

Don’t

  • Do not do your child’s homework for her. You may think that you are helping her but you are actually putting her at a disadvantage. She will be dependent on you to a certain extent. Her teachers will not know what she is having difficulty with and will not be able to help her when they can not gauge her progress. You can help by going through her papers when she is done.
  • Do not punish your children if she makes mistake in her homework or tests. Everyone makes mistake. Trial and error is often the best way to learn. If you want her to learn, do not demand that she gets a perfect score. Do not call her “stupid” or “careless” when she makes mistake that she should’t.

Children need a balance of work and play. It is up to parents to help organize this in their daily lives. You can schedule an hour or two for outdoor games and play so that your children can have some fun. More importantly, parents must get children to learn to take responsibility for their own tasks. Hm, so there are tips that I resume from the article that made by Ruth Liew. Wish you can get the essence and practise with your beloved children.

6 comments:

Mas Hery said...

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Mas Hery said...

sudah berhasil, barusan aku klik link profilnye yg beralamat di http://www.blogger.com/profile/07650426258400911683

dan hasilnya bisa merujuk ke profil dan blog ini.

Anonymous said...

blog ndhi yang sekarang BEDA.
hmp. lebih banyak tips" nya kali yia..
tapi. hmp prrasaan mending yg dulu deh.

Anonymous said...

Good info!
...congrats...

Reanaclaire said...

hi..very informative gandhi.. i, for one, helps my girl in her homework.. and its like i m going to school again.. btw, she is 14...and with so many folio-s to do, i got to follow her too..

Boris Private Sanctum said...

very informative post.