The best ways to facilitate your child’s learning experience
As we sit with our children helping them on their nightly route of homework, does the thought cross your mind, “will homework actually help my child learn more?” The simple answer is ‘yes’, but it is the time and effort that parents put in to helping our children overall that is important. Improving learning skills will depend on a number of factors, but as parents we must be interested in what really helps our children learn more.
Humans are naturally curious and willing to learn; this is particularly true for children. Therefore we must presume that if we put a child in a room with a book, they will learn. This innate learning must be taken as the baseline, with only further learning taken as a positive.
1. Positive student/teacher relationships and feedback
As social creatures, one of the most important aspects of learning is the relationship between student and teacher. If this is based on respect and understanding, more learning will take place. This relationship is better developed in smaller classes where the interactions are more frequent, more personalised, and facilitate more rapid feedback to the learning. Similarly, when at home helping with the homework, the best thing to do is to give your child feedback on what they have done and how they can improve it.
2. Clear learning expectations
The major aid in improving learning is child-centered learning, with clear learning expectations within the curriculum. This is a core value of the IB PYP curriculum and of One World International School (OWIS), with the learner profile at the heart of the educational system. A major goal in improving learning is when the student understands what they are learning, can report back to the teacher or parent what they have achieved, and can understand what their strengths and weaknesses are. This is clearly demonstrated in the idea of a ‘student led conference’, which the school should promote as the pinnacle of learning as this comes directly from the student to the parent.
3. Parental involvement
Participation from home is also crucial, as parental involvement is a key indicator for success in learning. This comes in many forms, but it must be a partnership with the school. Make sure you have a voice and work with the school for better learning opportunities for your child.
Overall, does homework work? Yes, it does, however homework alone is much less important compared to the other points stated above. It’s better to concentrate on what will allow your child to grow as a life-long learner, rather than on homework alone.
This article was contributed by our education partners at One World International School (OWIS).