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Seven Steps to Homework Success: A Family Guide for Solving Common Homework Problems
The seven steps in this practical, user-friendly workbook will help parents facilitate productive homework time for their children. Concepts discusssed include how to avoid the common traps of helping children with homework, develop a productive homework alliance with your child, build a Learning Station (TM) to assist with homework completion, and teach your child to work independently and be responsible for their homework.
- GenresEducation
175 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1998
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May 1, 2013
There are some good tips in this book, especially about ADHD students and students who feel they can't do well in academics. There are some good insights and things to think about. We are going to add to and solidify some routines with our 2nd grader due to what we read, and we think the effect will be very positive.
But, it's also very dry...it's a book about homework after all. It's also dated. Since it was published in 1999, almost all schools have started to use online systems which greatly improve parents' ability to see their students' assignments and communicate with teachers. The authors' repetition at the end and beginning of every chapter comes off a little condescending rather than helpful. Some of the earnest presentation of "these exact points are the exact things all kids and/or parents and/or teachers need to reach home work success" is too easy and trite. And the Learning StationTM, consisting of making a portable partition from peg board and gluing folders to it, does not seem like something that will change a lot for most kids.
Although the book is for parents to help and advocate for their kids, which is important and appropriate, it is obvious that there wasn't an actual teacher involved in writing it. Here's where my particular bias, reading this as both a parent and a teacher, comes into play. I am definitely thinking of some things I can improve, but I would have a hard time keeping a straight face if a parent came up to me with the 7-10 pg. section designed to be ripped out and handed to teachers. We could have a good discussion about how to best help that kid, but we would not base it on the detailed checklists of the authors on how homework should be. Homework cannot be repetitive, but it has to be based on things they already know how to do. If the school standardized headings, that would make a big difference. Etc. I can see however, how I may be taking for granted my daily experience of personalizing things for students with learning disabilities, and maybe that emphasis could help a parent advocate for their kid.
It is a big debate with no easy conclusion on when practice for mastery ends and too much "busy work" begins. Plus, there is no special configuration of assignment, explanation, and procedure that will prevent kids from being bored with homework sometimes. Many, many students and parents do not actually want critical thinking, innovative homework that is different than what they are used to. They acknowledge and then ignore a survey that says half of parents think a given teacher gives too much homework, while half think he/she gives too little. Plus--nitpick alert--, a persuasive paper is not the same as "writing a story."
So pick this up and skim for some useful ideas if you are the parent of a kid who fights homework constantly, especially one with ADHD, autism spectrum, etc.
But, it's also very dry...it's a book about homework after all. It's also dated. Since it was published in 1999, almost all schools have started to use online systems which greatly improve parents' ability to see their students' assignments and communicate with teachers. The authors' repetition at the end and beginning of every chapter comes off a little condescending rather than helpful. Some of the earnest presentation of "these exact points are the exact things all kids and/or parents and/or teachers need to reach home work success" is too easy and trite. And the Learning StationTM, consisting of making a portable partition from peg board and gluing folders to it, does not seem like something that will change a lot for most kids.
Although the book is for parents to help and advocate for their kids, which is important and appropriate, it is obvious that there wasn't an actual teacher involved in writing it. Here's where my particular bias, reading this as both a parent and a teacher, comes into play. I am definitely thinking of some things I can improve, but I would have a hard time keeping a straight face if a parent came up to me with the 7-10 pg. section designed to be ripped out and handed to teachers. We could have a good discussion about how to best help that kid, but we would not base it on the detailed checklists of the authors on how homework should be. Homework cannot be repetitive, but it has to be based on things they already know how to do. If the school standardized headings, that would make a big difference. Etc. I can see however, how I may be taking for granted my daily experience of personalizing things for students with learning disabilities, and maybe that emphasis could help a parent advocate for their kid.
It is a big debate with no easy conclusion on when practice for mastery ends and too much "busy work" begins. Plus, there is no special configuration of assignment, explanation, and procedure that will prevent kids from being bored with homework sometimes. Many, many students and parents do not actually want critical thinking, innovative homework that is different than what they are used to. They acknowledge and then ignore a survey that says half of parents think a given teacher gives too much homework, while half think he/she gives too little. Plus--nitpick alert--, a persuasive paper is not the same as "writing a story."
So pick this up and skim for some useful ideas if you are the parent of a kid who fights homework constantly, especially one with ADHD, autism spectrum, etc.
Displaying 1 of 1 review