Parent Education and Learning at Home - Essay Example

Parent Education & Learning at Home "How to help a Parent in improving a homework completion" Introduction: Being a parent is not an easy task. It does not only mean bringing a child to this world or providing him/her with basic necessities of life; in fact, there is much more to it. In reality, it's no child's play. Being a parent requires total concentration on each and every aspect of a child's life; his education, upbringing, financial and moral support, as well as the emotional aspects of his/her life. For a child, usually the parents are the role models; even if not the ultimate ones, but definitely the initial ones. Whatever the child does, wherever he goes, whatever the situation is, he looks, or at least tries to look, up to his parents for encouragement and moral support. Children try to do as their parents do and try to be like them. Its pretty evident from their activities, like the games they play etc. Parents play the most important role in the education of their children, even more than the teacher, for the teacher can only teach, but a parent helps a child sink it in. For a child, only knowing that the parents are concerned is enough to boost his morale and to motivate him to work harder. According to a research, children whose parents are interested in their studies, work several times better than those whose parents are not. The best possible way for a parent to show concern in the child's education is to take interest in and help the child do his homework, since homework is a very essential part of education done away from supervision of the teacher at home. If a parent concentrates on the child's performance, the child is likely to do much better than he would without. The main problem that arises here is that most parents want to help, but don't know the right way to do it and thus end up frustrated at why things aren't working out well. The essay talks about the ways and the sources very helpful for parents who feel they need assistance getting down to their children, especially when helping them out in doing their homework. Why help What teachers are for A question that may arise to minds of many parents would be that why should they help when they send their children to good schools, and that if they ultimately have to do so, what the teachers are for. A simple answer to this question is that a teacher can only teach a student but a parent shapes a child's mind. No matter how less time a child spends with his parents, it is the time he values and remembers the most and the things they do together are integrated in his mind much more deeply. So if parents show concern and take interest in their child's education, it gives them motivation and encouragement to put in more effort n waste less time. It also makes them feel good and more attracted towards education and remember what they have studied for a longer period of time. How to help For the parents who feel confused about how and from where to start and how to get helping their children, this essay might prove to be a guide regarding how to interact and deal with them. Following are some of the numerous steps that can be followed in this regard: Set a regular time and place: Setting a regular time and place helps finish the assignments on or before the deadline and makes it a compulsion to study. If a child knows that he/she ultimately has to study during a certain time, he/she is less likely to get distracted due to thoughts of watching television, calling up a friend, playing outdoors or any other activity in this regard during the specific time. Considering setting the time, it might completely vary from family to family and child to child. Some children might do well in the afternoon after school, while some children might shine in the evening or before going to bed. The parent should decide the time according to the child's capabilities and interests. As far as the place is concerned, a fixed study area motivates to study and creates a healthy environment. A table in the room or a corner of the living room might do just perfectly! Just some little points should be kept in mind when selecting the place. The study area should be fully lightened, should have all the supplies close by and should be considerably calm and quite. It can also be considered to decorate the area with some wall papers, some favorite artwork taped to the wall or a colorful box of supplies to generate interest. Avoid Distractions: Distractions should be avoided as much as possible. Turn off the television and discourage social telephone calls during homework time. If the household is noisy, try calming everyone down and having everyone to take part in this mission. Some children do well with a light music in the background but it shouldn't be too much that it gets distracting. Set Good Examples: Try to set examples for your children. They'll take more interest in studies if they see their parents reading, writing, etc. It would be helpful if you work in front of them and discuss it with them according to their level of understanding even if you are making a list of supplies. To have an example of their own parent being interested in studies boosts their morale quite a lot. Monitor and Show Interest: If you take time out to take your child to the library or to visit or pick him/her up from school, or attend the parent-teacher's meeting and other events held at school, the child will feel cared and will enjoy this attention. The interest of a parent means a lot to a child and it directly influences his performance positively. In order to enhance a child's performance, you need to monitor it regularly. Keep notes of the assignments assigned and check if they are done on time. Check the teacher's feedback when the assignment is returned after being checked and give your remarks and comments. This shows the child that you care and that you are concerned and this in turn motivates him to strive to do better. Be Available and in Touch: A child feels safe, assured and satisfied if he knows that the parents are there and they care. When children study, they usually want someone to be around. Try to be available and aware of what exactly the child is doing and that if he's really studying or not. Be in touch with the child so as to what exactly he's being taught in school, what he feels and thinks about it, if he's experiencing any difficulties and that if he would want any assistance. If yes, try to help yourself instead of getting assistance from someone else. It gives the child a sense of belonging and a feeling of being looked after. Also, try to be in touch with the teacher and interact to discuss the child's performance and the difficulties he might be facing and other related issues. Ask the teacher to call or meet to inform about any issue concerning your child. Every teacher has different expectations from different children. Ask about any specific expectation from the teacher and try to meet them to ensure your child's progress as a student. Monitor Time Utilization: Check if the child is spending time actually studying or is just wasting time by sitting idle or indulging in activities like watching television or listening to music or chatting with a friend etc. If the child knows you are watching, he is more likely to concentrate on studying rather than doing any other activity. You can also find constructive aspects in the activities that seem to be useless and time wasting; for example, if your child watches a lot of television, try to get him see constructive channels and programs (like those on National Geographic or The History Channel) or dramatizations of children's literature or educational series like Sesame Street etc. Check the Completed Assignments and Teacher's Feedback: Keep in touch by checking upon the assignments that the child completes and note down the positive and more importantly negative points for future improvement. Reviewing helps a lot in knowing the child's strengths and weaknesses. In this way you can work upon them much easily. Make it a habit to read the teacher's feedback and to sign it so that even the teacher knows that you are doing so. Apart from letting you know the teacher's perspective, it also helps in strengthening the parent-teacher bond, which yields excellent results in the long run. Provide best Guidance possible: Provide your child with best guidance possible, be it in any form (books, magazines, computer and IT assistance or even individual guidance etc). Subscription of a good children's magazine or membership of a library nearby will do a good part. Make the child feel assured that whatever kind of assistance he may need will be provided. It makes the child confident and reduces anxiety if that is the case. Work with the child His way: Every child is different. Try to figure out "how" your child learns best. Some children are good at learning through just going through the text, while some might need some diagrammatic display. Some children learn better by reading out aloud while with others through audio/visual works. Once you find out what's the style of "your" child, try to work with him his way rather than imposing your own ways and rules. Don't Superimpose Your Rules: Some parents think that by superimposing a particular set of rules makes the children more efficient and more obedient. This is quite a negative approach. The child may work this way, not because he is interested but because he feels he is forced to do so. It might be useful in the short run, but if interest is lacking, it does no good in the long run. Help in getting organized: Working in an organized way serves as a step to success. An organized lifestyle leads to an organized mind that eventually leads to success. One can do little things to get organized. Start by getting a book bag for keeping and carrying books and a file folder to clip or stick assignment papers, handouts, etc. Maintaining a proper calendar or an assignment book, works well at providing a sense of organization too. Help, but don't do it yourself! One of the biggest mistakes that parents make is that while helping their children do their homework, they start doing it themselves. One thing that you need to realize is that it's not your assignment; it's your child's. Assignments are given to help the child improve on his knowledge about the particular topic, so if it is done by they parent instead of the child, it's rendered useless. Doing an assignment for the child is in fact hindering his progress rather than helping him. Encourage good study and learning habits: Children are often taught good study habits like writing down whatever is learnt or tips to complete assignments on time or doing practice tests to improve in weak areas etc. the only problem is that the study time available at school is not enough to get these habits deeply rooted in the children's minds. The parents are therefore required to reinforce these habits, to improve greatly in the long run. Discuss: A child is a very sensitive soul. A very little bit of attention makes him highly motivated. If you discuss with the child about the assignments given, work done in the class, environment of the school, events taking place, etc, he is likely to do way better at studies as he takes more interest so that he can discuss more and more with the parents. Praise and Punish: Parents are the people in the world that the child values the most. He always looks up to them whatever the situation, no matter what. A little word of praise can motivate a child to do better much more than your imagination. It is a very common observation that most children start doing better on the assignments just because they are happy to hear their parents praise. Similarly, light punishments might also be used to make a child study. The fear of getting punished might work very well for many children. Here, only two conditions should be maintained that the punishment should only be given when needed so that the child doesn't get used to it and that it shouldn't be very hard and strict that it creates a hatred for studying instead. Watch out for the need of any extra support; Sometimes, children need some extra support even beyond both, school and home. Parents should always keep track of any such need since it should always be met as soon as possible to avoid any hindrance or harm to studies. Such extra support might include tutorials, mentor programs etc. Reference to the Theories: There are many psychological theories related to the current topic, which help us understand the behavior of children as well as their parents and thus, it can help us formulate better strategies to make this parent-child relationship even better. Some of these approaches are: Behavior Approach: Behavioral approach is about making desirable environment for the children and how parents can help them in getting used to school environment. It emphasizes the relationship between one's behaviors and the environment that he lives in. The environment a person lives in, has a great impact on his behavior and in turn, his personality. Therefore, to induce a positive behavior regarding homework, assignments and studies in a child, the environment should be such that he is attracted towards it automatically. In order to do so, it is helpful that a studious setup is created at home where everyone from the eldest to the youngest takes interest and tries to concentrate on education. This approach also focuses on learning, i.e. changes in the behavior which occur as a result of experience. The basic emphasis here is on the importance of stimulus (an event or an action, etc influencing the behavior) and response (the particular behavior). There are many types of learning; primarily being the CLASSICAL conditioning and the OPERANT conditioning. CLASSICAL CONDITIONING: It says that if a particular stimulus occurs constantly prior to a stimulus that causes a response, the first stimulus gradually become the cause of the final response too. OPERANT CONDITIONING: It says that if a positive behavior is reinforced by a positive outcome, comment or event etc, or a negative behavior is punished accordingly, it creates a positive and a negative attitude for the behavior respectively. For example: if a child passes with brilliant marks, he is rewarded with a much awaited present or an allowance raise or any other positive reinforcement for that matter he is more likely to succeed since he will put in more effort to get even better grades to get a similar or a better positive response next time. Similarly, if a bad grade is followed by an allowance cut or being grounded, such an action is less likely to occur afterwards for a similar reason. Adlerian Approach: Adlerian approach is a vast approach that covers a variety of psycho-analytical approaches based on the ideas of Alfred Adler. There are four main types of Adlerian approach. CLASSICAL ADLERIAN: This approach is based on Adler's original teachings. It comprises a twelve-stage depth psychotherapy model that aims to help in the emergence of self-actualization (belief in oneself). It applies to a child's psychology in such a way that he can do much well if he just realizes the fact that he has the capability to accomplish the task. Knowing that "he can do it" can generate immense confidence and hence do the task. DREIKURSIAN: This approach is based on the theoretical and therapeutic variations developed by Rudolf Dreikurs, consisting of a four-stage counseling model. This is amore systematic counseling technique which forms the basis for many parent education programs being related to a limited lifestyle change. NEO-ADLERIAN: This approach is a combination of Adlerian principles and Cognitive Therapy, Reality Therapy, Object-Relations, Positive Psychology, Solution-Oriented Therapy, and other popular psychologies. Mixing many psychological philosophies and theories together, it helps a lot in bringing a positive change to a parent-child relationship. PSYCHOANALYTIC-ADLERIAN: This approach, currently prominent in Germany, is a merger of Freudian and Adlerian theory and practice. It combines two very prominent theories of psychological world, that give primary and deep focus to the behavior portrayed by children and that their development as successful adults, in order to maximize the positivity of the implication of these theories. STEP Approach Systematic Training for Effective Parenting The STEP approach is a systematic training for parents in order to understand and comprehend the children in a better manner. And in turn helping them become better and successful human beings and a constructive part of the society. STEP encompasses following problems usually faced by parents: Understanding Children Heredity and Embayment Birth order Gender role Parenting Skill that STEP Provides STEP provides information and techniques for assisting parents in understanding their children and creating healthy family embayment. It covers the following areas in order to deal with children in a better manner: Believing in children Encouragement Listening and talking Giving choices Family meetings Conclusion Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs which is mistakenly taken as being very easy. It does not only mean being there to provide a child with basic necessities but it also means to be there for the child for moral, emotional, and other assistance whatsoever. Parents are the people that a child looks up to whether good times or bad, and thinks of them as being the role model of their lives. If a parent portrays a healthy, friendly, helpful, and morally effective environment at home, it helps the child a long way in his life to become a good human being. A parent can initiate such an environment by taking interest in and helping a child with his studies and home work. Even if a parent cannot provide the child with adequate financial and education support (be the reason poverty or the lack of education or whatsoever), he/she can at least provide the child with appropriate emotional assistance which is the best way of helping and boosting the child's moral. Bibliography 1. Heidi Britz-Crecelius (1990) Children at Play: Using Waldorf Principles to Foster Childhood Development. Inner Traditions; Reprint edition 2. Jack Petrash (2002) Understanding Waldorf Education: Teaching from the Inside Out. Gryphon House. 3. John Caldwell Holt (1990) Learning All the Time. Addison Wesley Publishing Company; Reprint edition 4. John Holt (2004) Instead of Education: Ways to Help People do Things Better. Sentient Publications; 2Rev Ed edition 5. John Holt (1995) How Children Learn (Classics in Child Development). Perseus Publishing; Revised edition. 6. Maria Montessori (1995) The Absorbent Mind. Owl Books; Reprint edition 7. Marvin J. Fine (1988) The Second Handbook on Parent Education: Contemporary Perspectives. Academic Press; Subsequent edition 8. Ronald Phd Koetzsch (1997) The Parents' Guide to Alternatives in Education. Shambhala; 1st edition. 9. Tommie J. Hamner (2000) Parenting in Contemporary Society (4th Edition). Allyn & Bacon. 10. Valerie Fitzenreiter (2003) The Unprocessed Child: Living Without School. Unbounded Publications Read More