Revision 299: homework · Aitchison Collection Explorer

Helping young children with homework cultivates positive learning behaviours, reinforces class material and signals to children that their education is important. Creating a home environment that values homework and study (including reading) establishes in a child’s mind that education has intrinsic value. It is strongly held that giving your child too much help can actually hinder their self-confidence at tasks and lessen skills development. In extreme cases, young boys helped ‘too much’ can begin to feel incompetent, especially if the ‘helper’ becomes frustrated and homework is filled with tension or pressure that tries to force unrealistic success for the child. There are skills to being a teacher and some of these skills are patience, strategies and judgement. Most educators would agree that the best help . Thus, the emphasis should always remain on the student doing the homework and not the parent(s) doing it for him.Of course, helping young boys is an enjoyable task. Encouraging reading and pronunciation, basic mathematics functions, and general tasks mixed with positive observations can only help. Where it sometimes goes wrong is when parents teach in a way that is opposite to how school does, or parents are afraid to let their sons return unfinished homework –and so they do the work for them. If ‘unfinished’ means ‘experiencing difficulties’ then boys should be independent enough to seek help. If a boy is too young to seek help (Under 10 as an example) then a parent might make a note for the teacher. Of course, an Aitchison teacher will know quickly if a boy is struggling from assessing his classwork and homework over a period of time, but also in spot checks that usually give up authentic results. While no parent wants their young son to struggle or feel inadequate, before too long that young boy will be sitting in a Cambridge examination hall and on his own as a teenager. This transition is best handled by keeping two things in mind. (1) It is in a young boy’s best interests not to be made to feel inadequate when he cannot do something. It is better to congratulate him on being intelligent and brave enough to say: ‘I do not understand.’ It is even better when, after trying to help but perhaps unsuccessfully, a parent reassures the boy that his teacher will fix the problem and there will be, as a result, no problem. Aitchison emphasizes learning via concepts. This builds trust in the most crucial learning relationship. (2) Developing good work habits from a young age includes facing challenges without panicking. This is where school and home play a role together. A majority of parents around the world with children in grades K1 – Y8 admit to having some trouble helping with their children's homework. This is where parents need to remind themselves why we set homework. It is not solely about finishing homework and saying ‘job well done.’ The key question should always be: Three months away is a long time and we have lost many weeks through the pandemic. This work can be spaced out. Please encourage your son to learn new words, read as much as he can and stay physically fit. With all this in mind, we wish you all a happy and safe holiday.

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