Check out this resource about the top 20 psychological principles that help students learn!
Studying & Test-Taking Tips...
Study skills help students acquire, retain, and generalize learning. Poor academic performance results from many factors, one of which is lack of effective use of study skills. In addition to acquiring knowledge and information, students must be able to demonstrate their learning in different test-taking situations. Without proper test-taking skills, test results may mistakenly show a lack of content knowledge, when in reality results only reflect lack of test-taking knowledge. Below are some study and test-taking tips:
Study Tips
|
Test-Taking Tips
|
Homework Help...
A general rule of thumb is that students do 10 minutes of homework for each grade level. Therefore, first graders should be expected to do about 10 minutes of homework, second graders 20 minutes, third graders 30 minutes, and so on. Two key strategies to make homework go more smoothly include establishing clear routines and using rewards or incentives with students for whom "good grades" is not a sufficient reward for doing homework.
Homework Routines:
- Find a location in the home where homework will be done. The right location will depend on your child and family. Some students do best at a desk in their bedroom. It is a quiet location away from family noise. Others become too distracted by things in their rooms and do better at a location removed from those distractions, such as the dining room table. Some students need to work by themselves; others need to have parents nearby to help keep them on task or to answer questions. Both you and your child need to discuss pros and cons of different settings to arrive at a mutually agreed upon location.
- Set up a homework center. Once a location has been identified, make it a home office/homework center. Make sure there is a clear workspace large enough to set out all materials needed for completing assignments. Supply the center with needed materials, such as pencils, pens, rules, scissors, lined paper, graph paper, tape, a laptop or computer, a calculator, etc. depending on the age and needs of your child. If the homework center is a place that will be used for other things (e.g., the dining room table), keep the supplies in a portable bin. The center could also include a bulletin or white board with a monthly calendar to help your child keep track of long-term assignments.
- Establish a homework time. Your child should get in the habit of doing homework at the same time every day. The time may vary depending on the individual child. Some students need a break right after school to get some exercise and have a snack. Others need to start homework while they are still in a school mode.
- Establish a daily homework schedule. Ideally, the homework session should begin with you and your child drawing up a homework schedule. You should review the assignments and make sure your child understands them and has all the necessary materials. Determine with your child how long each assignment will take to complete and when to start each one. If your child needs help with an assignment, this should be determined at the beginning so that the start times can take into account parent availability. Click here for a daily homework planner!
- Simple incentive systems. An incentive system can simply consist of reminding the student of a fun or preferred activity to do when homework is done. The activity may be watching a favorite TV show, spending time playing a video or computer game, talking or texting friends, or playing a game with a parent.
- Elaborate incentive systems. When a simple incentive system is not effective, a more complex system might be necessary. Such systems might include a structure for earning points that could be used to "purchase" privileges or rewards or a system that provides greater rewards for accomplishing more difficult homework tasks. These systems work best when parents and children develop them together. Giving children input gives them a sense of control and ownership, which makes the system more likely to succeed. For more information on developing elaborate incentive systems, just ask me!
- Building in breaks. Breaks are good for students who can't quite make it to the end without a small reward en route. When creating the daily homework schedule, it may be useful with these students to identify when they will take their breaks. Some prefer to take breaks at specific time intervals (every 15 minutes), while others do better when the breaks occur after they finish a task. If you use this approach, you should discuss with your child how long the breaks will last and what will be done during the breaks (e.g., get a snack, call a friend, play a video game for 10 minutes).
- Building in choice. This can be effective for parents to use with children who resist homework. Choice can be incorporated into both the order in which the child agrees to complete assignments and the schedule they will follow to get the work done. Building in choice not only helps motivate students but can also reduce power struggles.