Rethinking Education: Sharing School Reform Ideas and Education Reform Insights – an American Education Group Blog

Written by Sallie Borrink.

With the return of school comes the return of homework. Homework should be a valuable part of a student’s overall education. But for students who learn differently, homework can sometimes become a point of stress that can impact the entire family.

LD Online offers a multitude of excellent tips for homework in Being an Efficient Homework Helper: Turning a Chore into a Challenge.  Regina G. Richards writes:

To begin, we must keep in mind the characteristics of our own children, because each child has his or her unique strengths, weaknesses, and needs.

When embarking on any project, there are first some questions we need to ask ourselves. These apply whether the project is a page of math facts or a full report.

* We need to make sure we understand the project: what are we trying to do?

* We need to assemble our tools: what materials will we need for this project?

Working successfully with our children on schoolwork requires respect, and respect begins with understanding.

Richards provides an extensive list of ideas and insights for making homework time productive and positive. She offers detailed suggestions for the parent tool kit including setting up an effective work area, basic strategies, encouragement, motivation, and learning from mistakes.

But the underlying theme in all of Richards’ suggestions is the idea that it is important to study your child and know what makes homework time work well for him according to his own particular needs and expectations. By making some basic adjustments, it is possible to greatly improve homework time each day and make it the valuable academic tool it is meant to be.

Written by Sallie Borrink.

When the school year ends, everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Weeks on end of no homework, practices, and general juggling of schedules. But even though school is out, it doesn’t mean learning should be shelved until the fall. Many studies have shown that children lose a great deal of academic progress if they take a complete break from learning during the summer months. Even small activities each day will keep students sharp and ready to hit the ground running when school starts again.

In LD Online’s Summertime and the learning is easy, Ann Dolin explains the importance of summertime learning:

According to the foundation Reading is Fundamental, children who do not read over the summer experience a loss of reading fluency and comprehension skills. Students who engage in summertime reading actually gain skills. Research also shows that students who have not engaged in summer learning score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer break than they do on the exact same test at the end of the previous school year. In math, students lose approximately 2.6 years of grade level equivalency over the summer if they are not stimulated.

Given the importance of retaining a student’s hard-earned progress, Dolin suggests a variety of activities that will help parents make the most of the summer in an easy-going yet valuable way. Her ideas fall into three general categories: make reading a priority, don’t forget writing, and incorporate math and science. Dolin suggests ideas such as creating a summer journal or scrapbook, board games that naturally develop math skills as part of playing the game, and utilizing free online games that build reading and math skills.

Dolin also suggests setting measurable goals with your child and tie them in with rewards. Keep track of the goals and rewards as a means of motivation.

Although some children might initially be reluctant to do “school work” during the summer, it is possible to make the learning fun. And when the school year begins in the fall and your student is ready to jump in without any loss of progress, the time spent doing the little extras over the summer will definitely be worth it!

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Written by Sallie Borrink.

A student with learning differences benefits from a solid support system consisting of parents, teachers, and other professionals. But perhaps the greatest benefit of all comes when he understands his unique situation and learns to become his own advocate.

Helping Students Understand and Accept Their Learning Disabilities: The Demystification Conference from LD Online offers an interesting look into a yearly practice of the Churchill Center & School. Called the Demystification Conference, it is a time when students learn more about how they learn best, the impact of their learning differences on their lives, and how to make the most of those differences. From the article:

The yearly Demystification Conferences are an integral focal point of the year. Students become excited about learning and talking about themselves in a positive manner. They are able to express their creativity as well as their self-knowledge. Parents learn how their children are being taught and why the strategies, methods, and techniques are increasing their child’s success. Most importantly, students become empowered by the fact that learning differently has little to do with how capable, intelligent, and talented they are as individuals.

The article explains the general pattern of the conference and how each student is involved in the planning. The planning includes planning how to present the information in a creative and age-appropriate format.

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Written by Sallie Borrink.

What makes one student with learning differences go on to achieve a successful and satisfying life while another one struggles his entire life? Are there key factors that make or break a student’s chances of becoming everything he hopes to be?

LD Online offers an in-depth analysis of what determines success among those with learning differences. Life Success for Students with Learning Disabilities: A Parent’s Guide looks at the results of their long-term study and offers suggestions for parents who are attempting to guide their child to success in life. From the article:

Our 20-year study, in particular, highlighted the importance of six success attributes for individuals with learning disabilities. These success attributes included: self-awareness, proactivity, perseverance, goal-setting, the presence and use of effective support systems, and emotional coping strategies. It is important to emphasize that not every successful individual possesses each of these attributes, and some attributes may be present to a greater or lesser degree. Similarly, persons who might be considered “unsuccessful” may nevertheless possess some of the success attributes, again, to a lesser or greater degree.

What it does mean is that successful persons with learning disabilities are much more likely to have these characteristics than unsuccessful individuals. It is our hope that, by helping parents understand these success attributes, they will be better prepared to work with and guide their children toward satisfying and rewarding lives. It is also important to keep in mind that having these attributes does not guarantee success. Rather, it increases the chances of achieving a fulfilling and successful life. It is interesting to note that our research indicates that these characteristics may have a greater influence on success than even such factors as academic achievement, gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity, and even intelligence quotient (IQ).

The rest of the article goes on to explore each of the six success attributes including testimonials by different study participants. It then provides parents with recommendations in each area to encourage an honest assessment of their child’s current situation and to develop a plan for helping their child succeed.

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