One mother's perspective on homework.


From one mom to another, below are personal opinions, unverified tips, musings, and speculations
on helping your children with their homework....






Adapted from Bloom's Taxonomy:
All too frequently (children) are answering questions like:
.
What does (mom) think is important?
How would (mom) answer this question?
What does (mom) want me to say?
.
instead of:
"How is this information useful?
"Why is this problem important to solve?"
"Is this the best solution to this problem?"
.
.
What is our objective?

making them memorize rote facts
to obey and respect us
or....
to learn how think and find meaning?


Personal tips on how to change education at home

from:  being focused on a power struggle - what parents and children can get one another to do...
to: being focused on thinking, exploring, and finding meaning.


Tip #1: Repeatedly establish it's not mom's fault learning is hard.

You don't control what time the sun comes up in the morning, or what time school starts, or what they need to learn. Redirect their frustration from you, to an understanding of what it means to live in an imperfect world. When they accept the fact that life is not meant to be easy, they are better prepared to handle what comes, and grow through challenge.

Name the real enemies (that you are not the enemy,it's not your fault they have to do this stuff), and unite!



Redirecting their anger will change the battle from fighting against one another, to being on the same team.



Let them know you're both on the same team.
Let them know it's hard for you too.
Let them know you love them.
Let them know you are confident in them.




Tip #2: Just rewards, Gain after Pain.


"Walking in Circles" - President Uchtdorf link
.
Have you ever heard the old saying that people who get lost tend to walk in circles?
.
Jan L. Souman, a German psychologist, wanted to determine scientifically if this was true. He took participants of an experiment to a large forest area and to the Sahara desert and used a global positioning system to track where they went. They had no compass or any other device. Instructions to them were simple: walk in a straight line in the direction indicated.
.
Dr. Souman later described what happened. “[Some] of them walked on a cloudy day, with the sun hidden behind the clouds [and with no reference points in view]. … [They] all walked in circles, with [several] of them repeatedly crossing their own path without noticing it.” Other participants walked while the sun was shining, with faraway reference points in view. “These … followed an almost perfectly straight course.”1
.
This study has been repeated by others with different methodologies.2 All returned similar results. Without visible landmarks,human beings tend to walk in circles.




What to do?
Define the goal,
Create a clear path with landmarks,
Mark their progress,
Tell them about the paradise at the end of the road.


Though hard to you, this journey may appear...
Repeatedly emphasize how awesome it will be when they make it over their mountain, and then make it awesome for them.


Work
Many times, we walk in circles to avoid going up the mountain in front of us.  Accept, embrace, and get used to work.  It takes around 21-28 days to form a habit.  Once a good work-ethic habit is formed, working is not longer as painful.







Tip #3 - Admit when you are wrong.
.
Children learn from example, if you're not willing to admit being wrong, neither will they. 
Learning occurs, when you can admit being wrong.
.
.
Tip #4 - Be Patient.

Slow down, you move to fast...
Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means.
 - Doctrine and Covenants 10:4
.
Remember the parable of the tortoise and the hare...

.
.
Tip #5: Reproving betimes with sharpness....
.
No power of influence can or ought to be maintained .... only by persuasion, by long suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned. Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love towards him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy...Doctrine and Covenants 121:41-43
Tip #6: Diligence
.

.
And thou shalt teach diligently ... thy children ....when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. Deuteronomy 6:7,8


Tip #7: Love, Love, Love... all you need is Love.


Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself.

One these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

 ~ Mathew 22:36-40
Tip #8 Be Happy & Make it Fun!
.
"Challenge" is not the same as "stress"
.

.

On your quest to find happiness, don't forget to stop, and be happy :)

Be optimistic, about who everyone is, 
and about what everyone can become.






And finally,

know that you are doing
the greatest work
there is to do!
.
.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)