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27
Questions teachers need to ask parents
Filed Under positive climate, questions teachers need to ask, The way I see it | 9 Comments
Students really need their teachers and their parents to work together as a team in order for them to do their best at school. Consequently, near the beginning of the semester, I invite parents to work together with me as a team. I’ve often found parents are willing to do this, but they aren’t quite sure how to go about it. I try to find out more about their child from them and use that information to inform my teaching practice. I also want to know what they’re doing at home and what routines are in place to support school. Once I have this information, I can make suggestions about what other things they could do to help their child. I don’t always ask all parents all the same questions or the questions all at the same time. It just depends on what’s going on with their child at school at that time.
Over the years, I’ve found certain questions that I ask parents useful. I’ll share these with you below. I’ve probably forgotten some of them I ask as I write this post, but the ones I’ve included are a good place to start.
I teach high school so these questions are geared toward high school students and their parents, but I’m sure most of the questions could apply to younger students as well.
Questions about the student.
1. Is there anything I need to know about your child that is important?
2. What is it that I could do to help your child be as successful as possible in my class?
- Parents know their child best. They know their strengths and weaknesses. After all, they were the child’s first teachers and have valuable insight into how their child learns best. I want to know that so that I can use that information to inform my teaching practice.
Questions about homework
1. Do you supervise your child’s homework?
- When parents supervise their children’s homework, it sends the message that school is important and that parents value school.
2. Does your child have a certain time set aside for homework each day?
- Homework is more likely to get done if a time is set aside to do it. Children can then tell their friends that they are busy at that time and can’t take phone calls, have visitors or go anywhere until after that time. The amount of homework time, of course, will depend on the grade level of the student.
3. Does your child have a specific location to do homework away from the distractions of TV, computers, games, cell phones etc?
- If students are distracted by TV, computers etc. while doing homework, students cannot do their best. However having just said that, some students can concentrate better if they do their homework while listening to music. Music can act like white noise to drown out any environmental noises that students find distracting. Many students have told me they can concentrate better while listening to music. I have to agree with them because they I see the results for myself. They stay on task longer and produce better quality work.
4. Do you encourage your child to review her notes or practice answering questions from the textbook or other sources if she has no homework that day?
- Reviewing a day’s lesson within 24 hours increases the likelihood that students will remember what was taught that day at school. So, it’s really important to do that review even if there isn’t any formal homework.
6. Do you or do you have your child post school assignmens due dates and test dates on a calendar placed in a prominent place?
- Posting due dates for assignments and test dates in a prominent places at home, helps students meet deadlines. The student could have a calendar in her room with the dates on it as well as another calender in the kitchen with the same due dates. The more often the student sees the dates, the more likely she will remember to do the assignments or study for tests.
5. Do you check your child’s agenda to see that she has entered assignment due dates and quiz and test dates?
- Students sometimes remember they have homework but forget what page it is on or what questions need to be done. Recording all this specific information will ensure that the students know exactly what to do for homework.
- Some students refuse to use an agenda. These students could record assignments etc. on a page in their notebook or they could send themselves an email with the information. I’ve had students do all of those things.
6. Does your child have a homework buddy she can call to get homework or notification about upcoming quizzes or tests when she is absent from class ?
- Completing homework while absent helps students stay on top of things. Of course if the student is too ill to do homework, then the homework will have to wait until the student gets well enough to do homework.
Questions about sleep habits.
1. Does your child have a regular bedtime?
- A regular bedtime helps students fall asleep better.
2. Does your child seem well rested in the morning?
- Sometimes students have difficulty falling sleeping or staying asleep and do not get the rest they need. Teenagers are especially prone to these problems.
3. Does your child have a TV, computer or games in her bedroom?
- Students could have regular bedtimes and yet not actually go to sleep at a regular time. If students have a TV, computer etc in their room, they could get distracted from going to bed because they are watching TV, using the computer or even their cell phones. Students often tell me that they are up until 2:00 am or even later on the computer or even texting on their phone. Of course when they’re up until 2:00 am, they’re too tired to do their best in class.
- I do ask students these questions about sleep habits, but I also ask parents these questions to make them aware that bedtime routines are important-even to teenagers. If students are not well rested, they are not able to concentrate effectively in class and consequently don’t do their best.
- I do ask students these questions about sleep habits, but I also ask parents these questions to make them aware that bedtime routines are important-even to teenagers. If students are not well rested, they are not able to concentrate effectively in class and consequently don’t do their best.
Questions about extra curricular activities
1. Is your child involved in extra curricular activities? If so, what are the activities and how frequently does your child participate?
- If a student’s recreational activities are mainly activities like skateboarding, rollerblading, or playing video games, it could be a problem. These self-stimulating activities relax children and make them feel effective. The problem is that if that is mostly what a student does in her spare time, it can stunt language growth (Levine, 2002). Think about it. During team sports there is a lot of dialog going on among players, coaches and officials. Children get to practice language skills and interpersonal skills during team sports which they don’t get an opportunity to do if they are just engaged in non-verbal activities like skateboarding, rollerblading etc.
2. Does your teenager have a part job. If so how many hours does she work?
- If students work more than 10 hours a week during the school year, their part time job can start to effect their school work. School already is a full time job. A part-time job can take time and energy away from school work and it can suffer. The part- time job and earning money to buy things can start to become more and more important and school starts to become less and less important. I’ve seen this happen too often.
Questions about accessibility
I always ask parents for phone numbers at home and at work and when is the best time to call if I need to talk to them about their children?
The school usually has phone numbers on file, but I just double check to make sure the phone numbers are still valid. I’ve found that parents usually don’t mind if I call them at work during school hours.
References
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Levine, M. A Mind at a Time. New York, NY.: Simon & Schuster, 2002
Jan
23
Alternatives to the zero-tolerance policy in schools
Filed Under "At-risk" students, Behaviour Management, maintaining a safe, motivating students, positive climate, Teacher Support, The way I see it, underachieving students | 1 Comment
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Why aren’t the trouble makers in school being suspended? What happened to the zero-tolerance policy in schools? Why does it seem that so many kids are getting away with inappropriate behaviour at school and nothing seems to happen to them? These are questions I hear being asked in schools a lot. To be honest, I’ve been asking those questions myself; but, now I don’t have to wonder anymore. I think I’ve figured it out after reading about the American Psychological Association (APA) Zero Task Force report on the effectiveness or more accurately on the ineffectiveness of zero-tolerance.
The APA suggests evidence shows that zero-tolerance as it is now applied isn’t an effective system of school discipline. As it is presently implemented, the policy doesn’t lead to a more positive learning climate where students do better. On the contrary, according to the APA , the higher expulsion and suspension rates result in worse academic achievement. Suspending or expelling students for inappropriate behaviour, the argument is, doesn’t help students learn good behaviour so they can succeed in school. Expelling or suspending students doesn’t really teach them anything. Students aren’t suspended because they’re struggling to read, and then expected to be able to read better when they return to school after the suspension. All suspending and expelling students does is to alienate students and reduce the number of students who graduate and push many kids into the juvenile and criminal justice systems.
One criticism of zero-tolerance policy, the APA notes, is that it doesn’t take children and teen development into account. It’s normal for children and teenagers to to question authority, to be influenced by peers, and not to think or even to be able to think about the consequences of their actions. Adults expect children and teenagers to act like this, yet when they do, adults punish them harshly. The APA maintains what these kids really need is to be taught appropriate behaviour in a nurturing, supportive environment. Zero-tolerance polices should be applied with greater flexibility in light of school context and teacher expertise. Out of school suspensions should be reserved for serious misconduct that threatens people or property.
Different schools are trying different strategies to create a positive climate for learning . Some of the strategies are
- implementing restorative justice programs to develop school communities;
- working together with parents to develop policies to shape behaviour through positive behaviour supports;
- implementing wide ranging anti bullying programs;
- encouraging students to sign pledge to promote peace in school.
Some of what the APA reports makes sense to me. I think kids behave in certain ways to meet specific needs they have. If we can teach them to meet these needs in more appropriate ways, then that’s a win-win situation. The kids get their needs met in an appropriate way and the climate for learning in schools is positive.
The question I have is : if administration is moving away from a harsh form of zero-tolerance policy when dealing with student misconduct and are instead going the, nurturing, supportive route, why don’t we know about this. It’s so frustrating for teachers in the classroom to think they aren’t getting support when they need it. Teachers may be getting support, but if teachers don’t know that, then it’s like getting no support. Perception, like attitude, is everything. The perceived lack of support from administration will eventually lead to a negative climate for teaching. I don’t think administration wants that either. I know I don’t.
Is your school moving away from the zero-tolerance policy, too?
Jan
20
Electroshock therapy possible treatment for dyscalculia, math phobias and other math difficulties.
Filed Under The way I see it | Leave a Comment
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Researchers have recently reported they can improve a person’s ability to learn math skills and reduce math phobias by treating the part of the brain that is responsible for numerical understanding with electroshock therapy.
The current thinking is individuals who have math difficulties have abnormalities in the brain structure that result in lower activity in the part of the brain responsible for math skills. The electrical current gives the neurons in the brain an energy boost so the neurons can perform better. The improved performance lasts up to at least six months. This discovery has encouraged scientists at the University of Oxford in Britain to considering doing research to determine whether the therapy would benefit individuals who have math disabilities or dyscalculia.
One of the questions that comes to mind is, will electroshock therapy be used by individuals who do not have math difficulties to boost their performance to get the edge on the competition and get better test results. It is not unusual for math students to knock on the math office door at lunch or after school and ask to speak to their math teacher because they want to argue that they should have gotten a higher mark on their last test. Just recently, a student who got a mark in the 90′s was arguing that he should have gotten 0.5 mark more. I kid you not! Even the parent of that student called the teacher to argue about that 0.5 mark. Would parents and students like this to whom even 0.5 mark is that crucial consider electroshock therapy to give the student the edge over other students for admission into university or for scholarships?
Another question I have is if this therapy is only effective for a short term like six months or so, will parents opt to have repeated treatments to keep giving their kids that mathematical edge? Could these repeated treatments be considered a form of abuse?
What other ethical or non ethical questions could this treatment raise?
Jan
17
Helping students create a differentiated learning plan for tests and exams
Filed Under "At-risk" students, Behaviour Management, Graphic Organizers, Learning Strategies, Lesson Plans, motivating students, Special Education, Study Skills, underachieving students | 3 Comments
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It’s that time of year again. Time for students to create a learning plan in preparation for taking their final exams. Many of my students who have learning disabilities have difficulty knowing how to plan to study for exams. They don’t realize that having a learning plan will make studying more effective and help them get better outcomes. I remind my students from time to time if they want different outcomes then they need to chose to do things differently. The problem for some students is that they don’t know what to do when it comes to studying. The learning plan I have them complete helps them structure their exam or test preparation and helps them achieve better results.
In class, we have talked about learning styles and students have completed questionnaires to determine their preferred learning style. We also talked about which strategies are useful for which learning styles. Armed with this information, students can create a differentiated learning plan that meets their specific needs.
Learning Plan
Name______________________ Date _____________________________
Subject ____________________________________ Exam Date ________________________
Location __________
A. What I Need to Know
| Topics you have studied this semester | Key Points |
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 |
B. When I’m Going to Study
Plan at least three study dates and times.
| Date | |||||
| Time |
C. How I’m going to Organize What I Need to Know
Organize the information you need to learn in any of the strategies below.
1. Create a list of what you need to know.
2. Create a graphic organizer for what you need to know.
3. Use mnemonics to help you remember what you need to know, eg BEDMAS
4. Draw a picture of what you need to know.
5. Other _______________
D. How I’m Going to Remember What I Need to Know.
Choose at least two methods to help you remember the information . Refer to the strategies for each learning style in the online article above.
Examples-
1. Draw pictures so you can see the info in your mind.(Visual learners)
2. Highlight important information in notes. (Visual learners)
3. Read the material aloud so you can hear it. (Auditory learners)
4. Listen to someone read the material to you. (Auditory learners)
5. Write the material out repeatedly and read it aloud as you are writing it out. (Kinesthetic and auditory learners)
6. Walk around the room while you are reading the material aloud. (Kinesthetic and auditory learners)
E. How will I Know That I’ve Learned What I Need to Know
Choose any method of self-testing and submit the self-test.
1. Answer questions from examples in your text books.
2. Answer questions from your homework.
3. Answer questions from other students.
4. Other_____________________________________
If you have any suggestions for improving this learning plan, I would appreciate hearing them. I’m thinking that it could be better. Perhaps you even have a learning plan of your own for your students that you might like to share. I would be delighted to post it here and share it with others, giving you credit of course.
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