school days
Studying
When your child is at primary school you will be able to give a certain amount of help with work they bring home or subjects they find difficult to understand. However, when your child goes to secondary school, many parents are beginning to find that helping out with homework can be more difficult.
Promoting study time
One of the best things any parent can do is to encourage your child to develop good study habits.
This simple checklist gives some ideas to help your son or daughter get into good studying habits at secondary school.
- a quiet studying space with a desk and a comfortable chair with good light
- a regular ‘window’ of time that fits with your child’s activities, TV viewing habits, mealtimes and bedtime
- encouragement and interest without nagging!
- spare school paper in case books are left behind
- help with preparation – if the homework task is not understood, suggest your son or daughter asks a classmate for help
- help with time management – if one subject is taking too long, suggest putting it aside and tackling something different
Using the internet
Your child’s school can give you advice about using the internet for schoolwork. Lots of school projects can benefit from some independent research, and often teachers will provide a list of suggested sites. And don’t forget the local library as a source of advice and help.
For projects and independent research www.bbc.co.uk/education is a good starting point.
Similarly, www.learningalive.co.uk has a Google safe search of the internet as well as a library of links.
Stuck at school
It may be necessary for your son or daughter to have a word with the teacher and go over the textbook again if your child has missed time in class or doesn’t understand the basics. However, there are also some useful sites that can back up specific topics in the curriculum.
The following sites are worth a look:
- www.gcse.com gives good support with studying in the GCSE years.
- www.learn.co.uk has topics, questions and worksheets that relate closely to the curriculum.
- www.bbc.co.uk/education/asguru is especially for AS-level maths, English, biology and general studies.
- www.schoolzone.co.uk helps you to find the right site to help you with any subject at any level. Use the drop-down searches on the home page.
Revision
In England, now that the syllabus is based on the national curriculum, it is much easier to use online revision aids.
The following are worth a look:
Study stress
Pressures on young people have probably never been greater. It is always a good idea to encourage your child to plan their homework well. Encourage them to do it as it is given, rather than wait until the last minute.
If your child is struggling with a piece of homework, first of all, go over it with your child and give as much support as you can.
Sometimes it is a case of not being able to see the wood for the trees. Often after a short break the solution to the problem becomes clear.
You can also encourage your child to phone a friend, so they can chat through the problem together.
It could be simply that too much homework has been assigned. This is particularly true in secondary schools where individual subject teachers set homework to meet their needs, forgetting that other subject teachers are doing the same.
If your son or daughter is spending time agonising and worrying, the following might help:
- Teach your child to think positively. Get your child to repeat positive phrases in their head – "I can understand algebra"; "I can remember 12 irregular verbs."
- Try to arrange study so that they have at least one day at the weekend that is completely free of schoolwork.
- Make sure they stay healthy – eating well and exercising enough.
- Study breaks should be relaxing - listening to music is ideal.
- Don’t leave it too long before raising problems with the school, or encourage your child to visit the school counsellors.
- www.revise.it/reviseit/tips.asp has great advice for kids in the midst of GCSE revision, including calming tips for exam time.
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