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RESOURCES
EDUCATING
YOURSELF: WHAT DOES YOUR CHILD NEED TO KNOW?
Brad Diskin
To help your
child succeed in school, you have to embark on an education of your
own - learning what your child needs to know. There are a few ways
to do this and thereby get a sense of how he or she is doing and,
more importantly, how you can help.
| 1. |
Talk to
the teacher. Understand what type of instruction is taking
place in your child's classroom- and what kind of assessment
- is being done. Ask for a copy of the syllabus so you know
precisely what will be taught. If you have a question or concern,
set a conference with the teacher. Ask how you can encourage
the learning that is being done in school.
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| 2. |
Visit the
school and the classroom. You might even spend a day in the
classroom, if you can, observing what is taught and how. This
will allow you to relate to your child's learning much more
directly than if you never observe the classroom. Get a sense
of the school's goals and achievements from the County Office
of Education's School Accountability Report Card at http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/shopping.html). |
| 3. |
Look at
the homework each night. You don't need to do the homework,
but it is important you see it. Is it at the right level? Too
easy? Too hard? Can you see the progress that is being made?
Whenever you can, encourage your child's work with very specific
praise. It is best to say things like, "I really liked
the detail in this sentence," or "Your handwriting
looks good here." And, it should go without saying, be
firm about allowing time for it to be done. |
| 4. |
Read to
your child, and encourage his or her reading. Reading is unarguably
the cornerstone of all learning. In 1998, the National Assessment
of Educational Progress found that nearly 40% of the nation's
fourth graders were not reading at basic grade level. You should
understand how a child learns to read, especially if yours is
under five or having difficulty. An excellent guide from the
National Institute for Literacy is at http://novel.nifl.gov/nifl/partnershipforreading/publications/reading_first2.html.
Read to your child, find out what he or she likes to read (or
have read), read in front of them to set the example. |
| 5. |
Understand
the state standards, assessment tests and local school evaluations.
The standardized tests (STAR/SAT 9) are, rightly or wrongly,
measures of your child's learning. It helps to understand how
he or she will be evaluated. You can find these tests online
at http://star.cde.ca.gov/ and http://star.cde.ca.gov/star2002/. |
| 6. |
Make it
real and make it fun. Learning can be fun and that will help
your child learn better. Rent movies that are dealing with themes
he or she is studying, such as Rome or Egypt. Take trips to
museums or other places to dovetail with studies. Not only does
this encourage learning, it has been shown that reading comprehension
is improved when children make personal and visual connections
with the material. |
Brad Diskin
is the CEO of UROK Learning Institute, a San Diego
company with a highly effective, research-based, reading intervention
program.
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