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Purpose of Homework
Source: https://www.schoolbag.sg/story/support-your-child-in-his-or-her-homework#.VrMQe7Z97IU
Homework reinforces your child’s learning, helps him/her cultivate good study habits, and informs the teachers’ on his/her progress so that timely feedback and support can be given.
Effective use of homework can help your child to:
deepen his/her understanding of lessons taught;
allow him/her to regularly practise, and apply skills and concepts learnt in class; and
have greater ownership and responsibility for independent learning.
Homework can also provide you with:
timely information on the learning progress of your child; and
opportunity to be involved in your child’s learning
Supporting Your Child
As parents, you can help your child to understand his/her responsibilities towards homework. He/she should:
understand the purpose of homework and what is expected of him/her;
keep track of homework instructions and deadlines;
manage time well to ensure that homework is completed and submitted on time (e.g. prioritise homework appropriately so that it is not left till late at night);
give his/her best effort in completing homework; and
review feedback from teachers on homework submitted.
Optimal Amount of Homework
Research shows that time spent on homework should be responsive to students’ age and development. The beliefs that ‘the more homework, the better’ and the ‘more difficult the questions, the better’ are not sound approaches. In fact, providing too much or too difficult homework could be detrimental to your child’s attitude and motivation towards learning and deny him the time and opportunity for more holistic development. Therefore, while time spent on homework is generally helpful to academic development up to a point, too much can bring about adverse effects.
As such, it may not be beneficial for your child to complete additional worksheets and assessment papers beyond what is assigned by the school (e.g. from tuition, assessment books and practice papers). For the holistic development of the child, parents and educators alike must bear in mind that children need a balanced life with time for family bonding, social activities, hobbies and rest. They need time to participate in other activities that inculcate important life skills.
Preparation for Examinations
Source from: https://schoolbag.sg/story/supporting-your-child-during-examinations
While preparing for exams, students and sometimes parents feel the strain and pressure. Janet Yong, mother of two boys who are in Primary Six and Primary Four, and Nuryejah, mother of three, shared with Schoolbag.sg their experiences and perspectives on how they overcome conventional societal perceptions, help their children rise above challenges and most importantly, ensure that their kids are growing healthy and happy.
1. Set realistic goals with your child. As parents, we know our children best. It is important to set realistic targets so that we do not overstress them. For example, Janet discusses with her son openly about his long-term and short-term goals. Both parent and child have to understand and come to a consensus on attainable goals so that they can plan specific steps to create achievable milestones.
2. Parents often ask, how involved should I be in my child’s education? Although some parental guidance can be beneficial, a well-intentioned, yet over-involved parent can hurt the child. Doing your child’s homework or guiding them through every question may appear to work for a while, but it ultimately handicaps the child’s learning. Janet can testify to that. ‘I stopped working when my younger boy was in Primary Two. Being a full-time homemaker, I was heavily involved in not just his homework, but also his school life. One day, my younger son started asking me which subject he should study first and I realised he has become overly reliant on me to plan his time. It would be a failure on my part if I did not allow him to build his resourcefulness and find ways of doing things at his own pace.’
3. Do not be narrowly focused on academics. This world is huge so we have to remind not just our children, but ourselves as well that there are other opportunities for them to explore and find success in life. Remember that we should try not to be overly narrowly focused on pushing them to do well academically and neglect other aspects of their life.
4. Our kids are depending on us! Nuryejah feels that naturally as a mother, she has to be realistic, focused and strong so that she can be a pillar of support to her children. At this age, children depend a lot on parents and if we send the signal that they have failed as a person if they do not enter a good secondary school or achieve stellar grades, how can we expect them to overcome other obstacles later in life? ‘As parents, we need to make good judgements and move on, if we don’t, how can they?’ Janet opined.
5. Expand your focus, get to know your child. What are their interests? What do they aspire to be when they grow up? Are they getting along well with their friends? Was there anything fun that happened in school today? Exams are important, but it is crucial to let your child know that their life and identity does not depend on their grades. ‘When we are proud of the effort our children put in and inculcate traits such as trust, care, independence and perseverance in them, they can grow up to be happy kids and that to me, triumphs over all the distinctions,’ shares Janet.
Preparation of Your Child for Life
How to be a Critical Thinker
How to Learn
Learning is equal to doing the 'thing' (whatever is to be learn) while not being able to do the 'thing'.
Learning = Practice + Time
Learning has to do with taking action. "learning must include the body, that indeed learning occurs - in a tangible, physical way - in the body."
~ Chalmers Brothers, Language and the Pursuit of Happiness
A paper published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest has evaluated ten techniques for improving learning, ranging from mnemonics to highlighting and gave some surprising conclusions.
Most Importantly, Have a Growth Mindset!