Tooled Up Education

This Friday it’s World Teacher Day, so here at Tooled Up we’re thinking about how to support our children at school and making the most of the parent-teacher relationship. 

The season of Parents’ Evenings is coming up for many families, so how can that conversation between parents and teachers be a fruitful one? This resource covers 30 Things You Might Say To Teachers At Parents’ Evenings, with plenty of ideas to keep conversations positive and constructive. Partnership between teacher and parent gives children the best possible chance of thriving. 

As parents, we will always be our children’s first teacher so this is the perfect week to reflect on what we are doing at home to cultivate intellectual curiosity, to inspire dialogue and to develop our children’s thinking skills. No matter what subject they are learning about in school, parents can complement that learning by showing a general interest and asking their children to teach them something! 

Sustaining motivation for learning is something many parents are interested in. One way to do this is to consider how we praise our children. This podcast with Neuroscientist, Paul Howard-Jones describes effective praise as focusing on a child’s perseverance rather than their performance. He also suggests taking your child aback with your praise. If the feedback that you offer feels novel or surprising, it is more likely to be motivating. 

October is going to be a busy season of webinars for Tooled Up parents! Always check the Events page on our site to see what is coming up. 

Parents interested in learning more smartphone-free childhoods can enjoy this webinar on the 9th October. For those interested in research on gaming and its impact on teen wellbeing, tune into this webinar with Professor Paul Etchells on 14th October.