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How to be successful in Completing Homework

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How to be successful in Completing Homework

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How to be Successful in Completing Homework

·      Start Homework as soon as you can to get it done sooner!

·      Try to do a little bit of homework every day. It’s easier to do it in sections!

·      Set a goal for the amount of work you want to complete before you start your homework.

·      Create a list of the homework you need to do and check it off your list as you complete it!

·      Make sure to read the directions carefully!

·      Ask for help if you need it J

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Productive Communication with Classroom Teachers

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Productive Communication with Classroom Teachers

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Why is communication important?

1.       Do I want to reduce confusion, conflicts, frustration, meltdowns, and failure?

2.      Do I want to have a better understanding of what is happening with my child while in the classroom and how that relates to the home environment?

3.      Do I want to learn from the professional expertise of the team that works closely with my child?

4.      Do I want to increase the effectiveness of my child’s education as well as help my child to be more successful in meeting short-term goals and objectives?

If you answered “yes” to all or most of these questions, you are ready for the challenges and benefits of effective communication.  But where should you start?  You start with a plan; a plan that is created with mutual understanding among the members of your child’s education team.

A large part of the success primarily depends on:

a.       Preplanning—Communication with the team before homework assignments are given.

b.      Ongoing communication with the primary teacher and other team members

c.       Consistency in practice balanced with adapting creatively as issues arise

d.      Maintaining a documentation file

Preplanning—

1.       Is homework warranted?

2.      Limit time—10 minutes per day per grade level (a typical 4th grader would have no more than 40 minutes of homework per night)

3.      Limit to one or two subjects per night

Ongoing—

1.       Tone—keep it professional, constructive and appropriate.  Avoid emotion-charged words or phrases (lazy, stupid, cruel). Replace with words or phrases that address the process of homework (negative impact, inconsistent with IEP goals, valuable learning tool).

2.       Frequency—Quarterly, semi-annual, and annual communication.  Parent-teacher conferences are always a good idea.  Phone calls.  Keep the communication open.

Consistency—

Learners on the spectrum are easily upset by changes in routine.  We must help them cope with changes relating to homework. There are many adaptations and modifications, but it is very important to communicate any changes to teachers and/or parents before any adaptations are made.  This will help ensure ongoing communication and foster healthy working relationships.

Documentation—

It is important to keep copies of ongoing communication.

Keep copies of the following—

1.       Homework samples

2.      Ongoing communication

3.      Parent-teacher conferences and IEP meetings

4.      Medical records

5.      Testing records  o

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Once Parents answer the questions about their child’s needs regarding homework, the following strategies could be implemented.

Hunger:  My child needs a snack after school.

Begin-Have child wash hands, eat a snack, use the restroom, and wash hands again.

Continue-Have child set up/organize materials, work on and finish homework.

End-Have child put away materials and tidy up work area.

Calming after Transition:  My child needs a calming activity after school.

Begin-with breathing exercises and stretching, use restroom, wash hands

Continue-set up/organize materials, work on and finish homework

End-put away materials and tidy up work area

Movement:  My child needs movement after sitting still in school.

Begin-with stretching and doing 10 jumping jacks

Continue-set up/organize materials, work on and finish homework

End-put away materials and tidy up work area

Or-Have the child experience the stimulation of small-muscle movement while working on homework.

They could—

Chew on a coffee stirrer

Squeeze a ball on the end of a pencil or functional fidget like “Fidget Write Pen”

Sit on an exercise ball or in a rocking chair

Read in a hammock

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The following questions are designed to help parents identify the particular challenges their children face when doing their homework.  Finding the answers to the following questions will allow you to create an environment conducive to successful homework completion.  Parents should identify their child’s physical, attention, adaptive and organizational challenges regarding homework.

Physical

Does my child need a snack after school?

Does my child interrupt homework by using the restroom?

Does my child seem stressed from transitioning between school and home?

Does my child need to move after sitting in school all day?

Attention

How much one on one supervision does my child need to stay on task?

How easily, if at all, does my child refocus after an interruption?

How long can my child sit and pay attention?

How long can my child sit and work independently?

How long can my child work when prompted?

Adaptability

If my child doesn’t do his homework right after school, is he able or willing to do it later?

Is my child bothered if his/her routine is unexpectedly changed?

How often do schedule conflicts occur that interrupt the typical routine?

Is my child extremely concerned about the exact time activities finish or how long they last?

How much variance in work time can my child tolerate each day?

Organizational

Does my child lose or forget to bring home assignments?

Does my child get distracted in the middle of homework looking for supplies or resources?

Does my child lose or forget to turn in homework at school?