Thursday 18 April 2013
Saturday 13 April 2013
To accelerate or not to accelerate!
Ok back to my friend Linda with her gifted child Liam. You will remember from an earlier blog how he wasn't engaged in his first year of school and her and her husband were not sure what to do with him. Liam had gone from being a well behaved child who loved to learn to a boy who didn't want to go to school and was playing up in class.
The advice was to get him tested. From the testing they gained useful information that identified him as gifted. Once the school were presented with this information they began to put different practices in place like taking him out for reading with a small group of students and giving him mathematical work pitched at a child in year 2.
Now Liam is in Year 2 and has just finished his first term. Half way through the term he began becoming extremely angry with his little brother and having outbursts over the littlest of things. Linda also noticed that he was beginning to become uninterested in things that he previously had loved and she was concerned that he was depressed. It was building up to become similar to his first year at school as once again he didn't want to go to school.
As her and her husband had been there before they knew that they needed to do something earlier then they had previously. The straw that broke the camels back was him wetting the bed- at 7. He hadn't done this since kindergarten.
The first thing they did was look at and talk to different principals at the surrounding schools. One particular principal had said that on the evidence that she could see that she would be happy to accelerate him straight into year 3.
The dilemma that now faced them was to accelerate or not to accelerate? The topic is hotly debated with people who aren't faced with this dilemma also believing they are an expert!
The main thing people say is that students shouldn't be accelerated as they wont be able to drink when they finish school. To me this particular comment is irrelevant. What should Linda do? ignore that her son was showing signs of depression? To me this may lead to him eventually becoming so disengaged that he doesn't make it to the drinking age.
Anyway they approached the school and voiced their concerns and emphasised that there needed ot be a change as he was not interested in school. They also let them know that he liked his teacher and they know that the school was doing a lot to differentiate the curriculum for him. It is important to let the school know what they are doing right and not just launch into what they aren't.
At the meeting there was the school's assistant principal and Liam's class teacher. At first they stated their point of view that they didn't believe that Liam would benefit from acceleration as socially he wasn't ready. I am not sure how they would know if he socially was ready as they hadn't made any attempts to see how he interacted with older children. They also stressed how they had been extending him in maths by bringing in some other high achievers in maths. Linda pointed out that this was great BUT that was only one lesson in Liam's day and wasn't enough to keep him interested.
Linda pointed out that her and her husband wanted Liam to experience failure so that he learnt new things. School shouldn't be a babysitting service but rather a place of learning for all children and this would be easier for teachers to do if they have other children at the same level. Linda also pointed out that Liam had made the comment that he didn't want to be the kid in the class that everyone wanted to be friends with so that he would help them with their work. And frankly that isn't his job!
Eventually they reached a compromise. For the rest of the term he would go to year 3 for the reading and writing part of the day. For maths he would continue to work with the group of students that had been selected.
So has there been a difference? Yes in such a short amount of time he is finding things challenging and is already 20 times happier. The plan is for next term for him to also do his Science with year 3.
The question is then is acceleration going to be right for my child? below are some links on the topic that are well worth looking at for anyone considering this. The thing that you also need to take into consideration is if the child wants to move a grade.
I like how the school didn't just give into the parent and place the child straight into Year 3. This gradual move allows the student to get used to the new arrangement and see if it is going to work. So far in this situation so good. The year 3 students have accepted him and are even playing with him at different times throughout the day- lunch and after school.
Research show that failed acceleration usually occurs when the proper preparation hasn't been done. The child has to be the centre of the whole thing and should be consulted throughout the process. They need to be checked on to see if they are comfortable and everything is going well.
Some students may need to be accelerated in just one subject. In Liam's case he is only 6 months younger then most of the kids above him and therefore it takes away the social aspect as he already has friends in the older grades.
In the end you need to do what is right for your child and not worry about what others think. Because they don't know your child as well as you do. Sometimes you just need to push for what you need.
Different links to help you are http://www.accelerationinstitute.org/Resources/QA/, http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/should_gifted_students.html, http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/against-accelerating-the-gifted-child/
The advice was to get him tested. From the testing they gained useful information that identified him as gifted. Once the school were presented with this information they began to put different practices in place like taking him out for reading with a small group of students and giving him mathematical work pitched at a child in year 2.
Now Liam is in Year 2 and has just finished his first term. Half way through the term he began becoming extremely angry with his little brother and having outbursts over the littlest of things. Linda also noticed that he was beginning to become uninterested in things that he previously had loved and she was concerned that he was depressed. It was building up to become similar to his first year at school as once again he didn't want to go to school.
As her and her husband had been there before they knew that they needed to do something earlier then they had previously. The straw that broke the camels back was him wetting the bed- at 7. He hadn't done this since kindergarten.
The first thing they did was look at and talk to different principals at the surrounding schools. One particular principal had said that on the evidence that she could see that she would be happy to accelerate him straight into year 3.
The dilemma that now faced them was to accelerate or not to accelerate? The topic is hotly debated with people who aren't faced with this dilemma also believing they are an expert!
The main thing people say is that students shouldn't be accelerated as they wont be able to drink when they finish school. To me this particular comment is irrelevant. What should Linda do? ignore that her son was showing signs of depression? To me this may lead to him eventually becoming so disengaged that he doesn't make it to the drinking age.
Anyway they approached the school and voiced their concerns and emphasised that there needed ot be a change as he was not interested in school. They also let them know that he liked his teacher and they know that the school was doing a lot to differentiate the curriculum for him. It is important to let the school know what they are doing right and not just launch into what they aren't.
At the meeting there was the school's assistant principal and Liam's class teacher. At first they stated their point of view that they didn't believe that Liam would benefit from acceleration as socially he wasn't ready. I am not sure how they would know if he socially was ready as they hadn't made any attempts to see how he interacted with older children. They also stressed how they had been extending him in maths by bringing in some other high achievers in maths. Linda pointed out that this was great BUT that was only one lesson in Liam's day and wasn't enough to keep him interested.
Linda pointed out that her and her husband wanted Liam to experience failure so that he learnt new things. School shouldn't be a babysitting service but rather a place of learning for all children and this would be easier for teachers to do if they have other children at the same level. Linda also pointed out that Liam had made the comment that he didn't want to be the kid in the class that everyone wanted to be friends with so that he would help them with their work. And frankly that isn't his job!
Eventually they reached a compromise. For the rest of the term he would go to year 3 for the reading and writing part of the day. For maths he would continue to work with the group of students that had been selected.
So has there been a difference? Yes in such a short amount of time he is finding things challenging and is already 20 times happier. The plan is for next term for him to also do his Science with year 3.
The question is then is acceleration going to be right for my child? below are some links on the topic that are well worth looking at for anyone considering this. The thing that you also need to take into consideration is if the child wants to move a grade.
I like how the school didn't just give into the parent and place the child straight into Year 3. This gradual move allows the student to get used to the new arrangement and see if it is going to work. So far in this situation so good. The year 3 students have accepted him and are even playing with him at different times throughout the day- lunch and after school.
Research show that failed acceleration usually occurs when the proper preparation hasn't been done. The child has to be the centre of the whole thing and should be consulted throughout the process. They need to be checked on to see if they are comfortable and everything is going well.
Some students may need to be accelerated in just one subject. In Liam's case he is only 6 months younger then most of the kids above him and therefore it takes away the social aspect as he already has friends in the older grades.
In the end you need to do what is right for your child and not worry about what others think. Because they don't know your child as well as you do. Sometimes you just need to push for what you need.
Different links to help you are http://www.accelerationinstitute.org/Resources/QA/, http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/should_gifted_students.html, http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/against-accelerating-the-gifted-child/
Tuesday 2 April 2013
Our story — The Battle We Didn't Choose
Our story — The Battle We Didn't Choose
This is not related to my posts but made me cry...brave woman and a beautifully brave husband!
This is not related to my posts but made me cry...brave woman and a beautifully brave husband!
Wednesday 13 March 2013
Help me with Homework!!!
My son this week came home with his spelling words...well 2 of the 10. He obviously thought if he only writes down two then he only has to learn 2 words. Sneeky!
Even though I am a teacher I find myself often pulling out my hair to get homework done. Often parents clash with their children when it comes to homework. There are a couple to reasons for this.
a) you are too much like your child and easily push each others buttons
b) children are constantly testing the boundaries- seeing how far they have to push to get out of doing something...
c) it is too hard or they don't have a long attention span
Here are some useful tips to try to help you get through the homework witching hour!
1) Remain calm! Even if your inner temperature is set at explode try as best you can to bite your tongue. Leave them for a moment or two if need be. (Yes easier said then done!) Children will see how far they can push you.
2) Ensure you child and you both understand the what is required with the homework. If you are not sure ask.
4) Make sure your child is not too tired. You need to remember they have had a long day at school so adding homework on top of that day is going to a failure before they start. You may find that having some afternoon tea and a bit of TV for half an hour first will help rejuvenate them.
5) Make sure the homework is in achievable chunks. If a child sees they have a whole page of work to do this will instantly stress them out. Try starting with the hardest activity letting the child know that you are doing that and at the end they can do something they like to do- computer game?
6) See what parts of the homework you can combine. When it comes to having to write spelling words into sentences I get my son to see how many he can put into a sentence. This then reduces how many sentences he has to write. Try not to do the sentences for them and don't worry if their sentences are too basic. You can always suggest some other words to add to their sentence to make it more interesting for next time.
7) Eliminate what you know they don't need practice at. With spelling words at the beginning of the week I ask my son to spell them to me out loud and I tick which ones he gets right and these ones we don't need to learn. If he has to write them out each night I make him do it as handwriting practice.
8) Try to have no distractions, no TV. Noisy siblings. Some music in the background down low may work for some children too.
9) Be positive and keep reinforcing what they have achieved in the time you have had not emphasis what still needs to be done.
10) Negotiate with the teacher- what is really important to get done and what is less important. For those weeks where it doesn't seem like you are winning the battle just do the bare minimum.
11) One complaint about homework from parents is that it is taught differently from when they were at school or they don't understand the teacher jargon. You tube has a wealth of videos demonstrating how to do almost anything. The website schoolatoz has a wealth of useful information. This link will take you to the teacher jargon page. You may also like to check out a free mathematic library.
All I can say is goodluck...some friends have taken the pressure completely off and have hired people to do the homework with their children. Maybe an option for some?
Even though I am a teacher I find myself often pulling out my hair to get homework done. Often parents clash with their children when it comes to homework. There are a couple to reasons for this.
a) you are too much like your child and easily push each others buttons
b) children are constantly testing the boundaries- seeing how far they have to push to get out of doing something...
c) it is too hard or they don't have a long attention span
Here are some useful tips to try to help you get through the homework witching hour!
1) Remain calm! Even if your inner temperature is set at explode try as best you can to bite your tongue. Leave them for a moment or two if need be. (Yes easier said then done!) Children will see how far they can push you.
2) Ensure you child and you both understand the what is required with the homework. If you are not sure ask.
4) Make sure your child is not too tired. You need to remember they have had a long day at school so adding homework on top of that day is going to a failure before they start. You may find that having some afternoon tea and a bit of TV for half an hour first will help rejuvenate them.
5) Make sure the homework is in achievable chunks. If a child sees they have a whole page of work to do this will instantly stress them out. Try starting with the hardest activity letting the child know that you are doing that and at the end they can do something they like to do- computer game?
6) See what parts of the homework you can combine. When it comes to having to write spelling words into sentences I get my son to see how many he can put into a sentence. This then reduces how many sentences he has to write. Try not to do the sentences for them and don't worry if their sentences are too basic. You can always suggest some other words to add to their sentence to make it more interesting for next time.
7) Eliminate what you know they don't need practice at. With spelling words at the beginning of the week I ask my son to spell them to me out loud and I tick which ones he gets right and these ones we don't need to learn. If he has to write them out each night I make him do it as handwriting practice.
8) Try to have no distractions, no TV. Noisy siblings. Some music in the background down low may work for some children too.
9) Be positive and keep reinforcing what they have achieved in the time you have had not emphasis what still needs to be done.
10) Negotiate with the teacher- what is really important to get done and what is less important. For those weeks where it doesn't seem like you are winning the battle just do the bare minimum.
11) One complaint about homework from parents is that it is taught differently from when they were at school or they don't understand the teacher jargon. You tube has a wealth of videos demonstrating how to do almost anything. The website schoolatoz has a wealth of useful information. This link will take you to the teacher jargon page. You may also like to check out a free mathematic library.
All I can say is goodluck...some friends have taken the pressure completely off and have hired people to do the homework with their children. Maybe an option for some?
This looks like a good book!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/ultimate-guide-to-charlie/id538607031?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
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