Tips for Student Engagement

I received an email containing a newsletter from Edutopia today on "Tips for Increasing Student Engagement".  Head on over to http://www.edutopia.org/files/existing/edutopianews.html and take a look for yourself.  Do you have any tips or ideas?  Please share them in the comments section.

Parent's helping students

ESL tidbits

Homework Tips for Parents

By: Reading Rockets (2010)

Study the same things in different ways and places

Help your child learn about new words or content in a variety of ways. Talk about new vocabulary words several times over the course of the week, in different settings. This will help enrich your child's understanding of the word.

Mix up the study time

If your child prefers to do a little math, a little reading, a little word study and then back to math, that's okay! Mixing up the practice time may leave a greater impression on your learner.

Space out the learning

If your child has a big test coming up next week, help her study a little bit each day rather than cramming it in the night before. An hour or so every other day, spacing out the learning, is a better way to really learn the material.

Help your child get organized

Help your child pick out a special homework notebook or folder, and make sure your child has homework supplies, such as:

• pencils
• pens
• writing paper
• a dictionary

Show your child that you think homework is important

Ask your child about her homework each day, and check to see that it is completed. Tell your child that you are proud of the work she is doing.

Help your child without doing the homework

It's important to answer questions if you can — but remember that homework is supposed to help children learn and that doing your child's homework does not help in the long run.

Talk with your child's teacher

Find out what the teacher's homework rules are. If your child has a problem completing or understanding homework, call or e-mail the teacher to talk about the issue.

Math tips

Math is a tough subject.  It is hard to fall in love with a fraction like you do a good novel.  So it is important to find strategies that will engage your students effectively.  Try some of the following from an article in the March/April 2009 Scholastic Instructor magazine:

CHOOSE GAMES THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL STUDENTS. With Four Strikes and You're Out, for example, I used addition problems that I knew all of the children could solve. When the math is accessible, students can focus on learning how to play.
Play cooperatively and competitively. Cooperative games foster communication and classroom unity. Competitive games help students test their skills, take risks, and learn to be graceful winners and losers.

CHOOSE GAMES THAT REQUIRE REASONING AND CHANCE. Games that combine strategic thinking with an element of chance are especially effective for providing practice and promoting thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving. The chance aspect—rolling a number cube or using a spinner—helps level the playing field and makes it possible for students of varying abilities to enjoy playing together. 

TEACH THE GAME TO THE ENTIRE CLASS AT THE SAME TIME. Play sample games as many times as needed to resolve any confusion before expecting students to be successful independently. 

START A MATH GAMES CHART. Add the name of each game as you teach it. This creates a repertoire of independent math activities that you have approved and that are accessible to all. When students have extra time, direct them to the chart for an activity.