Six Tips for Establishing Good Homework Habits in Your Child
Mastering knowledge is best achieved when concepts are taught, revised, and reinforced to ensure student comprehension. By developing a profound understanding of the material and absorbing its contents completely, learning can reach its maximum potential. A combination of attentive classroom learning and doing regular homework to practice the learnt topics again is thus a powerful way to further the students’ knowledge. To make children take an active interest in doing homework, there are some simple measures one can take as a parent to establish good homework habits. This will help them avoid homework fatigue, stay focused on their studies, and spark their interest in learning further. What are these tried and tested methods? To know, read on! 1. Set a homework routine and schedule breaks If you set a homework schedule, your child will understand that it is a regular part of the day. This will end the daily disagreements between you and your child. Allow them to take a few breaks as well and schedule those breaks. This practice will let your child relax for a few minutes in between tackling different subject assignments and then completing their homework on time. 2. Fix a suitable homework space Establishing a regular homework space makes your child consistent in their studies. At MIT Gurukul, one of the best schools for pre-primary education in India, we ensure our students learn in a positive and suitable place. You can do the same by finding the area in your house where your child is comfortable and attentive. If your child is an older student, you may select a large desk with all the necessary supplies. Younger children may require more help from you and enjoy studying in a communal space in the house, such as the dining hall. 3. Help your tiny tots when they struggle An important part of creating good homework habits is deciding how much help your child needs. Avoid being tempted to complete their homework on their behalf when they feel perplexed. Let them challenge their potential and work it out. You can help them by: Encouraging and praising them when they make a step in the right direction Asking what your child remembers from their class might help them Discussing your child’s difficulties and setbacks with the teacher Asking your child if they want your help to understand any concept 4. Pay attention to what your child wants to express Discipline and consistency are vital in establishing proper homework habits for kids. Yet parents must be flexible when needed. Your child may want to rest before diving into their homework after returning from school. They may perform better with some special supplies, music or white noise. Make your child feel valued and heard; the results will surprise you. 5. Stay positive and calm If you stay positive and calm during the homework process, your child will enjoy doing their homework as they will also start imbibing being calm and relaxed during their home work schedule. They will also take your example and emulate these values in the classroom. MIT Gurukul, one of the best international schools in Pune, strives to bring joy to the learning experience through ideally paced classwork assignments that children can complete without rushing. We encourage parents to do the same when their children sit down with their homework. 6. Praise your child for their hard work IB program schools like MIT Gurukul focus on the all-round development of a child. We give positive feedback even for the attempts children make and not necessarily always only on accomplishing tasks. This keeps students motivated to try and try again. We request that you too praise your child not only when they answer a question correctly but also when they do not give up on their learning process or struggles with learning and make another attempt at it. For example, if your child is weak in a particular subject, praise their effort and dedication when they try to complete their homework related to that subject. This will boost their confidence and build their perseverance. Good homework habits create a lifelong aptitude of scholarly interest. On the other hand, bad homework habits in kids can create a negative attitude towards learning. Thus it is imperative that an enabling home atmosphere is created for the children to thrive in and make a good association in their minds with regard to homework routines. We hope that this article sheds light on some easily implementable practices and that with these, you see delightful changes in your children. A good dose of consistency and patience is surely the key to success. MIT Gurukul is happy to partner with the parents through discussions and brainstorming ideas on developing good homework habits among children. To speak with our academic coordinator or your child’s class teacher, please book an appointment by sending a note in your child’s almanac.
5 Smart Ways to Incorporate Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking Skills in Students
Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and logically by understanding the connection between ideas, events, processes, cause and result, and actions and consequences. It is an important life skill to master. Combined with a creative aptitude and a problem-solving attitude, it can transform the student into an informed learner, a socially aware person, and an innovator with leadership potential. Within the academic domains, students who think critically and can solve problems are hungry to learn and grow their intellectual quotient. They are strong decision-makers, think outside the box to come up with innovative ideas, are organized, focused and ready to thrive. So here are five smart ways to incorporate problem-solving and critical thinking skills in students: 1. Encourage Active Learning Students must be active learners to develop critical thinking skills. If they study a concept in haste, they will not think deeply about it or link it with what they already know. Critical thinking is crucial to analyze information and delve deeper into the subject. Therefore critical thinking skills for students are best developed when theoretical learning is combined with real-life experiences. If this is done frequently in the classroom and at home, students will become active learners with strong critical thinking skills. MIT Gurukul, one of the best schools in Pune, believes in providing experiential learning opportunities to its students. 2. Use Real-World Problems and Scenarios When students are encouraged to look at real-world problems that impact their immediate surroundings, they enhance their ability to understand the related cultural, geographical, regional, legal and socio-psychological aspects. They also deliberate and come up with solutions and thus become adept at leading and managing situations in their higher education and professional years. At MIT Gurukul, one of the best schools in Pune, we bring opportunities for our students to find connections in their learning. Students are encouraged to find associations between different subject elements and real-life situations that match the topic. It takes their minds out of the four walls of a classroom and teaches them to look at the outside world. They become better global citizens and impactful leaders in the process. 3. Foster Independent Thinking and Exploration Grow the seed of hunger in the minds of your children and you will see wonders! Asking open ended questions that require the students to think up the answer rather than just say yes or no helps them to exercise their thought process, logical analysis and critical thinking. MIT Gurukul, one of the best schools in Pune, encourages students to ask meaningful questions on their own too within our classes, especially as they reach our middle years program and progress to the senior years. To foster their independent thinking and exploration, we often ask them some of these questions: Could you give me an example to support your answer? Could you elaborate further on that point? Do we need to consider another point of view here? Will you provide some more details? Is there another way we can approach solving this issue? 4. Teach Problem-Solving Strategies If a student develops problem-solving skills at a young age, they will bring out the best in every opportunity. It will equip them with confidence, intelligence and perseverance. You can give your students a hypothetical problem and ask them to find solutions through critical and creative thinking. Here are a few examples that may come in handy, and many of which we utilize at MIT Gurukul for interaction with our students within the classroom settings: You have two important assignments and both are due next week. How will you make sure to complete both? Your friend has failed an exam. How do you support them? Your city is getting polluted day by day. Suggest some measures you can take starting from your home to help solve this environmental problem. 5. Encourage Group Work and Collaboration Group work and collaboration can build skills of leadership, cooperation, empathy and inclusion in the young minds; and nurture such qualities as the students grow older. Some of the ways to foster group work are debates, team based quizzes, group projects and presentations, buddy programs, volunteering and organizing events in teams. In the classroom, a teacher may give a debate topic to the students and divide them into two groups, one for the notion and the other against it. The topic may be based on a new scientific discovery, current affairs, use of art for expressing emotions or ideas, moral dilemma, political situation, or a groundbreaking technological development. MIT Gurukul, being one of the top ICSE schools in India, allows students to bring their ideas to the table, discuss with each other and get introduced to fresh perspectives. Assigning an impromptu creative project is another interesting way to develop team spirit and problem-solving skills. As we reach the end of this article, we cannot reiterate enough the importance of critical thinking and problem-solving skills for students in the classroom and beyond. We urge the parents to also encourage these qualities amongst their wards and encourage and support them through positive reinforcement as they traverse their journey to hone their ability for thinking critically, asking questions, and to never stop learning. We urge and request parents to incorporate activities in their child’s daily routine that help them develop critical thinking, leadership qualities and the skill to solve problems.