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Tips for the home COVID-classroom: task content – lesson three

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With the NSW Government extending the lockdown in the Hunter until mid-October, that means more home-schooling for Hunter parents.

So, the Newcastle Weekly, with the assistance of retired educator Louise Clayton-Jones, is providing some handy tips to help mums, dads and carers get through this, often, stressful period.

Children find it easier to stay on task for sustained periods if they are interested in the subject and can see its value.

This also makes them more liable to persist when the task is at the border of their competence.

It may take three or four times for new knowledge to be created in working memory and then transferred to long term memory.

Plain repetition can be boring but coming at material in different ways can be stimulating, especially if the home teacher shows enthusiasm.

A couple of strategies can make this a process shared by you and your child.

Tip # One

Draw up a “How To” chart if the child is having trouble remembering a particular procedure or set of facts. Help the child become strategic in their approach to the task. This has the added benefit of promoting autonomous learning.

Tip # Two

Be clear on the goal of the learning task and what successful completion will look like. These can be written down and referred to before, during and after the task. You can extend this idea by having the child make a self-assessment of how well they stayed on task. Let them put a sticker against the goal if they feel they have reached it. Asking why they decided they had been successful/not successful is yet another way to develop independent learners.

Tip # Three

Encourage higher level thinking skills with clever questioning. This is useful across many subject areas. Knowledge questions (“Where did we find the rubbish?”) require only recall from memory. Comprehension questions (“Why do you think the rubbish was found in these areas?”) require rephrasing, rewording and comparison of information. Application questions (“Can you think of another example of pollution in our community?”) require the application of knowledge to a new situation or experience. Analysis and Synthesis questions (“What factors contribute to littering in our parks?”  “How could we avoid littering on our roadways?”) use information to determine evidence, draw conclusions, make predictions and solve problems.

Tip # Four

If your child is an older student and has a lot of close reading to do, get them to google the four reading protocols: summarise, predict, clarify, question.

Educational theories these days focus on the student. You, as their own private tutor, are in the box seat to be amazed at what goes on in their heads.

Louise Clayton-Jones

Retired educator

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