Homework case study #4: Disorganization disorder - Homework Help By Chris Colin Delicate parents, peer not into Tim Campbell's backpack. Somewhere along the way, the 13-year-old eighth-grader from Connecticut developed a habit whose roots are complex but whose consequences couldn't be clearer: utter disorganization. At its worst, Tim is as likely to produce his evening's homework assignments — forget about a finished product — as to recite War and Peace. "It was late in seventh grade that I started noticing a pattern where I could never find anything," he says. The downward spiral To hear his mother describe it, this isn't a case where the student loses his homework because secretly it's too hard. "We gave him folders, but he wasn't using them," Tim's mother says. Like so many homework problems, Tim's snowballed. "Sometimes I'd take things out of his book bag and have him put them back neatly. The diagnosis: More than carelessness Indeed, he did have his own way — it just wasn't one that worked in the context of middle school.
Balanced Literacy Framework If you're using a Balanced Literacy approach in your classroom, you'll find these materials to be helpful. The top part of the page provides a lot of information about how to use the balanced literacy framework including a written descriptions of the components. You can find six featured freebies at the top of this page; if you are interested in jumping right to the full list of printables at the bottom of the page, click this Literacy Printables link. Featured Literacy Freebies 90 Minute Literacy Block Components 1. 2. 3. Note: Some weeks I don't use a menu, especially if I want students to do specific activities on certain days. For more ideas on how to implement and manage Literacy Stations, I recommend Debbie Diller's books Literacy Work Stations and Practice with Purpose shown at right. 60 Minute Literacy Block Suggestions Featured Literacy Mini Packs Management Strategies Reliable Timing Device - My timer is indispensable! Literacy Center Activities Balanced Literacy Printables
Improving Executive Function: Teaching Challenges and Opportunities The High Cost of Over-Packed Curriculum Standards For 21st century success, students will need skill sets far beyond those that are mandated in the densely packed standards -- and that's evaluated on bubble tests. In the near future, success will depend on accelerated rates of information acquisition. And we need to help students develop the skill sets to analyze new information as it becomes available, to flexibly adapt when facts are revised, and to be technologically fluent (as new technology becomes available). Success will also depend upon one's ability to collaborate and communicate with others on a global playing field -- with a balance of open-mindedness, foundational knowledge, and critical analysis skills so they can make complex decisions using new and changing information. We are painfully aware that the educational model has not changed to accommodate the exponentially increasing amount of information pertinent to students.
Homework Hell? Part II: 7 Real Techniques That Work Many parents write in to EP about homework battles with their kids. They want to know what to do about a child who procrastinates or who just can’t seem to stay focused on the task at hand. This week James Lehman shares tried and true methods to get kids to sit down and do the work. If you threaten your child with punishments or use power to get him to comply, he will simply become more aggressive and more defensive as he digs in his heels—and resists even more. Homework becomes a power struggle as soon as you try to force your child to do his work and he pushes back. In the first part of this series, I talked about how you can establish the right environment and mindset in your home around schoolwork. Keep a Close Watch For a lot of kids, sending them to their rooms to do their homework is a mistake. All the advice I’m giving here is easier said than done, and I understand that. Comment By : Steve Comment By : michelle Comment By : Might work out for you too. Comment By : Gina
End the Nightly Homework Struggle - 5 Homework Strategies that Work for Kids Are you trapped in a nightly homework struggle with your child? The list of excuses can seem endless: “I don’t have any homework today.” “My teacher never looks at my homework anyway.” Pre-teens and teens often insist they have no homework even when they do, or tell parents that they’ve completed their assignments at school when they haven’t. Related: Tired of fighting over homework every night? Trying to convince your child that grades are important can be a losing battle. If you’re facing the rest of the school year with dread and irritation, you’re not alone. 5 Strategies to Get Homework Back On Track Schedule Daily Homework Time If your child often says they have no homework but their grades are poor, they may not be telling you accurate information, they may have completely tuned out their teacher’s instructions, or need to improve some other organizations skills, for example. It will be most effective if you choose the same time every day.
Helping Children and Teens with Asperger's to Achieve Success in School Settings Interview with Julie Balderston, Specialist in Autism Spectrum DisordersBy Cathrine Knott, Ph.D. Julie Balderston, with a Master's in speech and language pathology, has spent ten years working in the public schools, specializing in Asperger's Syndrome and the autism spectrum. Her work with children and teens with Asperger's and with high functioning students on the autism spectrum has led to her appreciation of their gifts; she feels extremely fortunate for the opportunities she has to work with these students. Her positive attitude shows in her dedication to meeting their educational needs at the highest levels possible. Establishing an Educational Program Julie Balderston stresses that it is best for the students when they are diagnosed early, to allow for early intervention and support. When she acts as a case manager for a student with Asperger's Syndrome, Balderston advocates for the student both in and out of the classroom. "The sky is the limit," she says again.
Study skills for middle school and beyond - Study Skills "pls help my 13year old is really not doing well with her studies,she is currently below average.what do I do? " "I really like your aproach with this help study,I guess not only does this help my grandchild but this help me also Thanks alot. "My daughter is going to high school next year and, thanks to SOL's and NO TEXT BOOKS, hasn't learned "how to learn" or study yet. "This reallly helped my son! "I just loved this article it is so useful to help my ADD child of 13 years from grade 7 "i think redecorating a room helps because you can get a nice desk and a radio next to it to help you study " "Study skills has longed seem to me to be a euphemism for 'memorization'. "I need help studying for earth science because the way the tests are written out are so completely new to me "i need help studying for my social studies test that i have tomorrow! "thank you for your good research an recommendation it is very useful and hep me a lot i'm a teacher from iran .an English teacher " "cool"
Wire Side Chats: Help Students Rise Above the Clutter Many children have trouble keeping track of assignments, but get by until the demands of multiple teachers in middle school overwhelm them. Organizational consultant Donna Goldberg explains how teachers and parents can help students better manage their time and responsibilities. Included: Tips for helping students be more organized. Every teacher has at least one student who leaves a trail of papers and pencils wherever he or she goes, can never find his or her homework among the layers of crumpled papers in a backpack, cannot recall assignments, and could lose the Titanic amid all the clutter in a locker. Often these children struggle in school, not because they can't do the work, but because they can't find it. Goldberg also is the founder of The Organized Student, a 15-year-old organizing consulting firm based in New York City. Education World: How can teachers use your book? EW: At what age can teachers and parents start teaching children organizational skills? Purge. Ellen R.