Lost Education To Be Recovered At Home

Edward Lazear of the Hoover Institution found that, "If, on average, each student disrupts the class just 1 percent of the time, the time available for learning drops to 74 percent for a class size of 30." Even the best teachers can only do so much, and many have cited disruption as the most stressful element of teaching. It is no wonder that the "teach to test" syndrome is one consequence of a school's need to grasp some vestige of achievement by streamlining the teaching content to hit targets Regrettably this results in a veneer of knowledge, presenting a smart image on the surface but with little depth. Now it is possible for parents to use educational games at home to give greater practical support in the teaching activities of their children.

A sea change in the parental influence and control of a disruptive child is perhaps distant. A parent who doesn't care is difficult to convince otherwise and the offspring understandably lack guidance, positive influence and a sense of direction. Moreover many disruptive children fail to see the consequence of their actions. Unfortunately this hurts the innocent students who wish to be taught.

The medium term fix requires a change in social attitudes. More immediate action can come from activity at home as research has shown that what parents do at home support to support learning can account for 80 of the year is actually spent by the child at home - weekends and holidays, which presents a huge opportunity for parents and grandparents to join in.

Teaching in the classroom involves the structured introduction of maths, English, science and ICT etc. through the key stages of the curriculum. Learning development is greatly enhanced through practice; applying the relevance of what is being taught. Increasing emphasis of learning outside the classroom is being promoted by schools, education authorities and the government and this is where parents can play a huge part. Many teaching activities, in the form of educational games, are ideal for use at home. By allowing the parent and child to practice the lesson using maths games, English games and science games that follow the curriculum and classroom learning programme a child learning retention can be greatly enhanced.
The hands-on involvement of the parent in a programme where teacher, child and parent interact in a fun and highly productive manner is a real benefit. Educational games played at home are a great way to reinstate the involvement of parents that started in the foundation of their children's learning. As previously mentioned research in the UK ( reported in the PTA magazine in 2007) shows the effect of what parents do at home to support learning can account for 80 of factors leading to academic achievement.

In a class of 30 with a small disruptive element the lost learning time is staggering. The solution at school will take time; the solution at home can be immediate. And the active involvement of parents in the schooling process can help mitigate certain disruptive forces.

Alistair Owens http://www.keen2learn.co.uk

Article Source: http://www.rightbiz.com

See examples of the educational games that can be used at home here: educational toys science games www.keen2learn.co.uk/l/229/Science_Games.php and numeracy games www.keen2learn.co.uk/l/158/Maths_&_Numeracy_Games.php

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