The Cupertino Courier
Education
Center helps students develop study habits
Erin Hussey
After an eight-hour work day, becoming a taxi service for soccer games and piano lessons and then cooking dinner, parents live a hectic life.
"We all have very busy lives, and sometimes homework is the last thing we think about at 9:30 at night," said Lori Gager, parent and PTA president at Lawson Middle School.
The Huntington Learning Center is here to help. The center, as a community service, offers tips and advice on how to win the battles over homework. Its workshop, "Homework: A Parent's Survival Guide," is being presented at various schools and community centers in Cupertino and Sunnyvale.
"We are trying to help make homework easier to do and more efficiently done," said Valerie Dwyer, education director at Huntington Learning Center. The workshop, which was recently presented at a Lawson PTA meeting, covers the seven most common obstacles to successfully completing homework. They include time management, environment, motivation and distractions.
"I think the biggest thing for middle-school-age students is all the distractions," said Gager. "There is AOL Instant Messenger, cell phones, iPods, all sorts of things kids are distracted by."
Dwyer said one of the most important steps to successful homework practices is eliminating distractions and creating a study-friendly environment.
"We really want it to be study time, not just homework time," she said. "A time where it's quiet in the house: Mom and dad are reading the paper or making dinner behind a closed door; the baby is down for a nap; the dog is outside; the radio is off and there aren't any cell phones on."
In addition to a quiet atmosphere, where students study is also important.
"Make sure they are working on a hard surface, because a lot of kids will work on their beds and then all of a sudden fall asleep," Dwyer said.
Understanding the amount of time needed for studying was one of the main things parent Karen Mecker learned.
"One of the things I found helpful was the amount of time a child should spend on homework at each grade level," she said. "It is approximately 15 minutes per grade level."
According to Huntington, adding 15 minutes for each succeeding grade level builds dedication, strong study habits and prepares students for the amount of studying they will do in college.
"If a fourth-grader needs to do an hour of study time, that might exceed the actual time they need to do their homework, but there needs to be a commitment to finishing the hour," Dwyer said. "They can look back and review previous chapters, do test preparation or even read newspapers and learn new vocabulary."
Dwyer also suggested that when students do finish their study time, they should not be rewarded with stickers or dessert.
"When they get done with their work, we want them to feel the value of their work," she said.
This non-reward concept also helps student learn to prioritize and budget their time wisely--scheduling study time into the planner along with the basketball games, violin lessons and free time.
The end result is for the students to become more independent and responsible for their homework, taking the stress off of parents.
"Homework is a battle," Dwyer said. "It's hard and parents need some strategies."
The Huntington Learning Center be present "Homework: A Parent's Survival Guide" at Hyde Middle School on March 29 at 7 p.m. The workshop is free and open to the public. For more information call 408.996.1200.
