Useful Parent Tips

“I think that the best thing we can do for our children is to allow them to do things for themselves, allow them to be strong, allow them to experience life on their own terms, allow them to take the subway... let them be better people, let them believe more in themselves.” 
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Boundary Setting In Today's World

8/18/2020

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I have read this book as an educator but it is of course relevant to the parent you wants sound advice, tips and inspiration on how to cement the value of boundaries in children in today's (what seems like) hyper-narcissistic world of "me me me". It is very practical, not preachy and honest about the value and challenges when it comes to the essential tool of setting boundaries for children.

Currently, (August 18th 2020 ), the CLC Bookstore has copies I believe.  They are located at Constitution Road, St. Michael. (245 - 622 - 5630). If you read or want to read it let me know.

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Reading electronically affects children differently than reading a printed page!

5/29/2019

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In today's fast paced society with so many demands being placed on parents, many parents wanting provide extra learning opportunities for children while being able to safely monitor their child's reading experiences have turned to using tablets to allow their children to explore the three R's reading, writing and arithmetic safely. However, reading online does offer some drawbacks as Dr Martin Kutscher presents in the article below.
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The Effects of Digital Technology on Reading - Full Article
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Vitamin N

4/14/2018

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How to help your child think

9/10/2016

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Taken from - Bloom’s Taxonomy: Critical Thinking Skills for Kids Written by Stacia Garland

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We all want our children to use necessary critical thinking skills. Thanks to Bloom’s Taxonomy, parents can help develop and strengthen their child’s thinking skills at home. Unfortunately, teachers and parents are more likely to ask children questions at the Remembering level which is the lowest level of thinking. This includes questions like: who, what, where, when and why. These types of questions only require children to use memorization in order to respond.
Bloom’s Taxonomy is named after Benjamin Bloom, a psychologist who in 1956 developed the classification of questioning according to six levels of higher level thinking. Bloom’s Taxonomy was revised in 2001. Most if not all teachers are taught to use Bloom’s Taxonomy in preparing lesson objectives for their students. However, most parents have not been taught how to use Bloom’s Taxonomy in talking to their children. If it is good for teachers, it is surely good for parents.
When children are moved beyond Bloom’s lowest level, Remembering to the next level of Understanding, they are answering questions which ask them to organize previous information, such as: comparing, interpreting the meaning, or organizing the information. Therefore, children are basically just retelling information in their own words, which is not helping develop critical thinking skills.
As parents, we want to encourage our children to think for themselves and to avoid peer pressure and fad thinking. We want them to have the skills necessary to listen, analyze and interpret the information that will be a constant part of their lives. Memory and understanding are part of this process, but to succeed in further processing this flow of knowledge requires higher level techniques.

Here are some examples of how to use Bloom’s Taxonomy with your child:
Most questions asked of children fall in either the Remembering or Understanding level. I encourage parents to move to a higher order in the taxonomy when questioning their child, which are Bloom’s next four levels. These include:

Applying: Ask your child how they would solve a given real-life problem. Ask why they think something is significant. Ask your child to continue a story or predict what would happen in a given situation. Encourage your child to make a diorama or model of what they learned on a given topic.

Analyzing: Ask your child to identify motives or causes from real-life stories. Encourage them to conduct an interview or survey. Have your child make a flow chart, family tree or role play a real-life situation.

Evaluating: Ask your child to form and defend an opinion on a subject. Kids, especially teens are pretty good at this one. Example: encourage your child to write a letter to an editor or evaluate a character’s actions in a story.

Creating: Ask your child to put together several bits of old information to form a new idea. Such as, ask them to create, design or invent a new item, proposal or plan. This requires a bit of creativity and the ability to think in the abstract.
Teachers state that with the big push of state testing and the pressure to teach to the test, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to be able to take their time and teach at a higher level. As a parent you can help your child to use critical thinking skills and work on exercising their mind so that they will be a high level thinker.
There are many sites which offer charts of Bloom’s Taxonomy with examples of the various levels of questioning. One chart I like is:
http://tpri.wikispaces.com/file/view/05-2Bloom-16-17+Stems+for+Instruction.pdf


I recommend parents print this or a similar chart and cut it so you are left with Analyzing on down to Creating. Then tape this chart to your refrigerator or desk to remind yourself of good questioning techniques to use with your child.
Or for just a few dollars, you can purchase this convenient flip chart from Amazon,Quick Flip Questions for the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy. Great for teachers, parents, and students. Learn how to ask questions, lead discussions, and plan lessons geared to each level of critical thinking. This hand-held flip chart helps improve thinking skills at any age.
After asking several higher level Bloom’s Taxonomy questions, during various conversations, you will get a feel of your child’s ability to think critically. Be patient and give your child extra think time to respond because if your child is not used to higher level questioning or using their brain for this type of thinking, it may take some time for them to process and be able to respond. With practice, higher level questioning will become easier for you and your child.

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Combatting the summer rust

7/16/2016

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Many students and parents look forward to the summer vacation and with good reason. They have worked hard all year and want some well earned down time, how ever this can come at a cost, students forget what they learned over the year and may struggle to catch back up when school (inevitably) restarts below are some ideas to keep your children sharp in their off time.

http://shenandoah.k12.ia.us/pdf/Parent_Involvement_Summer_Learning_Tips.pdf
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Ways to support your child's learning at home

6/5/2016

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Demonstrate a positive attitude about education to your children. What we say and do in our daily lives can help them to develop positive attitudes toward school and learning and to build confidence in themselves as learners. Showing our children that we both value education and use it in our daily lives provides them with powerful models and contributes greatly to their success in school.
In addition, by showing interest in their children's education, parents and families can spark enthusiasm in them and lead them to a very important understanding-that learning can be enjoyable as well as rewarding and is well worth the effort required.

Monitor your child's television, video game, and Internet use. American children on average spend far more time watching TV, playing video games and using the Internet than they do completing homework or other school-related activities

Encourage your child to read. Helping your child become a reader is the single most important thing that you can do to help the child to succeed in school-and in life. The importance of reading simply can't be overstated. Reading helps children in all school subjects. More important, it is the key to lifelong learning. 

Talk with your child. Talking and listening play major roles in children's school success. It's through hearing parents and family members talk and through responding to that talk that young children begin to pick up the language skills they will need if they are to do well. For example, children who don't hear a lot of talk and who aren't encouraged to talk themselves often have problems learning to read, which can lead to other school problems. In addition, children who haven't learned to listen carefully often have trouble following directions and paying attention in class. It's also important for you to show your child that you're interested in what he has to say. 

Encourage your child to use the library. Libraries are places of learning and discovery for everyone. Helping your child find out about libraries will set him on the road to being an independent learner. Remember that libraries also offer a quiet place for students to complete homework, and are often open in the evening. 

Encourage your child to be responsible and work independently. Taking responsibility and working independently are important qualities for school success. You can help your child to develop these qualities by establish reasonable rules that you enforce consistently, making it clear to your child that he has to take responsibility for what he does, both at home and at school, showing your child how to break a job down into small steps, and monitor what your child does after school, in the evenings and on weekends. If you can't be there when your child gets home, give her the responsibility of checking in with you by phone to discuss her plans. 

Encourage active learning. Children need active learning as well as quiet learning such as reading and doing homework. Active learning involves asking and answering questions, solving problems and exploring interests. Active learning also can take place when your child plays sports, spends time with friends, acts in a school play, plays a musical instrument or visits museums and bookstores. To promote active learning, listen to your child's ideas and respond to them. Let him jump in with questions and opinions when you read books together. When you encourage this type of give-and-take at home, your child's participation and interest in school is likely to increase.

Taken from; Twenty Ways You Can Help Your Children Succeed At School

Full article here
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Some interesting quotes

6/5/2016

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How many do you agree with?

“Your job as a parent is not to make your child's way smooth, but rather to help her develop inner resources so she can cope.” 
― Ellyn Satter, Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense, Revised and Updated Edition

“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”                                                                                       ― James Baldwin

“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands.”                              ― Anne Frank

​“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.”                                                                        ― Franklin D. Roosevelt, Great Speeches

​“I don't remember who said this, but there really are places in the heart you don't even know exist until you love a child.” 
― Anne Lamott, Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year
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