There are children who takes 2, 3, and even 4 times longer than their peers in doing their homework. It is imperative to know 3 key issues, what parents can do about it, and how teachers can utilize them to help the students. Student’s key issues often include:
1. Attention is a major problem, both in class and while doing homework.
2. They often have one or more vision issues – too often these student’s eyes are either: not working together; skipping words or lines when reading; or they have difficulty copying off the board.
3. They become tense when doing homework and often lose it.
When a student has trouble paying attention in class, they often must be re-taught the information at home. What makes matters worse is that the student’s homework time which should have taken 45 minutes gets stretched to 1 and ½ hours due to re-teaching, and then to over 2 hours because they cannot stay focused.
With regards to vision issues, these are what impact their homework in several ways:
1. They have trouble copying the notes off the board correctly and you spend time trying to understand the assignment.
2. They skip words or lines when reading, further complicating it.
3. When they do math problems, they do not often align their work correctly, they miss minus and division signs so they make careless errors.
With regards to being tensed when doing homework, what often happens is:
1. Students are too intimidated to ask questions in class and they simply get stuck.
2. The student or parent gets angry and then …
3. An argument starts which often escalates into a battle royale
For both three parties (teachers, parents, and children), here are some effective solutions to the problem:
1. Stay clam when doing homework with the child.
2. If the child gets stressed, give them a 1 or 3 minute break.
3. Hydrate them before doing homework and while doing homework.
4. When reading, use an index card or their finger to keep them on the right line.
These practical steps might prove helpful in lessening stress for homework activities and can even increase the child’s performance.
By: Mrs. Rosario M. Francisco | Teacher III | Sta. Rosa Elementary School | Pilar, Bataan
