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Teaching for child


Teaching All Children | Reading Rockets

Today's schools must accommodate students from different ethnic groups, language groups, cultures, family situations, and social and economic situations, with different interests and purposes for learning, and different abilities and styles of learning.

In the face of all this diversity, schools can no longer operate as if one curriculum and way of teaching will fit most of the students. Instead, students can pursue a common set of curricular goals or learning standards, accomplishing them in different ways and sometimes to different degrees of mastery.

Make sure each student gets access to knowledge, skills, and information

Such access improves the life chances, available choices, and valued contributions of every person. It is also the central purpose of education, and all the goals and activities of inclusive schools revolve around this idea and its implications for students, families, educators, and communities.

Individually tailor learning

Children learn in lots of different places and in lots of different ways. The "teachers" in these environments help children and youth to understand and make connections among different experiences. They also use different approaches and strategies that personalize learning according to each person's learning abilities, needs, styles, purposes, and preferences.

Inclusive schools make sure that each student is challenged to achieve to high standards in ways that fit what they already know, what they can already do, and how they learn best.

Use collaborative teaching arrangements

No one teacher can be skillful at teaching so many different students. She needs a little help from her colleagues. When teachers with different areas of expertise and skill work together, they can individually tailor learning better for all their students.

Collaborate with families, agencies, and other community members

Schools, like teachers, cannot do everything alone. Collaboration with other agencies to provide needed health and social services is just one way that schools can be more comprehensive and supportive of students' lives. Including community members and organizations in the day-to-day work of the school is another way that school resources can be enriched and extended to achieve more effective learning and life outcomes for each student.

Organize and structure schools flexibly

Schools need to be organized in ways that are adaptable to the needs of teachers and students. Good schools also need seamless partnerships. Families, community members, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers must work together to address real world problems and create solutions that will improve schools. Innovative schedules, school teams, mixed age teams, and other options all offer opportunities for educators to flexibly respond to student differences.

Hold high expectations for student success

People in schools must believe in, recognize, and value the contributions and talents of every student. All students are entitled to high expectations and challenging curriculum that lead to the same broad educational outcomes regardless of their race, class, culture, ability, gender, language, or family circumstances.

Such schools use lots of ways to demonstrate that students learn and use their learning. Performance and alternative assessments, student-led conferences, student goal-setting, exhibitions, and other curriculum-based measurements are all innovative ways to document and share students' learning accomplishments.

Keep improving

Schools must collect and use information that will keep improving all parts of the system. Families need information that keeps them meaningfully engaged in their children's education. Teachers need information that helps improve student learning. Policymakers need information that helps improve schools overall.

Build inclusive communities

Inclusive schools are important because they support learning and achievement. They are also important because the philosophy of acceptability and flexibility that guides inclusive schools is one that we also need in our communities.

Children and youth spend only a small part of their lives in schools. Yet after the home, the school is an important influence in shaping the lives of children, both while young and for the rest of their lives. The foundation that schooling and parenting lay lasts for life.

Inclusive schools help build inclusive communities where people's differences are valued, where each member gets supported to contribute, and where the human values created as a result support our societies to achieve our most important outcomes.

New skills for kids & behaviour management

Helping children learn new skills as part of behaviour management

When children can do the things they want or need to do, they’re more likely to cooperate. They’re also less likely to get frustrated and behave in challenging ways. This means that helping children learn new skills can be an important part of managing behaviour.

When children learn new skills, they also build independence, confidence and self-esteem. So helping children learn new skills can be an important part of supporting overall development too.

Here’s an example: if your child doesn’t know how to set the table, they might refuse to do it – because they can’t do it. But if you show your child how to set the table, they’re more likely to do it. They’ll also get a sense of achievement and feel good about helping to get your family meal ready.

There are 3 key ways you can help children learn everything from basic self-care to more complicated social skills:

  • modelling
  • instructions
  • step by step.

Remember that skills take time to develop, and practice is important. But if you have any concerns about your child’s behaviour, development or ability to learn new skills, see your GP or your child and family health nurse.

When you’re helping your child learn a skill, you can use more than one teaching method at a time. For example, your child might find it easier to understand instructions if you also break down the skill or task into steps. Likewise, modelling might work better if you give instructions at the same time.

Modelling

Through watching you, your child learns what to do and how to do it. When this happens, you’re ‘modelling’.

Modelling is usually the most efficient way to help children learn a new skill. For example, you’re more likely to show rather than tell your child how to make a bed, sweep a floor or throw a ball.

Modelling can work for social skills. Prompting your child with phrases like ‘Thank you, Mum’, or ‘More please, Dad’ is an example of this.

You can also use modelling to show your child skills and behaviour that involve non-verbal communication, like body language and tone of voice. For example, you can show how you turn to face people when you talk to them, or look them in the eyes and smile when you thank them.

Children also learn by watching other children. For example, your child might try new foods with other children at preschool even though they might not do this at home with you.

How to make modelling work well

  • Get your child’s attention, and make sure your child is looking at you.
  • Move slowly through the steps of the skill so that your child can clearly see what you’re doing.
  • Point out the important parts of what you’re doing – for example, ‘See how I am …’. You might want to do this later if you’re modelling social skills like greeting a guest.
  • Give your child plenty of opportunities to practise the skill once they’ve seen you do it – for example, ‘OK, now you have a go’.

Instructions

You can help your child learn how to do something by explaining what to do or how to do it.

How to give good instructions

  • Give instructions only when you have your child’s attention.
  • Use your child’s name and encourage your child to look at you while you speak.
  • Get down to your child’s physical level to speak.
  • Remove any background distractions like the TV.
  • Use language that your child understands. Keep your sentences short and simple.
  • Use a clear, calm voice.
  • Use gestures to emphasise things that you want your child to notice.
  • Gradually phase out your instructions and reminders as your child gets better at remembering how to do the skill or task.

A picture that shows your child what to do can help them understand the instructions. Your child can check the picture when they’re ready to work through the instructions independently. This can also help children who have trouble understanding words.

Sometimes your child won’t follow instructions. This can happen for many reasons. Your child might not understand. Your child might not have the skills to do what you ask every time. Or your child just might not want to do what you’re asking. You can help your child learn to cooperate by balancing instructions and requests.

Step-by-step guidance: breaking down tasks

Some skills or tasks are complicated or involve a sequence of actions. You can break these skills or tasks into smaller steps. The idea is to help children learn the steps that make up a skill or task, one at a time.

How to do step-by-step guidance

  • Start with the easiest step if you can.
  • Show your child the step, then let them try it.
  • Give your child more help with the rest of the task or do it for them.
  • Give your child opportunities to practise the step.
  • When your child can do the step reliably and without your help, teach them the next step, and so on.
  • Keep going until your child can do the whole skill or task for themselves.

An example of step-by-step guidance
Here’s how you could break down the task of getting dressed:

  • Get clothes out.
  • Put on underpants.
  • Put on socks.
  • Put on shirt.
  • Put on pants.
  • Put on a jumper.

You could break down each of these steps into parts as well. This can help if a task is complex or if your child has learning difficulties. For example, ‘Put on a jumper’ could be broken down like this:

  • Face the jumper the right way.
  • Pull the jumper over your head.
  • Put one arm through.
  • Put your other arm through.
  • Pull the jumper down.

Forwards or backwards steps?
You can help your child learn steps by moving:

  • forwards – teaching your child the first step, then the next step and so on
  • backwards – helping your child with all the steps until the last step, then teaching the last step, then the second last step and so on.

Learning backwards has some advantages. Your child is less likely to get frustrated because it’s easier and quicker to learn the last step. Also the task is finished as soon as your child completes the step. Often the most rewarding thing about a job or task is getting it finished!

In the earlier example, you might teach your child to get dressed by starting with a jumper. You’d help your child get dressed until it came to the final step – the jumper.

You might help your child put the jumper over their head and put their arms in – then you might let your child pull the jumper down by themselves. Once your child can do this, you might encourage your child to put their arms through by themselves and then pull the jumper down. This would go on until your child can do each step, so they can do the whole task for themselves.

When your child is learning a new physical skill like getting dressed, it can help to put your hands over your child’s hands and guide your child through the movements. Phase out your help as your child begins to get the idea, but keep saying what to do. Then simply point or gesture. When your child is confident with the skill, you can phase out gestures too.

Tips to help children learn new skills

No matter which of the methods you use, these tips will help your child learn new skills:

  • Make sure that your child has the physical ability and developmental maturity to handle the new skill. You might need to teach your child some basic skills before working on more complicated skills.
  • Consider timing and environment. Children learn better when they’re alert and focused, so it can be good to work on new skills in the morning or after rest time. It’s also good to avoid distractions, like the TV or younger siblings.
  • Give your child the chance to practise the skill. Skills take time to learn, and the more your child practises, the better.
  • Give lots of praise and encouragement, especially in the early stages of learning. Praise your child when they follow your instruction, practise the skill or try hard, and say exactly what your child did well.
  • Avoid giving negative feedback. Rather than saying your child has done it ‘wrong’, use words and gestures to explain 1-2 things your child could do differently next time.

Remember that behaviour might get worse before it improves, especially if you’re asking more from your child. A positive and constructive approach can help – for example, ‘Well done for getting the knots on your laces right! Would you like to do the loops together today?’

How to organize home schooling for a child

How to teach a child at home

Home schooling or family education is one of the forms of education in the Russian Federation established by law, in which a student receives knowledge in a family and is attached to a school only for the period of certification .

Homeschooling should not be confused with homeschooling, a way of organizing the learning process for children who cannot attend school for health reasons.

How to start homeschooling

To start teaching your child at home instead of school, you need:

  1. Notify the local education authorities. You can apply to transfer to homeschooling in person, by mail, or online.
  2. Drop out of school. Bring an application to the school about the transition to a family form of education and pick up the child's documents: a personal file, certificates of education and certification. They will be needed to attach to another school for passing intermediate certifications.
  3. Select a school for assessments. She must have a license for educational activities and state accreditation, and the charter necessarily fixes the possibility of enrolling external students. For your convenience, it would be better to choose a school with the possibility of remote certification. It is also recommended to conclude an attestation agreement with the school that regulates the dates, form and procedure for passing attestations in each subject.

For a detailed guide to transitioning to family education with samples of required documents, see here

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How to organize homeschooling

After all the formalities are settled, the most important thing remains: to decide how to organize the learning process at home. There are several models of organizing family education, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, which can be combined with each other:

  • Parent-teacher. Teaching a child on your own, you are free to choose any program and teaching method, besides, you do not have to pay for the work of specialists. However, teaching a child at home requires a lot of time from parents, competence in all school subjects and developed pedagogical skills.
  • Tutoring services. Qualified teachers in individual lessons are able to give the child a quality education. The downside is that the services of good tutors are not cheap.
  • Online school. Distance learning allows you to solve a whole range of problems. Studying in an online school, the child receives systematic school knowledge in all school subjects with minimal participation of parents. In addition, you can study on the Web at any time and from anywhere in the world - you only need access to the Internet. Education in online schools is paid, but it is cheaper than hiring tutors for each subject.

Whichever way you choose to teach your child at home, try to adhere to the following guidelines.

Tip 1. Keep your child's interest

Home education requires parents to be responsible for their children's knowledge. Mom and dad should be ready to answer questions and understand complex topics. You can’t blame tutors or send your child to Google. At the same time, to teach a child at home, it is not necessary to be an expert in all areas. All that is needed is a broad outlook and a willingness to deepen knowledge as necessary.

Try to stimulate your child's natural curiosity.

Refresh your school curriculum as you transition to homeschooling. To do this, you may have to leave your comfort zone, overcome boredom and fear of unloved objects. To make it easier, refer not to textbooks, but to popular science books and films.

Sergei Didyk, father of two children in family education, shares his experience: “You can adjust the educational process to the abilities, opportunities, interests of the child, and even the current situation in the family. You can adjust the depth and speed of mastering the subject: what the child is most interested in is studied in detail;

Tip 2. Don't try to be a multi-subject

The thought of teaching a child at home causes some adults to panic. Sophia Pascal, the mother of a student at Foxford Home School, admitted this in an interview: “Despite the fact that I had a living example of homeschooling before my eyes (the children of my friend were at family school), I was still scared. What if I can’t explain something, and my daughter will have a gap in knowledge?

But a parent who decides to organize homeschooling does not have to turn into a multi-subject teacher. Professionals should explain and work out new material. For example, at the Foxford home online school, classes according to the school curriculum are taught by strong teachers, and the courses are aimed at obtaining systemic knowledge.

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The mission of parents is to guide and stir up interest in learning. Take your child to a museum or workshop to visualize the theory learned in class. Visit the performance and look at the read work in a new way. Conduct a science experiment if the topic is difficult.

Tip 3. Teach your children to be independent

Home schooling is impossible without the child's readiness for self-education. A younger student can be helped to enter the learning rhythm, sit in online lessons to show how to write notes, or sometimes help with homework.

The older the student, the more he has to study himself. In primary grades, the share of independent work can be about 60%, but by the eighth grade it should approach one hundred percent. From grades 7-8, it is worth connecting only when force majeure occurs. Adolescents are quite capable of independently mastering the material and passing certification. And to make it easier for him, teach your child to complete tasks according to the planned plan and focus on one type of activity for 30-40 minutes, followed by breaks for 5-10 minutes. Help him develop a note-taking system and show him the basic ways of remembering information.

Foxford student Platon Biryukov shared his ways of self-organization in an interview: “In order to organize everything, I write a plan for the week and for every day. I set a bunch of alarms a day - they call for every lesson. It helps to keep yourself in working condition. Here you have an hour, and you spend it completely on your studies, and then do what you want.

Tip 4. Don't go overboard

It's natural for children to be drawn to knowledge. Usually parents do not need to do anything special - it is enough to stimulate interest in the sciences from time to time.

Children cannot sit idle, but this does not mean that any activity should be educational. Do not get hung up on the benefits (if the game, then developing, if the film, then cognitive). In the life of a child there should be a place for "stupid" games and short-term idleness. After the rest, he is more willing to return to his studies.

If the desire to learn has already been undermined, then the reasons should be looked for, first of all, in intra-family relations.

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Tip 5. Focus on quality

The point system is designed for collaborative classroom learning. With an individual approach, assessments, as a rule, do not work.

At the initial stages of homeschooling, it is important that the child seeks to understand the topic, and not to get an A. In high school, when the exam looms on the horizon, the teenager himself will begin to work on the numbers. Foxford graduate Ilya Bakurov argues that cramming is a waste of time: “You should not perceive study as exhausting work or some kind of duty. Actually, it's fun. You just need to realize what you are working for. Bringing a “five” to mom and dad is a so-so motivator. There must be a personal serious goal.

Measure success at home with quality indicators. The criteria can be reading fluency, accuracy of mathematical operations, writing literacy, and so on. Such a rating system focuses the child on the real result, and not its imitation.

A truly fruitful study never stops. If your child is constantly returning to their activities throughout the day - talking to their parents, playing or creating - then your homeschooling experience is going well and you are doing everything right.

Types of family education, how to organize a child's education at home

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What is home education

Home education is education in which the child does not go to school, but studies at home. According to the law, two forms of education are possible in Russia: in educational institutions and in the family.

In the latter case, the responsibility for the quality of knowledge and the successful completion of intermediate assessments lies with the parents. The child independently masters the general education program using textbooks, with the help of parents and tutors, or studying in online schools. Since most of the learning process takes place at home, family education has become synonymous with home education.

Home schooling should not be confused with home schooling. The latter is a forced measure when, due to serious illnesses, children cannot attend school. A home-schooled child stays at the same school that he went to before: he studies according to the same program and adheres to the certification schedule. Lessons are taught by teachers who come home, and if the child has the opportunity and desire, he can attend part of the lessons at school.

The reasons for switching to family education can be different: low quality of schooling, tense psychological atmosphere in the classroom, the desire to preserve the health of the child and avoid excessive stress, the ability to combine schooling and, for example, a sports or music career, and others.

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How to organize homeschooling

Method #1. Teach your child yourself

Many parents live by the principle “If you want to do something well, do it yourself”. And having taken the child from the traditional public school, mom and dad begin to teach the child of science themselves.

Advantages of this type of education
  • An opportunity to get to know your child better. Parents themselves are engaged in the education of the child, constantly analyze his progress and know what he is interested in and what he is good at. This may be useful in choosing a future profession.
  • Opportunity for self-development. Remembering the school curriculum, the parent not only trains memory, but can also discover a lot of new things.
  • Economy. There is no need to spend money on “school fees”, only funds are required to purchase some educational materials. Also in a number of regions compensation for family education is provided.
Cons
  • Difficulties in explaining all school subjects. If the basics of mathematics and the Russian language are available to every parent, then what about the more complex curriculum of middle and high school? Chemistry, physics, computer science - some topics are difficult even to understand for yourself, not to mention explaining to a child.
  • Difficulties with intermediate certifications. Any exam is a format. A parent, unlike a professional teacher, may not know the nuances of preparing for certain screening tests.
  • Risk of conflict. Constant supervision can undermine trust between you and the child.
  • It will take a long time . Preparing for several subjects, selecting teaching materials, checking homework - all this requires a lot of time. Organizing homeschooling on your own is a difficult and troublesome business that can lead to emotional burnout.

Option 2. Tutors

Tutoring at home is usually organized in the child's or teacher's home. But in recent years, online lessons via videoconferencing have been increasingly practiced.

Advantages of this type of training
  • Individual approach. The tutor can adapt to the personal characteristics of the student and offer the appropriate material.
  • There is no judgment from classmates. Even if a student does not succeed in something, it will not become a tragedy for him and a reason for neurosis.
  • Solving specific educational problems. For example, a tutor can help prepare for the Olympiad or the OGE and the Unified State Examination.
Cons
  • Lack of strong teachers. The market for tutoring services is saturated, but finding a really good subject teacher is difficult.
  • Cost . The services of a good specialist are in demand and are expensive. Hiring tutors for even a few core subjects can have a big impact on the family budget.
  • The need to adapt to the schedule of teachers. Good specialists are very popular. Finding a “window” can be difficult, and activities during the day can be distributed inconveniently.

Method #3: Online learning

Online education allows you to study from anywhere in the world using a computer or even a smartphone. Let's consider how this happens on the example of Foxford's home online school. Online classes are held on a special platform: students connect to the site from their homes, and the teacher is in the classroom. During the lesson, you can ask questions - there is a special chat for this. You can review any lesson again.

Pluses
  • Quality of education. The teachers of the Foxford home online school are representatives of the best Russian universities, members of the jury of competitions, authors of textbooks, experts from the OGE and the Unified State Examination.
  • Individual approach. Foxford home online school students can develop in the chosen direction, six individual educational routes have been developed for this: mathematical, physical and mathematical, humanitarian and linguistic, technological, natural sciences, social and humanitarian.
  • Free time for parents. By entrusting the education of the child to professionals, mom and dad will not be able to immerse themselves in the study of educational programs, features of certification and testing.
  • Help with student progress. This function in Foxford's home online school is assisted by mentors who monitor the progress of students and give advice on how to improve the effectiveness of learning.
  • Convenient schedule. At Foxford Home School, classes start no earlier than 10 am, which allows even avid night owls to get enough sleep. A video with classes can be watched not only at the time of the event, but at any time of the day.
  • Possibility to combine school with extracurricular activities. Online learning enables young athletes and artists to combine school and hobbies. At Foxford Home Online School, the workload is almost half that of a regular school, since the classes are very informative and there are no unnecessary electives.
  • Socialization. A convenient schedule allows the child to see friends at any time. The circle of acquaintances expands during face-to-face and online events that Foxford Home School holds for students.
Cons
  • Opinion of others. Online school is a young format for Russia. For many people, it causes fear and is associated with the thoughtless viewing of videos on the Internet. It is worth having patience and a set of arguments in favor of home distance learning.
  • Cost. Online education, like tutors and private schools, is paid. But sometimes it can help save money. For example, on the purchase of textbooks - in the Foxford home online school, electronic manuals are issued free of charge.
  • Responsibility. The child will have to move from external motivation to internal, based on the desire to learn new things. Taking responsibility for the educational process can be difficult not only for children, but also for adults.

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Which method of homeschooling to choose

When choosing a form of homeschooling, it is necessary to take into account the reasons that made you think about leaving school, as well as the characteristics of the child. Here are the main pros and cons of all types and ways of studying at home.

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