Education! Education!!

Its all about Education !!

The CA Teachers Association and PTA recently distributed a Public Service Announcement (PSA) titled "Your Child's Education Begins at Home."

Although it is to be assumed that those who are reading this article already know that education begins at home, the PSA contained some wisdom that bears repeating.

First, ask your children what they studied in class that day. (If you are homeschooling your children, omit this step, as they may think you are developing memory problems!)

When I ask my 5-year-old what he learned in school, he often says, "Nothing." I then have to ask more direct questions, such as, "What did you study in Math today? Science? English? Give me an example of something you learned in one of your classes that you can use in life." This generally gets the conversation going. My son often reacts unfavorably to these discussions at first, but we generally are laughing about something by the end of the discussion. It is always worth pursuing.

Next, pick a certain time of day that is dedicated to talking about school and doing homework. It helps kids to have a routine. Even though it may be difficult to follow the routine and still support athletic or other extracurricular activities, attempt to keep the school and homework time as consistent as possible.

Also, check the homework after your child finishes to ensure that your child is, indeed, finished!. Also, it is usually better to have your child finish their work, i.e., homework, before their play, i.e., video games or watching television.

On psychology, there is a name for this tactic. It is called the Premack Principle (See below for more explanation about this). Succinctly stated, the Premack Principle says that the high probability behavior (what your child enjoys doing) should be contingent on performing the lower probability behavior (usually, homework) beforehand. This way, homework or studying is rewarded with access to what your child likes to do. So, whenever possible, ensure that studying or homework is completed before your child is allowed to watch television, play video games(usually i dont allow this), or play with their friends.

Third, it is a good idea to learn together. It is also a good idea to learn with them. That is, while they are completing their homework, it would be good to engage in an academic activity yourself. Take a few minutes to read a book or write in your journal in order for them to see that learning is a life-long activity.

Fourth, use real life examples to relate to material that your child is learning in school. This helps your child transfer what they learn in school to the "real world" outside, and it shows them that there is a greater purpose than memorizing and forgetting new information after the test is completed. Use examples from math when you go to the grocery store, science when completing chores around the house, and and work history into your discussions whenever possible.

Fifth, meet your child's teachers and check in with them frequently. Most schools now have internet webpages and other means of contacting the teacher electronically that do not imfringe upon class time.

Sixth, praise your child for reading and other learning endeavors whenever possible [I always award my son with Star Stickers :-)) ]. Remember that you have less influence over what your child does as they mature, and keep this praise in focus often when they are young.

Ensuring that education begins at home increases the likelihood that it will generalize to the school setting and beyond.

Good luck in all your endeavors to make your child a life-long learner

Premack's Principle (Premack, 1959, 1963) states that more probable behaviors will reinforce less probable behaviors. The principle was derived from a study of Cebus monkeys by Professor David Premack, but has explanatory and predictive power when applied to humans. This is evidenced by the fact that therapists use the principle in behavior modification. Premack's Principle suggests that if a person wants to perform a given activity, the person will perform a less desirable activity to get at the more desirable activity. In behaviorist terms, activities become reinforcers. Students will be more motivated to perform a particular activity if they know that they will be able to partake of a more desirable activity as a consequence. If high probability behaviors (more desirable behaviors) are made contingent upon lower probability behaviors (less desirable behaviors), then the lower probability behaviors are more likely to occur. More desirable behaviors are those students spend more time doing if permitted; less desirable behaviors are those students spend less time doing when free to act.



This psychological principle can be used effectively in certain controllable situations to dramatically affect the behaviors of students.


In behavioural terms Premack's principle states that any high-frequency activity can be used as a reinforcer for any lower-frequency activity. This common statement made by most mothers easily show us how Premack's Principle is used "You have to finish your vegetables (Low Frequency) before you can eat any icecream (High Frequency)" "(Wenning, C., no page).


The term "behavior change" has replaced the term "behavior modification" because in operant conditioning, one does not modify behavior but instead one modifies the environment (antecedents and consequences) that then results in behavior change.
 
Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premack's_principle