Helping with homework

How much is too much? Sarah Maughan on where to draw the line.

Parents can sometimes feel they are helping too much or too little when it comes to their child?s homework. CIE, the world?s largest provider of international qualifications for 14 to 19 year olds, encourages parents to take an active interest in their children?s studies. Parents can help their child reach their full potential just by creating the right environment, taking a positive approach and, above all, taking an interest.

HOW A PARENT CAN HELP

Improving homework technique

- Often a student does badly in homework, or finds it stressful, because their technique is wrong ? and this is where parents can really help.

- Make sure your child has somewhere suitable to study ? a roomy desk readily available, good light, a supply of pens, pencils and whatever else is needed.

- Study should be free from interruptions, so make homework part of the daily routine so other family members know when not to interrupt.

- If time management skills are poor, homework may be rushed, so get to know the homework timetable and help your child plan for the week ahead. Make sure your child has enough time to review and double-check their work.

- Students often consider homework as something to be done in the shortest possible time. Those who spend more quality time on homework will get more out of their lessons, and should see overall performance improve as they move up the school.

A helping hand?

- When a child asks for help with homework, it can be hard not to take over ? perhaps because you know the answers, or because you don?t want your child to hand in work which is incorrect. But it?s important not to overstep the mark. Teachers welcome parental involvement, but need to know that homework reflects real ability. If classroom performance differs significantly from homework scores then the teacher will wonder what has gone wrong.

- When your child asks for help, first check that they understand the concept or techniques involved. Often explaining basic principles helps them to work out the answers for themselves.

- You can also look at other resources. Educational websites abound; you can find worksheets to go through together before your child tackles their homework ? alone. Published study guides are also useful for reference.

- Every now and again, you?ll find that homework has become a joint effort. Then it?s best to let the teacher know so they can judge how best to mark it.

Taking an interest

- There?s more than one way to help with schoolwork. Simply taking an active interest can be rewarding for both child and parent, so find out what?s on the curriculum and look out for relevant activities to encourage learning and understanding. Exam boards publish syllabuses on their websites, and your child?s school will also be able to provide more information.

- Relevant films, books and TV programmes, trips to museums, galleries, and cultural sites can add to classroom teaching. Quality is vital, so start with resources ?approved? by the exam board, or recommended by schools and by publishers of key texts.

- The internet can prove a real help ? resources abound, and links from one site to another can become a voyage of discovery for both of you.

- The writer is Deputy Director International Curriculum and Development, University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE)