6 Steps to Help Your Child Make Friends
April 22, 2024
By Leslie Josel
I hate homework—but not for the reasons you may think. I’m all for homework that reinforces lessons taught in school, challenges students to think critically, and speaks to a child’s creativity and individual learning style.
But most homework assignments fall short of those goals, which is why I hate homework.
In general, the emphasis of homework is on content rather than process. Because of that, the opportunity to learn lifelong skills is forfeited. Ask any student if they give any thought to how they tackle their homework, and most will tell you that they just sit down and do it.
Unfortunately, parents aren’t much help. They tend to have strong opinions about how their teen should do homework—perhaps right after school, or in the same place every day. But new research shows that the old way of doing homework may not be the best way. Today we know that children learn differently and therefore study most effectively in different situations.
Everyone has individual homework preferences and personalities—what I call a Personal Homework Profile. A Personal Homework Profile takes the whole student into account.
Helping your child understand their profile will allow them to work more efficiently and effectively.
This does not need to be a formal process. Think of it as a guide to uncovering your child’s best practices. Here are a few questions to get you and your child started.
If you help your child create a profile that taps into their strengths and needs, you can provide them with strategies and resources that will help with time management skills and benefit them long after their homework days are behind them.
Leslie Josel is the Principal of Order out of Chaos, an organizing consulting firm specializing in student organizing. She is the author of several books including the recently published How to Do It Now Because It’s Not Going Away. To learn more, visit www.orderoochaos.com