Psyched About School

The coronavirus has completely interrupted the normalcy of our lives. While eLearning started last week and occupies a significant amount of time, families still have lots of unstructured time to fill throughout the day. It can be difficult to think of things to do, especially when you can’t even leave your house. We have compiled a list of fun activities that you may not have known about or thought of. Some of these can be done online, but others are interactive and meant for families to do together. Let us know if you think of more! Show us your activities by tweeting to us @schoolpsychws. Use #wspsychs and #wsfcslearnon. We would love to add your ideas to this list! Cultural Enrichment: Google has compiled an extensive list of museums offering online galleries. Examples include the MET, MoMA, and Musee d'Orsay in Paris, just to name a few. You can find this list at Google Arts and Culture Check out Star Trek’s Patrick Stewart reading Shakespeare online each day: Comic...

If you are a parent in the WS/FCS, you probably have gotten recent reminders to check your child's grades in PowerSchool.  If you followed that suggestion, you may have felt pride (grades are good), surprise (wait, she had A's and B's but now she has C's and D's), frustration (he still got a D in spite of all the tutoring sessions), or even anger (she is failing everything).  Some parents may have discovered that their middle schooler has not been doing homework, even though he's been telling you all quarter that the teachers never assign any.  At the middle school I serve, this is one of the most common problems I see.  Students who are capable of doing well are making poor grades because they simply don't do their homework. In this this article published by the Moultrie News, middle school English teacher Jody Stallings shares his three-step plan with parents for curing Chronic Laziness Syndrome (CLS).  While the steps seems fairly easy, the hard ...

Do you have this argument with your teenager?  My son's earbuds are always in during homework time and I am constantly telling him to take them out.  I remind him that it is not possible for him to focus and do his best while listening to music, especially rap music with so many lyrics.  What is his response?  "Mom, I can't focus on my homework unless I'm listening to music!"  After going round and round on this one, I started doing some digging to see if perhaps he had a point.  Turns out, we are both right because this is an issue that is definitely not black or white.  How could be both be right?  Read this article from  Developing Minds  to learn more.  The author also gives suggestions for how to compromise with your teenager on this issue so that it is a win-win.

We've posted on this topic several times. The research is unclear and parents and teachers are torn. Some think homework is essential to learning while others do not see benefits, only the stress it seems to create for students. Regardless of your opinion, this article from the Huffington Post provides a point of view you may not have considered. Homework does not yield the same benefits for low income children as it does for students from more financially secure backgrounds. As educators, we never truly know the pressures and responsibilities children face when they go home from school. All children do not have the same time and resources to complete assignments. To learn more about this perspective on homework, visit  http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_57bf3286e4b06384eb3e9e70?

Last year we posted an article from Edutopia about the 5 homework questions every teacher should ask.  It included recommended guidelines from the National PTA.  If you did not get a chance to read it, here is a link to that information. http://schoolpsychws.blogspot.com/2015/05/is-homework-helpful-5-questions-every.html Here is another comprehensive article from MindShift that covers how much homework students are actually doing, how much homework is being completed by students in other countries, how much homework is too much, and the actual effect homework has on student performance and achievement.  The thing we like most about this article is that the information is backed by research. Let us know your thoughts. http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/09/22/what-kinds-of-homework-seem-to-be-most-effective/

At my middle school, homework completion is one of the biggest problems I see.  On a regular basis, I come across students who could be making above average grades if they would just do their homework. It is frustrating for both the parents and teachers.  Unfortunately, finding a solution to this problem is not easy.  I've found it is difficult to find ways to motivate those students.  The smart folks over at www.understood.org, a website devoted to helping students with learning and attention problems, have an idea that might be worth trying.  They suggest a homework contract signed by both the student and their parents or guardians.  Check out the sample contracts for both younger and older students and see what you think. https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/learning-at-home/homework-study-skills/download-sample-homework-contract?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=understoodorg

By Alison Sharp Does this sound familiar?  I don't know about you, but I can tell you that my last formal math class was several years (ahem...decades) ago.  Even as someone who is starting her sixth year working for the school system, I often feel that way.  Things are taught quite a bit differently from when I was in school.  Don't panic! There is help out there... Khan Academy is a wonderful free online learning site.  It has numerous lessons that are aligned with common core, and is especially good for when you don't know how to help your child with his or her math homework.  So, if I have a third grade student, and don't know how to help him with his homework, I could click on third grade, then on division, and then on whatever aspect he is learning.  There are lots of explanations and then practice items with immediate feedback.  There is even an "I need a hint" button to click.  There are other subject areas as well like scien...

It is so important to keep children learning during the long summer days. While they can easily find good books to read, it is equally important for them practice math skills. Parents may struggle to locate math activities that will not meet with resistance. This website has lots of ideas for hands-on math activities that will reinforce math skills and be so much fun that children  may not realize they are learning! http://creeksidelearning.com/math-activities-for-kids/#_a5y_p=1872151

Is Homework Helpful?: The 5 Questions Every Teacher Should Ask This question is getting quite a bit of press these days. I watch my elementary school child spend three hours some nights while my middle school child might spend 15 minutes. I realize different teachers have different opinions on this issue and that accounts for some of the variation. However, this got me thinking: what is the right amount of daily homework at each grade level. This article provides a thorough explanation of what is best for different ages and ability levels.