Your child’s education Steps to Meaningful Engagement Part 2

Parents had a rare opportunity to see their children as students last spring. Combined with this unique insight was a novel sense of partnership with school and a newfound empowerment to speak up if something didn’t work. In our household it meant saying “no thank you” when a class video call wasn’t possible due to work commitments or “let’s try something else” if a lesson with the best intentions didn’t seem to be the right fit for my kids.

Your child’s education Steps to Meaningful Engagement Part 2I learned quickly that juggling a small business in the wake of a pandemic while homeschooling two kids meant that weekends were spent reviewing work and modifying assignments as needed. I also realized that not all parents have the background knowledge to make modifications that ensure meaningful learning at home. This two-part series is for those parents—parents who want to build their toolkit and be active participants—including those who are banding together to form supportive learning pods.

Missed Part One in our August issue? Read it at www.sandiegofamily.com/ resources/education-directory.

It’s not uncommon for student learning levels to be “all over the place,” but even more so now. Virtual learning makes it difficult for teachers to provide content to more than one learning level (in teacher speak we call this differentiation). As a result, content may continue to be focused on “the middle.” When schoolwork is either too difficult or too easy for a student, it impacts his ability to stay engaged. If your child isn’t engaged in learning, he may benefit from assignments being modified to better fit his needs.

Do you know how your child learns best? Read about all seven learning styles in our article “What’s Your Child’s Learning Style?” at www.sandiegofamily.com/ resources/education-directory/ kids-unique-learning-style.

There are several explanations as to why a student may not be engaged in learning. Schoolwork being below or above a child’s learning level is one possible reason.

Staring at the computer screen

Slumped shoulders

Avoiding assignments with off task behavior

Feeling bored

Misplaced frustration

If you suspect (or discover) that schoolwork is not at your child’s level:

• Build agency. In our household we follow the “see three before me” rule, in an effort to build agency (control over actions and consequences).

This means that they must check three other resources (such as reread directions, ask a classmate and access designated online classroom resources) to get help before they ask me or a teacher. If kids are still stuck, then they can enroll the help of an adult. I encourage my kids to attend teacher office hours when available (even if online only) and I taught my kids how to email their teachers for help.

• Identify trusted math support. I lean on two resources for math support:

Prodigy and Engage NY. Prodigy (www.prodigygame.com) reveals which math standards students have mastered and where help is needed. As a parent, I love Prodigy because many resources are free, but the paid version provides an entire dashboard of grade level content for kids in grades 1–8. For any “holes” or necessary supplements, lessons can also be accessed at Engage NY (www.engageny.org), designed for parents and teachers in any state implementing Common Core standards. Khan Academy video tutorials are another excellent tool.

• Get books at your child’s reading level. Do you know your kids’ reading level? My quick assessment includes asking them to read a paragraph from a designated book out loud—if it sounds like it’s slow or a struggle, then it’s probably too high. You can also ask the teacher what your child’s Lexile level is and search Scholastic for books at that level.

• Create a book club. Still not sure if your kids are reading at the right level? You are not alone! To support my kids with reading in the spring, we did “book clubs.” This entailed getting two copies of a book (one for my child; one for me), creating a reading schedule, having organic discussions about the text, and finding questions and activities online that support comprehension of the book. By being “in it” with them, I really got to know them as readers—what skills they lacked and what they enjoyed. This format will also work well in a learning pod.

Want to start a book club with friends? Get tips in our article “How to Start a Mother-Daughter Book Club” (the tips work for sons, too!) at www.sandiegofamily.com/parenting/ big-kid/six-steps-to-starting-amother-daughter-book-club.

Depending on how a teacher structures the distance or virtual learning model, it is possible that there are days without live interaction, which means kids could do schoolwork incorrectly for a while before a teacher realizes it. Signs students may be on the “wrong path”: Finishes a task in a freakishly short amount of time

Appears to be working at a snail’s pace on an assignment Isn’t able to articulate what the assignment is • What they are doing doesn’t seem to match the assignment or child’s ability In all of these scenarios it is important to advocate for the child so he can continue to learn and grow. If a teacher is struggling to “close the feedback loop”, below are ideas of where kids can get additional help or feedback to continue to grow and learn.

• Continue to develop agency. Ask kids to send a draft of their work to the teacher via Google Docs so they can get feedback via the comment feature.

• Loop in their friends. Have kids share their work with a few friends and provide specific questions for them to answer. Students often struggle with giving peer feedback, so I offer sentence frames that pertain to the assignment. For instance:

• What part of the story do you like?

• Is there anything in the story that is confusing?

• Does the order of the story make sense to you?

Enroll an expert in the feedback process. You likely have a family member that can be reached via FaceTime that could serve as an “expert” to provide feedback on student work. Perhaps a friend who is a potential end-user of a child’s invention; a member of an audience who may read their published book; or an architect or engineer who can critically look at their model. Leverage your network to help extend your child’s learning.

Uphold accountability. Be sure to hold kids accountable for applying feedback they receive to drafts of their work! Ask them to create a second draft and highlight the changes they made.

With everything that is happening with education right now, creating meaningful learning experiences for children is more critical than ever. Many factors go into student engagement, including ensuring that work is at the appropriate level and providing frequent feedback. Unfortunately, these factors may be overlooked in virtual or distance learning. It’s going to take a continued partnership between home and school to make this happen.

Dr. Jenny Pieratt is a native San Diegan, award-winning author, speaker, business owner and mother of two. She loves sports, yoga and adventure. To learn more about her work visit www. craftedcurriculum.com and follow her on social media @crafted_jennyp.

September 2020 • SanDiegofamily.com •