Mainstream Education - Parenting Hub

Advice from the experts

Helping Your Teen Decide on Their Future

Any parent that has been through a matric exam with their child will be able to tell you that it’s a stressful time. Not only do parent and teen have to cope with an enormous workload, but the teen is now also expected to be able to answer the “what are you studying next year?” question posed by friends, family, teachers and everyone else they know. While some teenagers have been preparing for this day, and know exactly where their life will take them next, many teens have no idea as to what they are supposed to do once they close their school text books for the last time. For these teens, a seemingly innocent question is the source of sleepless nights. As a parent, you don’t want to see your child suffer – you want to help them; guide them through life’s many obstacles. And while you only mean well, you could very easily stress out your already stressed-out teen even further if the situation isn’t approached in the correct manner. To help alleviate some of your teen’s worries, and to help them make the best choices for their future, be sure to heed the following advice: Don’t put any pressure on them The worst thing you can do right now is to put pressure on your teen to make life-changing choices. The first and foremost reason is that they could resent you for it. They could also decide to not make a decision, simply to spite you. An even worse alternative is that they choose a course in haste, only to regret their decision later. And unless they’re paying their own way, keep in mind that you’ll be the one who would’ve flushed thousands of Rands down the drain should they decide to drop out. Consider career guidance Guidance from an outside party won’t only be objective, it might also bring to light career options that neither you nor your teen has ever considered. There are a few options available to you – you could either go to any of South Africa’s universities that offer aptitude tests, or do an aptitude test online. The alternative would be to sit with your teen to help them decide on their passion; that one thing they excel in and love to do. This might not lead to a career choice, but it will help steer them in the right direction at the very least. Educate your teen Have you considered that your teen is simply overwhelmed by the wealth of information at their disposal? Perhaps they are familiar with what a university, business college, university of technology or specialist school is, but they don’t know which one is right for them. Sit them down, find out what they know, then fill in the gaps. Map it out for them, so that the information is presented in bite sizes and easily digestible. Tell them about their options Studying isn’t the only option open to school leavers. And even if further studies is your preferred choice, you have to let your teen know there are other options. Being aware of them might be enough to free up your teen’s mind to help him or her decide on a career path. So what are these options? Volunteering, travelling, interning and working while travelling. Some of these can be done from home; others would require flying the nest. Interning would be most helpful when trying to decide on a career, because it’s basically ‘trying out’ a career. Whatever you do, remember that this is not your future – it is your teen’s future. It’s their dreams and aspirations. They are the only person who would need to deal with their decision in five or 10 years’ time. So keep it about them; don’t make it about you. This advice was brought to you by Boston City Campus & Business College.

April 21, 2017

Confessions of an Educational Advocate

When I graduated with my MA my favorite job was working in a program as an educational advocate for children who were wards of the state of Missouri. Once trained by the state I oversaw the education of 40 children for a period of three years. Half of the children were early childhood age and were enrolled in our on-site program, a local Head Start and an early intervention program run by the local school district. The other 20 were school age and attended the local public school, a magnet school, or were transferred out to the district they came from to maintain some level of consistency. As the children’s advocate I spent many days in the schools. In addition it is a favorite saying of mine is that you have not been to a Parent-Teacher Conference until you have been to 15 in a row. I want to share with you what I did that I feel made me successful as an advocate. First I contacted school personnel before school started. This included each child’s teacher for the year and all of the other professional staff including: Principal, School Secretary, the Ancillary teachers PE, Art, Music and Title I, Nurse, School Social Worker, the Psychologist, Librarian, School Chef, and the head Janitor. I gave each of them a business card and told them the best way to reach me was via telephone; on the back of each card were the names of the children. Secondly, I kept in touch with the teacher regularly. For me as an advocate that was weekly. However for the average parent monthly should suffice. I also let teachers know if something was happening that could cause mental, emotional, or physical distress to the child in their class. These things could include that the child was worried about something, the house pet was sick at the Vet, or they had fell down the stairs. This gives teachers a heads up that something is wrong and helps them to meet needs they otherwise may not have anticipated. Thirdly. I helped supervise homework time. As an educator I realize that a child’s time in school is not so much about learning as it is about instruction. Learning actually takes place as children take the instruction and put it into practice on their own which is the purpose of homework. I set up with my fellow co-workers a set homework time that stayed consistent. They and I would move around the room and help children to process what the teacher had instructed them on in class. We did this by asking open ended questions such as:” What are the steps the teacher talked about in class today?”. This helped children to tie what they did in school back to what they were doing then. Lastly, I attended Parent-Teacher Conferences. I approached these conferences as a chance for the teacher and I to get on the same page when it came to the children’s expectations. I knew what homework had be hardest for them so I sought information on how to help them to process better. I came with a list of five questions I wanted answered about that particular child’s classroom performance, peer interactions, and overall school well-being. Then I took notes regarding our discussion and used these notes to inform my co-workers of the school progress of each child. We then worked as a team to help each child with their areas of challenge and weakness. This helped both homework and school progress improve. Educational advocacy is all about being supportive of both your child and the teacher. Teachers are your team members. It is their job to instruct the children. As parents and caregivers it is our job to ensure children are learning what the teachers are laying out for them. It is also our job to ensure the educators are doing a good job making sure their instruction is meeting the needs of the children. Parents need to work hard not to take sides between children and teachers but, instead find a way to mediate. I loved my time as an educational advocate and I hope these steps help you to feel confident as you advocate for your children. Please let me know what you think of this article and the steps that are outlined here.

March 15, 2017

How to make “back-to-school” activities a breeze.

It’s never too late to start planning for a productive school year ahead. With a little creativity and a range of helpful back-to-school tools at your disposal, you can take the stress out of family scheduling and ensure weekday routines stay on track throughout the school year. Epson, the global leader in printing technology, provides some useful tips to get the ball rolling in the right direction. Put a name on it – Replacing lost school clothes, books and other items can be an expensive process. Help your kids keep their belongings safe throughout the school year and beyond by using iron-on name tags to label clothes, and adhesive labels for stationery and books. The Epson LW-400 label maker allows you to print and save custom labels to your choice of different fonts, colours and sizes . Best of all, Epson’s label tapes are water-resistant and highly durable. Create a ‘drop station’ – Avoid the hassle of last minute homework surprises and parent notices crumpled at the bottom of school bags by creating a family ‘drop station’ – a designated area in the home where the kids can hang up their school bags and place any important letters or homework to be done in wall mounted folders, along with a white board for jotting down to-do lists and goals for the week. Get the kids to tick off completed tasks on the white board, which helps get them into a routine of getting things done on time while instilling a sense of responsibility. You can find ready-made calendars and goal planners here, or simply design your own using basic software already available on your PC. Make vision boards – Along with goal charts, vision boards will help kids to visualise what they would like to achieve over the next three, six and 11 months – whether at school, at home or in their social lives. Gather everyone around a large table or on the floor, get the kids to print and cut out pictures and words from the Internet, or from magazines, that represent specific things they want to happen over the next year. Provide each child with a large empty canvas or board to stick their pictures on to, and hang these up where they will be seen and reflected on every day. Creating a space for the kids to display what they really want in life will help make their goals a reality. Give them something to look forward to at lunchtime – Getting kids to eat healthily is no easy task, especially with junk food options readily available at school tuck shops and in vending machines. You can easily turn boring fruits and veggies into fun characters, simply by getting a little crafty in the kitchen. You can also save precious minutes on school mornings by preparing everything you need the night before. Encourage them to think positively through the day by including printed notes with inspirational quotes and sayings for them to read during their lunch breaks. Design a custom on-the-go homework kit – Make sure homework is done no matter where the kids go after school – whether it’s after care or even a friend’s house – by giving them a homework kit stocked with everything they might need to get their work done – pens and colouring pencils, rulers, scissors, erasers, extra paper, calculators, and even times table charts. You can find beautiful printable charts online, as well as free printable motivational pages to use as a decorative feature for the inside of the kits. Epson’s Ink Tank System printers, like the Epson L382, offer low-cost printing with high-quality results, allowing you to print over 13,000 pages in black and 6,500 pages in colour, before needing to refill the ink. Get back into the swing of things with these nifty #BacktoSchool tips from Epson. With a little help from your Epson label maker and home printer, there’s no limit to what’s possible in the year ahead. Visit www.epson.co.za for more information about Epson’s innovative range of printing, scanning and labelling products. The Epson L382 printer is available in selected retail and e-tail outlets at a recommended retail price of R3 179.82 excluding VAT. The Epson LW-400 label maker is available in selected retail outlets and e-tail outlets at a recommended retail price of R1 130.70 excluding VAT. For more information about this product and other Epson printers visit www.epson.co.za

February 7, 2017

Starting Tertiary Education…What’s to Know?

The prospect of finishing high school and starting tertiary education is a daunting one for many students. They’re forced to leave the friends, teachers and surroundings they have spent years with for a whole new environment. Although this can be a little overwhelming, it can also be an exciting and rewarding time. If your child is starting tertiary education, give them a chance to read over this and see if anything strikes a chord. You will need to be more independent With the move into post-compulsory education comes more freedom: uniforms are a thing of the past, you can come and go when you please and can choose subjects that interest you. But keep in mind that greater freedom brings about greater responsibility, which means that you are responsible for staying on top of assessments and turning up to classes — and no one will chase you up if you miss a class or forget to hand in an assignment. You might also need to manage competing priorities such as your part-time job and new social circle. Bear in mind that many institutions also keep attendance registers. If you’re not paying for it yourself, it can be very easy to justify “taking a day off”, especially if there is no detention to fear. Heed the warning though, someone will be taking note and you owe it to yourselves and those counting on you, to succeed! Learn to budget Depending on your circumstances, you may be working off a very tight budget. Get into the habit of budgeting for travel, food and the “occasional” social event, as it can be very easy to spend your money when you’re studying. You may become familiar with the term “student food”, which is what people often resort to when on a budget. This usually incorporates some combination of beans on toast, instant noodles, terrible coffee and lots of tap water! You will have to adjust to a new learning and teaching style There are a number of different class structures at tertiary level, including lectures, tutorials, laboratories, practical workshops and field work. Lectures consist of the lecturer speaking to a room full of students. Tutorials are much smaller and feature a more interactive and personal style of learning. Workshops, laboratories and field work allow students time to obtain certain practical skills and knowledge. Instead of studying the same subjects for a full year, subjects change each study period. You will also find that learning is more self-directed, which means that you will be expected to do a significant amount of independent study and research in addition to attending classes. Get out ahead of it. Unfortunately this is a lesson often learned too late. When you have to read 2 Jane Austen novels in one night, you’ll realise how important it is to systematically get through your reading material, ahead of time. At this level, entire forests are felled to provide reading material for each student, so be prepared and don’t get snowed under by a pile of paper. Get used to being around different people. In school, your classmates were all roughly the same age and mostly from the same area. At tertiary level, students of all different ages and backgrounds will form your peer group. Some may come straight from high school while others will be mature age students returning to study. There are ways of behaving and talking that once applied to high school and may not translate too well into tertiary level. Learn to ask questions of each other and respect (not necessarily agree with) the opinions of others. Yours is not the only answer that may be relevant. Speak up! This level of education can cost a lot of money, especially if your college is an independent organisation. If you are unhappy with your experience, speak up, but go through the right channels. At this point in your life, you’re bridging the gap between being a learner and being a participant in society. This is a great chance to learn how to work within an organisation and to ensure that your right to a quality education is respected! Be an adult as often as you can In South Africa, we are considered an adult by the time we are 18 years of age. Most of us are well aware of this long before that age, but it is a difficult thing to navigate still being dependant on your family for food, shelter and education, while asserting your independence as a young adult. Prepare to encounter this conundrum at some point in your tertiary education and handle it maturely. Understand that they will still have expectations of you, if they are still supporting you. Measure your autonomy and independent mind-set with responsibility and respect and hopefully it will help reduce the impact of any conflict that may arise.

February 2, 2017

Children Suffering From Migraines In Sport

“A new fact on migraines and participating in sport” Claims that participating in sporting activities is detrimental for migraine patients are untrue – a new study found that participating in sporting activities actually has health benefits for migraine patients. The study, recently published in the Sports Neurology Journal ascertains that under Neurological supervision sporting activities can be safely integrated into the lives of migraine patients. This is the first time empirical research has been done to review known risks involved with participating in sporting activities by migraine patients. “It was a study that sampled patients with; epilepsy, migraines, and multiple sclerosis”, says Dr. Elliot Shevel, South Africa’S migraine research pioneer and the medical director of The Headache Clinic. Shevel confirmed that as long as there is proper supervision in place for migraine patients, playing sport is not harmful. Dr. Elliot Shevel says that migraine patients are often discouraged from participating in sports based on theoretical detrimental effects, when in actual fact they can and should be encouraged to participate in sports provided that the exercise does not trigger the pain. Where exposure to prolonged sun triggers the pain indoor sports should be pursued. With schools re-opening and sporting activities being part of the academic experience, children that suffer with migraine should take the time with parents and teachers to work out which sporting activities suit them best. To find out more about how migraines affect your child, call 0861 678 911 or visit www.theheadacheclinic.net

January 20, 2017

Ambidextrous kids – disorder or gift?

I watched a film once where the main character was completely ambidextrous – he could write a poem with one hand while drawing a picture with the other. How I would have loved to have a skill like that. So why is it that teachers push kids to choose a dominant hand? The reason teachers and OTs will encourage a child into one-handed dominance is predominantly for practical reasons in the classroom – the sooner they choose a hand, the sooner they perfect their control with that hand, and the sooner they will learn to write quickly and efficiently. I strongly disagree with this. The majority of children will naturally slip into right or left dominance at around 7 or 8 years of age and shouldn’t be forced into writing exercises before the body is naturally ready. Unfortunately this doesn’t fit in with the school curriculum, which requires kids to be practicing pre-writing skills from as early as 3 or 4. Very very few children are truly ambidextrous (and usually this only happens when one hand is injured for a period of time or some other environmental factor), but there are a fair amount who are mixed-handed (i.e. They will tend to use one hand for certain tasks and another hand for different tasks e.g. Writing with the right hand and cutting with the left hand). The schools will try to discourage this as sometimes it slows kids down as they’re still trying to decide which hand to use for what and not getting on with the task at hand. There are some things that will be helped by choosing a dominant hand – for example crossing the midline or bilateral integration, but these can easily be included in a child’s life with some simple exercises to ensure that they don’t miss out on any brain integration that may come from choosing one hand as dominant and using the other as a helper. For example, pushing a car round a track, holding the car with one hand and the track with the other; reaching over the body to grab something on the opposite side of the body; holding paper with one hand and cutting it with the other; or my personal favourite, playing “Twister”. In OT they will essentially do these kinds of exercises with a child, but it will cost you. If you hop onto Google you can find plenty of exercises like these and do them yourself. You can have a lot of fun and your child never needs to wonder about why he/she is in “therapy”. Most researchers on the subject agree that it is useful for everyone to sometimes try using their less-preferred hand for tasks normally done with the dominant hand as it improves brain function and dexterity! Being mixed-handed can also have great advantages in sports like baseball and snooker where you can switch hands to get a better shot. The only real concern with a child who isn’t naturally finding a dominant hand is a learning disorder known as dysgraphia, which involves problems with motor skills. This disorder would not only affect their ability to choose a hand to write with, but would also manifest with other noticeable problems such as struggling with the concepts of right and left, difficulty catching a ball or skipping or even basic motor movements like walking and jumping. It is unlikely that your child would have problems of this nature without you noticing them and they definitely would be picked up in an assessment with an OT if you choose to have one. The other thing to consider is that your child may be gifted. Around 48% of gifted children are ambidextrous at some stage of their development. Take a look at some of the other criteria for gifted kids and if you think your child is, then it is definitely worth getting an IQ test done as gifted children do need additional stimulation in order for them to develop optimally. · Unusual alertness, even in infancy · Excellent memory · Learn to speak early and have an unusually large vocabulary and complex sentence structure for their age · Understand word nuances, metaphors and abstract ideas · Enjoy solving problems, especially with numbers and puzzles · Often self-taught reading and writing skills as preschooler · Highly sensitive · Thinking is abstract, complex, logical, and insightful · Idealism and sense of justice at early age · Longer attention span and intense concentration if something interest them · Preoccupied with own thoughts—daydreamer · Learn basic skills quickly and with little practice (1-3 repetitions) · Asks probing questions · Wide range of interests (or extreme focus in one area) · Highly developed curiosity · Interest in experimenting and doing things differently · Puts idea or things together that are not typical · Keen and/or unusual sense of humor · Desire to organize people/things through games or complex schemas · Vivid imaginations (and imaginary playmates when in preschool) If your child is still in preschool, he/she may just not be ready to choose a dominant hand and making a child ‘wrong’ for this seems unfair and unnecessary. Ultimately you will have to make a decision based on your own child whether your child would benefit from having an assessment or if it is worth waiting to see what naturally develops. Please remember to trust yourself. You know your child better than any teacher or therapist and if you feel that their opinion is incorrect, trust that. You can always get a second opinion or even just hold off on getting an opinion at all. Whether your child’s ambidexterity is a gift or a disorder is often determined by how it is handled, and that is up to you as the parent.

December 15, 2016

Matric Stress – When is enough, enough?

As hundreds of thousands of young South Africans are busy writing their Matric exams this month, they have entered into what is, for the majority, the most stressful, charged and demanding experience of their schooling experiences. A certain measure of pressure to perform can certainly be highly motivating. But the line is thin, and it is all too easy for the pressures of writing these final schooling exams to mount unbearably, putting matriculants at risk of being overwhelmed just at the time when they most need to feel confident, alert and focused. People react to stress differently, and students experience different kinds of stresses. Some have high expectations of themselves and may become anxious and fearful that they won’t achieve their own goals. Others may feel extreme pressure from others to perform, such as from parents or teachers they really want to please. What is important for both parents and students to understand is that stress is going to be a factor over the next few months, and it needs to be consciously managed so that it does not derail the efforts of our current Grade 12’s. We asked Claudia Raats, Research Psychologist and Academic Development Manager from SACAP (the South African College of Applied Psychology) to provide some essential tips on monitoring and managing stress: 1. Know Yourself “The question of when is Matric stress, too much stress, needs to be answered individually. It helps for both parents and students to reflect on this. Naming the fears and anxieties, and identifying the sources of the pressures the student feels brings important awareness to particular danger areas for the individual. When the triggers are known, they are easier to anticipate, monitor and manage. It’s also helpful identify the individual’s habitual reactions and behaviours when they are under stress. What works to help relieve stress for you? What makes stressful situations worse for you? If this is clear to you then it is easier to identify when you need to take a different action such as going for a run or whether you need to temporarily avoid engagement with a particular person. Some people react to stress by trying to distract themselves by getting involved in an absorbing activity such as watching TV or playing digital games. While it may result in temporary relief from the stress in the short term, it can potentially create more stress if it causes the student to get behind on their study plan. If this is the case, a different way to release stress needs to be found.” 2. Look After Yourself “A balanced mental and emotional state provides us with resilience in the face of stress, enabling us to manage our reactions better and recover quicker when the stakes have got too high. Our mental and emotional well-being is inextricably linked to the state of our physical health. It is vital for students to get enough restful sleep every night, to be physically active regularly, to eat healthily and to have some time set aside in their busy study schedule for relaxing and socialising with supportive, encouraging people. Parents can play a vital role in helping their child to achieve this balance over the next months. They can ensure that healthy foods and drinks are available in the house. They can encourage their child to get out and take a walk with them when they’ve had long hours at their desk. They can help to promote healthy sleeping habits, and also provide a loving, compassionate connection full of encouragement.” 3. Avoid Stressing Yourself Out by Listening to Your Inner Critic We all have an inner critic which is the negative internal voice that often comes out when you are stressed and anxious. It is very important to be highly aware of negative self-talk that only inflames your fears, anxieties and stresses. It is also helpful to have strategies to quickly and effectively silence this inner critic so that you can restore a state of balance. When you find yourself aware of running thoughts like ‘You will never pass Matric’ or ‘There’s no way you’re going to get an A’ or ‘You’re just not bright enough’ or ‘You won’t amount to anything’, you will have identified the voice of your inner critic. It often echoes the voice of a critical parent, or an intolerant teacher or a bully who has impacted on you. The best way to deal with this downer-character is to become aware of it, gain insights into where it came from and then challenge it with evidence from your real life that it is wrong. For example, if you are busy studying Maths and your inner critic pipes up with: ‘You can’t do Maths, you’re going to fail this’ you can challenge this negative thought it with the reality that since you are busy studying Maths at Matric level, you have passed a lots of Maths tests and exams, and therefore you can do it. Don’t hesitate to talk back to your inner critic and show it the proof of your success. You can also dilute the impact of your inner critic when you engage in positive self-talk. Regularly affirming that you are smart and that you can do it builds confidence, increases your energy and puts you on the road to success – after all, everything starts with an idea. Let your Matric exam experience start with the idea that you can ace it. Find success quotes and ‘can-do’ statements that inspire you and make you feel motivated, and put them up in places where you see them often during a day. Another effective tactic to take power away from your inner critic is to externalise it. It might seem silly in the written word but in practice this works well. If you are battling an inner critic, disempower it by giving it a silly name and calling it out. ‘Hmmm, Negative Nancy is at it again’ or ‘Oh look, Pessimistic Pete has come out to play’. Of course, you

November 11, 2016

Reading and writing: Confidence is the key

Many parents find themselves in a daily battle with their little ones over reading and writing homework. It seems like no matter how much you try to correct your kids they just don’t seem to be improving and they don’t appear to want to learn. Homework often ends up in a screaming match or at least a battle of wills. Let me tell you about a research study that I read recently. It was about kids with really bad handwriting. They took a group of kids with terrible writing and divided them into two groups – one group got the usual teacher feedback of red lines through their work, admonitions, and pleas to try harder. With the other group, the teachers were told to ONLY focus on what the kids did right – so to underline their good words and praise them for these, to point out what they had done well – even if all they could find was one letter that was formed nicely the teacher would tell the child – look at that “a” over there, now that is a beautiful “a”. They were not to comment AT ALL on their poor performance. Within two weeks the group with positive feedback had improved by 100% and the other group had degenerated. So the moral of the story is this… Kids cannot learn under stressful situations (such as a shouting or even disapproving parent). When we are stressed, the blood vessels to our prefrontal cortex (the part of our brain used for thinking, problem solving and learning) constrict and all the blood is redirected to our hindbrains (which are purely for fight and flight reflexes). So a child who is shouted at literally CANNOT learn. It is impossible. They don’t even have enough blood in the part of their brain necessary for learning. In order for your kids to improve in reading and writing what they needs most is not extra practice or more instruction or help, but a better learning environment. 90% of reading ability is not skill but confidence. The kids who read and write well are the ones who believe that they can. As a parent, you need to focus on the relationship with your child – on who your child is as a person, not on what he/she can do. We will all have areas of strength and weakness, but what everyone wants most is to be heard and understood. So next time you sit down with your little one to work on homework, think about what he/she might be going through. Homework may have become something that their brain automatically associates with stress and so they’re stressed before you even get going which makes them more likely to get it wrong. Discuss this with your children. Tell them that you realise they must be stressed about it and it isn’t easy to learn to read and write, particularly at a young age. Apologise for shouting in the past and let them know that you’re human and also lose your temper and get frustrated, but that you’re going to try to do better, just like them. Then take some time for both of you to do some stress-relieving exercises –do some breathing or visualisation, go for a short walk, have a cup of chamomile tea, and make sure you’re both feeling relaxed to start. Your child WILL learn to read and write, but at what cost. Let them learn a little more slowly if necessary, in their own time, and focus on caring about your child and what he/she is going through. Studies show that whether a child learns to read at age 4 or age 9, their reading and comprehension levels by age 11 are exactly the same. There really is no rush, other than the unnecessary pressure that the school may be putting on them. A child who learns slowly, but with love, care and confidence will go on to become an adult who loves reading. One who learns under stress will always associate reading with pain and this is much more likely to squash their overall educational achievements in the long run. And be gentle and kind to yourself too – new parenting doesn’t happen overnight and you will find times when you have other things on your mind and your stress levels are higher and you crack. This is normal. Stop. Take a few deep breaths. And apologise. Children learn a lot from our mistakes and how we handle them!

November 3, 2016

Setting the stage for a successful Matric

At the end of this month, the country’s latest cohort of aspiring matriculants will begin to write the 2016 National Senior Certificate examinations, the most important, and probably the most ‘knife-edge’ experience of their education so far. It is a six-week event that doesn’t just test what these South African teens have learnt and mastered over the past years; it also puts their self-esteem, their outlook on life, their courage and their resilience on trial. We asked Raydene Naidoo, Counselling Psychologist and Head of Work Integrated Learning at SACAP (the South African College of Applied Psychology) to provide some essential tips on how the current Grade 12’s can prepare themselves optimally for the mental, physical and emotional rigours ahead: Know Yourself “Before you plan, before you draw up your study schedule, it’s important to take the time to do some self-reflection. You need to think about things like how much sleep you need, the activities that are important to supporting your well-being and whatever else you need to operate at your best academically. Think about, and then also make a list of your strengths and your weaknesses. This is very important because you want to make study plans and devise a schedule that optimizes your strengths and mitigates your weaknesses. For instance, it doesn’t help to decide to follow a recommended study schedule that involves four-hour blocks of dedicated study time if you are prone to get restless after an hour. It might work well for your friend, but if you do that, you are likely to study effectively for just one hour, and then waste three hours of every four-hour block you have scheduled with your struggles to keep focused and still. You need to know yourself well, so that you are empowered to customize a study schedule that works optimally for you. If you know that you are distracted after an hour, you can devise a schedule that gives you regular short breaks that enable you to return to your desk and effectively pick up when you left off.” Identify your peak times “We all have particular times of day when we are most effective, and this differs from person to person. For instance, some people are raring to go in the mornings while others struggle to get themselves started. Some fade in the evenings and others find that they are highly productive at night when life around them is quieter and still. Once you know your peak times, schedule your most challenging studies exactly then, while topics and subjects that are much easier for you can be scheduled during your off-peak hours.” Don’t just think about it, create your study timetable, share it and commit to it “Give real form to your study timetable. Map it out in a graphic form. Make sure it includes your study breaks and covers all the work you need to do. Stick it up prominently in your study space so that you can see where you are at any moment, at a glance. Think of it as your trusty guide over the next weeks – there to help ensure you don’t get any last-minute surprises or setbacks that feel like disasters. Sharing it with your peers and family members can also help to keep you on a committed track. Monitor your progress on a daily basis. Some shifts and adjustments may be necessary in practice, but you need to make sure at all times that you have got all your topics and subjects covered according to the priorities.” Plan for balance “Yes, the most important thing you need to do over the upcoming weeks is study and it does take precedence over a lot of other things in your life at this time. However, you still need some balance in your life, and you can plan for this. It is important to look after your mental and emotional well-being as this affects your intellectual performance. Even though you need to be very focused on your studies, you will still need time to relax, time for physical activity and time for socializing. While you will probably have to cut back on those times, you shouldn’t eliminate them completely. While you may not be able to spend three hours playing soccer four times a week, you can find the ways to schedule four ten minute runs around your neighbourhood that will help you to keep active, relieve stress and re-energise you. While you won’t be able to ‘binge-watch’ the latest TV series, you can still make the time to watch a favourite programme every now and then. And while, late-night parties are probably not the best idea while you are studying for matric, you can still schedule shorter, lower-key occasions in the company of friends that give perspective and provide support.” Commit to your well-being “Studying for, and writing your matric exams will probably rate as one of the most stressful experiences of your life. There’s no better time than to care deeply and well about yourself. The upside is that in being tested this way, you have the opportunity to discover new and deeper aspects of your strength and resilience. You can think of the experience as being on a ‘Hero’s Journey’ where you want to be facing challenges with all your wits about you so that you can achieve the best results possible. For that to happen, you need to ensure your physical and emotional health. It’s important to eat healthily, get enough sleep, be physically active and feel connected to the people who support your success in life.” Parents play an important role in supporting their matriculants and ensuring that they go into the exams in the best frame of mind possible. Naidoo has some tips to help parents best support their matriculant: When facing a stressed and anxious matriculant, replace a ‘been there, done that, now you can too’ approach with ‘I understand’ and encouragement; Acknowledge your child’s efforts. Noticing and affirming their choices such as turning down

October 26, 2016

Help your child become an ‘Academic Olympian’

As the 2016 Olympic Games came to an end, we can reflect on the achievements, camaraderie and celebration of sport on the global stage. In addition to the great successes, Edublox reading, maths and learning clinic, highlights important lessons that can be learned from the Olympic athletes, which is applicable to a child’s academic and sporting performance. The Olympic Games is a prestigious sporting event and the highlight of any Olympian’s career. No athlete wins a medal or even qualifies to participate at the world’s largest sporting event without committing the majority of their time to perfecting their craft. It takes years of preparation to build a strong physical foundation and develop the necessary skills to compete on the highest level. “The same goes for a child’s academic performance,” says Susan du Plessis, director of educational programmes at Edublox. “Children have to be able to read and concentrate in order to grow and develop academically. For children to learn how to read or improve their reading, they have to understand the language, as well as master the foundational skills of perception, memory and logical thinking. Children have to work hard and train their learning abilities with as much vigour and determination as athletes in order to become ‘Olympic students’,” says Du Plessis. Another characteristic of an ‘Academic Olympian’ is the ability to concentrate. Concentration is a skill that can be taught, just like riding a bike. “Concentration and memory go hand in hand and play a major role in a child’s all-round development. These two aspects not only affect a child’s academic accomplishments, but also influence the performance of young and upcoming sportsmen and women on the sport field,” explains Du Plessis. After his enrolment at Edublox, Stelios Charalambous, a Grade 3 learner experiencing learning challenges, surprised everyone with a dramatic improvement in all of his subjects on his second report card of the year. “When we received Stelios’ report card, we were ecstatic! His marks had jumped by 20% in all of his subjects,” says Christa Charalambous, Stelios’s mother. “Another big change we’ve noticed is that he is more confident and had improved significantly on both the rugby field and the tennis court,” she adds. Du Plessis shares a few easy tips for parents looking to help their children become ‘Academic Olympians’ from a young age: Improve reading Your child’s fluency in language is a key determinant of his reading ability. Talk to your child and explain to them what you are busy doing while shopping, cooking and working in and around the house or even while taking a walk. This will help enhance your child’s vocabulary. Read to your child as often as possible. Language develops through repetition. You can read the same book over and over again before moving to another book. Teach your children nursery rhymes to stimulate their brain and improve memory. Improve concentration Let your child build age-appropriate puzzles from a young age. Progressively read longer and more in-depth stories to your children. Let your child play outside. This often improves the child’s ability to concentrate more than when playing indoors. “Mastering the fundamental skills of reading and concentration is important for every child’s academic growth and development,” says Du Plessis. “Regardless of whether they find it difficult to read and concentrate or not, it is essential that all children work hard, similar to Olympic athletes, so that they can transform into great Academic Olympians,” she concludes.

September 2, 2016

The real price of not addressing your child’s learning problems

Failing or delaying to address a child’s learning difficulties has far-reaching implications for both parents and children alike. Edublox reading, maths and learning clinic, warns that the real cost of withholding learning intervention programs from children with learning difficulties should not be underestimated. This could result in long-term financial burdens when learners have to repeat a grade, while they often pay the price academically, emotionally and socially. “While parents tend to spend money on exciting hobbies, or sporting activities in areas where their child is flourishing, they often find it difficult to acknowledge and prioritise resolving their child’s immediate academic issues,” says Susan du Plessis, Director of Educational Programs at Edublox. “Parents put off addressing their child’s academic problems as they tend to hold on to the hope that the next report will be better. Their child’s busy schedule, full of extracurricular activities, also leaves no time for homework or attending extra classes” says du Plessis. “Children often pay a steep price for not being able to learn at a level that is expected of them,” says du Plessis. “Besides not being able to pursue a career of their choice one day, children with learning difficulties often develop emotional issues that can cause long-term psychological damage,” she adds. Research by Dr. Marianna Alesi, published in the Journal of Psychological Abnormalities, found that students who experience repeated failure, such as those with learning disabilities, are more likely to have anxious symptoms and to use avoidant behaviours. This, explains Alesi, creates a vicious circle where a learner’s self-esteem is negatively impacted by their learning ability and it can affect all aspects of their future development.* Parents often underestimate the true value for money that effective, solution-driven and scientifically proven educational intervention programs provide for children with learning difficulties. Recent research by Old Mutual indicates that if a learner repeats a year at a state school it could cost an estimated R 37 500 for school-related expenses alone; excluding additional food, recreation and transport costs.** “When looking at the cost of an additional year of school fees, the economic choice to invest a marginal amount in solving an academic issue early on becomes much simpler,” says du Plessis. Parents concerned about the affordability of getting specialised help for their child’s learning woes are encouraged to take a look at their monthly expenditure, and prioritise their expenses by making use of various budgeting tools available online or to consult a financial advisor.*** Alida Smit is a parent that can attest to the psychological and financial benefits of early intervention at a reputable and professional reading clinic. Today an owner of such an establishment herself, she once struggled to find help for her son, who was diagnosed with dyslexia. “My son’s confidence blossomed and his attitude towards learning changed completely when he was exposed to the right intervention and development programs. If I got to the clinic sooner, I am sure the cost would be less and the emotional impact far less significant. When my daughter started experiencing some of the same challenges, I was able to help her immediately without having to exhaust many options. Not only was the cost significantly less in this process, but she benefitted much sooner, and did not go through the emotional and psychological roller coaster of emotions,” she says. Today’s challenging economic environment is forcing parents to cut down on costs wherever possible. The financial implications of an academically struggling learner are, therefore, often overlooked as parents feel they cannot afford professional help for their children. Du Plessis advises that parents who want to save money should do research to evaluate various learning support programs available based on their track record, quality control measures, and the realistic timeframe of improvement. “By temporarily reducing little luxury expenses such as restaurant meals and pricy entertainment, parents can provide their child with the opportunity to excel at school,” says du Plessis. “The best solution for parents is to get help for their children as soon as possible. Nip learning difficulties in the bud; it makes sense from a financial perspective and helps build your child’s self-confidence,” says du Plessis. “As parents, we have a responsibility to not only provide our children with an education, but to ensure that they have a wide array of choices when it comes to possible career paths after school. The temporary financial sacrifice for resolving your child’s learning difficulties is actually a long term, emotional and educational investment towards your child’s future success,” du Plessis concludes.

August 3, 2016

Questions To Ask Your Child’s Teacher

The third term is upon us and meeting with professionals working with your child is a priority. It can be very daunting, especially for parents whose children may have learning challenges. Frequently, the professionals end up talking and the parents try desperately to follow the conversation and very often only pick up on the negative information. A small but interesting fact: it takes 9 or more positive remarks to cancel out the effects of a negative one. Sadly, many parents leave these meetings feeling overwhelmed and too often, disappointed. Being prepared is one of the best steps one can take. Here are some questions to help you find out your child’s strengths, where their difficulties lie and how you can help your child. Hopefully, this will allow you to leave these meetings with ideas, empathy and positive information about your child and what you can do. Of course there will be areas of concern, but as a parent you will feel more confident in how to handle them. What does my child enjoy? Who are my child’s friends? How is he/she socially? Interactions and communication? Is she/he liked by her/his peers? What are my child’s strengths (socially, emotionally, physically and mentally)? What value does my child bring to the class/sessions? Are there areas in which my child shows a particular interest or possible talent? What are my child’s differences – instead of saying ‘problems’ or ‘difficulties’ – (socially, emotionally, physically and mentally)? Does my child participate? (This can mean anything from being a team leader, team player, active member, dedicated, diligent, a motivator. Remember, an extroverted and an introverted child will play different roles in these situations. What is important is that they are involved.) How is my child learning and functioning in a classroom environment or sessions (individual or group) – does their behaviour differ in different subjects (P.E, music, computers, languages, maths, etc.)? What will you be teaching my child? Areas of focus. How will you do this? What methods or approaches will you use? Can I implement these at home? Expectations (i.e. homework – time, assistance and outcomes) What type of homework will you give, and what are the deadlines? (what is due weekly/daily or projects/exams/assessments) Is my child managing to complete the work (in class and homework)? Do they have the current abilities to work in class or in sessions effectively? How can I, as a parent, be involved and assist? How can I check up on grades, assignments? (Remember you are entitled to see ALL of your child’s work). Bring up your own concerns, observations and ask questions related to your child. Remember your child will be different in different environments. It is important to know about any major discrepancies. What is the best way and time to contact you (the teacher or professional)? I hope with this information you and your child can gear yourselves for the forthcoming term. I suggest scheduling a meeting with your child’s teacher and other professionals as soon as possible. I wish you all the best for your upcoming meetings.

August 1, 2016

Could you be the reason for your child cheating?

Mrs M, with her short straight black hair and angular face, peered suspiciously at us, pacing the grade five class, blurting out English words at timed intervals. It was our job to translate these into Afrikaans and spell them correctly within the allocated time. I’d studied for the test as I always did and I probably could have aced it. But I was afraid. You see, I’d confused praise with love and I believed that if I failed that love would be withdrawn. Love: The lifeblood of every child. And so I cheated. The vocab for the week was posted up at the back of the class and I snuck a look at every opportunity. I thought I got away with it. Then the next day, there she was pacing the class again, this time calling out the marks for everyone to hear as she handed back test papers. Starting from the highest mark to the lowest. Full marks. Not me. Ok, I must be next. Nine out of ten. Not my name. Come on, come one. 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. Zero. Slam, my paper lands on my desk. The whole class goes silent. Somebody gasps. She grabs my wrist and pulls me out of the class to discuss my crime in privacy. ‘Why?’ I wonder after she has already humiliated me. I start to cry. I don’t stop for hours. By the end of the day she calls me back into her class, says she thinks I have learned my lesson and tears up the paper. I never cheat again. But not because I’ve somehow become more moral from the experience, but because my terror at losing that love has just intensified. It’s one thing to not do well but cheating and getting zero would definitely be the end of me. I wondered later what those teachers must have thought of my parents. They probably thought that if I went home to get my test signed I’d have had a beating. But the beating I believed I would’ve gotten was way worse than any physical pain. It was the beating of rejection of my being. There was no way I could stand that. No child could. And so I empathize with children who cheat. I wonder what fear has brought them to that point. I wonder why parents and the schooling system are so focused on marks that they forget the real reason for testing a skill – To see if the work has been taught properly and understood. I wonder why nobody explains this to children, and why report cards and test scores are held up as measures of self worth. I wonder too why we berate children for cheating without acknowledging this trait in ourselves. How we ignore our own failures when we cheat on our diet or cheat on our spouse, cheat our employers out of time as we scour Facebook or cheat the tax man to save a few bucks. How is it that we expect our children to have higher moral standards than ourselves. Why are we are unable to look past their misdemeanors and see the fear and pain and panic just below the surface? What are we teaching them really? The brain is a very efficient organ. It will always find the quickest path to a desired result. If it perceives that the quickest way to get love and approval is to cheat (rather than to risk trying the honest way and possibly failing) then cheating will happen. Is your child’s fastest way to love and approval through good marks? Then you’re setting them up for cheating at some point in their lives. Think about the messages that you are giving with your praise or bribery, or with your withholding of affection when kids don’t do well. If we want our children to pass honestly, then we need to change the messages that we’re giving them around what testing means, around their true worth regardless of performance, and around the unwavering love that we have for them regardless of their behavior.

July 28, 2016

Handwriting Problems

Handwriting is the most obvious feature of “the second R,” and is a means to an end. Students who can write legibly and with reasonable speed are not deterred by weak handwriting skills from expressing themselves. Thus it is obvious that handwriting should become routine as rapidly and efficiently as possible. It should not be stressed at the expense of more important skills, such as those necessary to speak, listen, read, spell, or compose well. What is a Handwriting Problem? A handwriting problem exists when a student writes illegibly or extremely slowly. Everyone occasionally produces some illegible letters, but some students do so frequently enough that understanding what they have written is difficult; at this point, the difficulty would be considered a problem. Also, most children write quite slowly when they are first learning to print or write in cursive; slow handwriting should be considered a problem, however, when a student’s writing speed interfered with his or her other work. Problems with handwriting are also known as dysgraphia, a term coined from the Greek words dys meaning ill or difficult and graphein meaning to write, and is used to describe a severe problem with handwriting. Synonyms for dysgraphia include motor agraphia, developmental motor agraphia, special writing disability, specific handwriting disability, specific learning disability in handwriting. Problems Related to Handwriting Though IQ is not related to handwriting, spelling apparently is, according to Introduction to Learning Disabilities by Hallahan et al. Students with poor handwriting are likely to have poor spelling skills. Two ways in which handwriting may contribute to misspellings are: Handwriting errors may make a word look like another word; Slow, laboured writing of letters may cause a student to forget the word he or she is trying to spell. The first problem is one of legibility and the second is one of speed. Handwriting skill is also related to some perceptual and perceptual-motor skills. Wedell found that young students with handwriting problems had greater difficulties with position in space, drew poorly when drawing required crossing from one side of their bodies to the other, and did not benefit from handwriting tasks as much as other students. In her book Learning Disabilities: Theories, Diagnosis, and Teaching Strategies, Janet Lerner states that some of the underlying shortcomings that interfere with handwriting performance are (1.) poor motor skills, (2) faulty visual perception of letters and words, and (3.) difficulty in retaining visual impressions. The student’s problem may also be in cross-modal transfer from the visual to motor modalities.

June 9, 2016

Are your kids getting too much homework?

Homework is an essential part of learning independent work and self-discipline… and I think that kids are getting far too much of it. Homework should be given out with this specific purpose in mind and not because there is so much schoolwork that it can’t fit in to the school day. If kids are getting too much, it is your responsibility as a parent to take a stand. Get together with other parents in your child’s class and have something to say about it. Play, fresh air, fun and down-time are as important to a child’s development as formalised learning and discipline, particularly in the Foundation and Intersen Phases. This fits in to what I have said before about too many extra murals: Children, like all human beings, need time to be – not busy performing or excelling or proving their worth, just being. So how much is too much? If you look logically at the typical day of a school child this should become obvious: 6am-7am Waking and getting ready for school 7am-2pm School time 2pm-3pm Sport / extra murals 5pm-7pm Dinner, bathing etc. 7pm-8pm Story time or quiet time 8pm-6am Sleep (children of 7-10 years need around 10-11 hours per night) This only leaves between 3pm-5pm for homework AND games, TV time, outdoor time, playdates etc. I would say that anything more than around half an hour per day is unreasonable at Primary School level, and certainly not more than an hour. Look logically at your child’s day and make sure there is always down-time, unscheduled time, time to just be. Life needs to be in balance and we need to help our kids with this by not overscheduling their time, by taking a stand on homework and by modeling this for our kids by getting enough rest and down-time ourselves.

June 2, 2016

Grade 9’s: Don’t leave subject choice decisions to the last minute

Grade Nines preparing to enter their final phase of schooling next year will in coming months be expected to select the subjects that will see them through to matric. But that decision is too important to shelve away until the time comes, an expert says, and it should already be top of mind for learners who want to give themselves the best chance for success in Grade 12 and beyond. “Towards the end of the year, Grade 9-learners will be given the opportunity to select which subjects they will take in their last three years of school and be tested on during the National Senior Certificate Exams in 2019,” notes Nola Payne, Head of Faculty: Information and Communications Technology at The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest and most accredited private higher education institution. “It is an exceptionally hard choice to make, and many factors need to be taken into consideration,” says Payne, adding that these choices will have a profound impact on the qualifications to which learners will have access and, as a result, the careers they will be able to follow. “Choosing subjects should not be based on a gut feel or a kneejerk towards easier subjects. They must be chosen very carefully, and only after proper research about the implications of choosing certain subjects and not others. The best way to go about making subject choices later this year, is to immediately start considering one’s options constantly, and refining them in the coming months. “This is one of the first opportunities learners of this age will have to practice strategic decision-making that will have a major impact on their lives. It should be looked at as an exciting first step into their future as adults, and also a valuable learning tool.” Payne says the process can be made much less intimidating by sticking to the following guidelines: ALREADY KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO STUDY? THEN STUDY UP ON ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS. If you are clear about what you want to do, check out the websites of both public and private higher education institutions to verify their requirements, and let that guide your subject choices. Very importantly, look at a range of different institutions and courses within your field to allow yourself some choice and a Plan B after matric. DON’T KNOW? THEN LEAVE AS MANY OPTIONS AVAILABLE AS POSSIBLE. Those who are not yet sure about their future direction should choose subject combinations that will leave them with options and room to manoeuvre later, including Maths and Science. Learners who struggle with precisely these subjects, should consider keeping only one of them to focus their efforts. And Maths Literacy should only be considered as a last resort, Payne says. CONSIDER WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY. As you spend time at your desk every day, going from class to class, and completing your homework, be alert to which subjects make you come alive a little more than others. Determine which subjects mirror your interests and career dreams, and include them. And carefully research how your favourite subjects manifest in the working world, as you may potentially have more – and more interesting – options than you are currently aware of. CONSIDER WHAT YOU ARE GOOD AT. Choose at least two subjects in which you can do really well. Admission to higher education is performance-based, so it makes sense to do very well in some subjects rather than badly in all of them because you chose only gateway subjects. DON’T SELL YOURSELF SHORT. You may think you won’t stand a chance of getting good sufficient grades to enter higher education post matric. But remember that the South African National Senior Certificate has four levels of pass. While one of them is the degree pass, you could also qualify for diploma or higher certificate study. These two qualifications, which are normally vocationally or career-focused, could give you access straight to the world of work and even degree study if you wanted to do it later. There are also options in public and private FET Colleges, or you may even be entrepreneurial and want to start your own business. “The key to making the best subject choices for your future self is to ensure you do your research thoroughly, and at a comfortable pace so you don’t have to rush the decision. Don’t leave it until the end of the year, when you might be tempted to just tick the same boxes your friends are ticking, and in the process set yourself up for frustration and disappointment,” says Payne.

May 3, 2016

Why It Pays To take Grade 11 As Seriously As Matric

Throughout one’s school career Grade 12 – Matric – is viewed as the ultimate year, the year in which you have to account for what you learned in the decade before, and the year whose results will follow you for the rest of your life. But what learners and parents don’t realise, is that Grade 11 can arguably be considered as important, if not more so, than one’s final year, an education expert says. “There are at least five reasons why Grade 11 learners should take this year very seriously, and put as much effort into it as they will next year,” says Dr Felicity Coughlan, Director of The Independent Institute of Education, SA’s largest and most accredited private higher education provider. She says the penultimate school year is a significant one because it provides: 1) INSURANCE “The effort you put into Grade 11 can be considered as insurance should something go awry in the future,” says Dr Coughlan. “There are an increasing number of institutions that make provisional offers based on your Grade 11 results, and many will still admit you even if your Grade 12 is a little less strong. But if your results in Grade 11 are weak, you have nothing to fall back on.” 2) EXAM FOCUS Teachers set Grade 11 exams to mimic the format and complexity of grade 12, says Dr Coughlan. “That means that taking your Grade 11 exams seriously will help you understand how you are doing and how ready you will be for your final exams. It helps you to work out where you need to apply more focus. “This year’s exams provide a measure of where you are, and should be treated as part of your preparation for your finals.” 3) OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIMENT Dr Coughlan says that Grade 11 allows some time for experimenting before crunch-time arrives. “Learn new study methods and stress management methods, and experiment with things you have not done before, like study groups and mind maps. Finding a variety of study techniques and approaches that work for you will allow you to enter Grade 12 with a revision system that will make you perform at your best.” 4) OPPORTUNITY TO TEST TIMING If you keep good track of how long it takes you to master different kinds of work, that will allow you to draw up an accurate study plan next year. “Knowing your pace of work means you will be able to revise with enough time allocated right from the start, so that you don’t run out of days before you run out of work to revise.” 5) A CHANCE TO CAREFULLY EVALUATE POST-MATRIC OPTIONS Assessing their Grade 11 results and performance empower learners to make better decisions about their post-school direction, including about which options are available to them, what courses to apply for and where. “Learners should start working out their ‘points’ for higher education entrance from Grade 10,” says Dr Coughlan. “This means they should thoroughly research the courses they want to study and the results they need for their application to be accepted. In Grade 11, learners are then able to monitor how realistic their aspirations are and where they need to do more work, which will reduce uncertainty when applying.” Matric does not start in your last year of school, Dr Coughlan says. “Matric is not a year-long event, but rather a two-year long project. If you start applying your mind to your final exams right now and take the long view coupled with a strategy, you will be able to deliver your absolute best when you sit for your finals in a year and a half’s time, and significantly improve your chances of being able to follow your dream post-Matric.” Notes: The Independent Institute of Education (IIE) is the largest, most accredited registered private higher education institute in South Africa. It has a history in education and training since 1909, and its brands – Rosebank College, Varsity College, Design School Southern Africa (DSSA) and Vega – are widely recognised and respected for producing workplace-ready graduates, many of whom become industry-leaders in their chosen fields. The IIE offers a wide range of qualifications, from post-graduate degrees to short courses, on 20 registered higher education campuses across South Africa.

April 21, 2016

Don’t Be PENalised For Not Being Able To Write

You helped your child prepare for his history test. He could recite all the answers and there was no question that he was going to ace it. And yet, when he received back his test results, he barely made the grade as he wrote down only half of the answers! Why? Thanks to the e-age we live in, children have sadly lost their ability to literally put down pen to paper and write. Step into a class these days and you are more likely to find e-books and tablets than pen and paper. Pupils can type faster than they can write and apps and online learning devices are the norm. “You must get on with the times.” “If you are not online, you’re doomed.” “Your child will miss out.” While there is some truth in these statements, one cannot ignore the fact that pupils will (for the foreseeable future at least) still have to write their exams manually – that is: putting pen to paper. It’s like Master Chef – if the food is not on the plate it cannot be judged. Likewise, if your child does not write down all he or she has learnt, it cannot be assessed. And, while we’re on the Master Chef analogy: if the plating of the dish is messy – i.e. if your child’s handwriting is illegible, it will also be penalised. So, go and buy more pens and pencils next time you go to the iStore. Not only will your child practice his/her critical hand-eye-co-ordination skills, but stand a better chance of acing his/her next exam. Reasons why many people think hand writing skills are a thing of the past: Children need to practice typing skills as all learning will eventually be computerised Schools are switching to e-books, tablets are used in classrooms, homework tasks are given on tablets There are many apps available for online learning, assessments, note taking – replacing the pen and exercise book Reasons why children still have to practice writing: It has been proven that reading and spelling are linked to the formation of letters in the early years Study notes, class work and assessment are all still done on paper with a pen It will still take some time before all learning will be computerised Illegible handwriting costs marks: “labored handwriting creates a drain on mental resources needed for higher-level aspects of writing, such as attention to content, elaboration of details, and organization of ideas.” * * Spear-Swelling, L. The Importance of Teaching Handwriting. Retrieved from http://www.readingrockets.org/article/importance-teaching-handwriting

April 6, 2016

Help Your Kids Get Organised

The new year has started and we are already well into the first term. This term is normally filled with meet the teacher meetings, class photos, book covering, sports tours, school camps, athletics day, inter-house swimming and so many other things. All this before we have even mentioned normal day to day school work, projects, orals and homework. I don’t remember school ever being this intense when I was growing up! As with adults, being disorganised has a severe effect on learners as anxiety will set in if they don’t feel prepared. Knowing and planning ahead will ensure that learners are prepared, and will help them achieve the best results that they can. If your child is battling to keep up with homework and tasks, please share this 6 STEP simple video demonstrated blog with them! STEP 1 – HOW MUCH TIME Kids need to know how much time they have available to do homework, projects, assignments and to study. This will depend on what sports and extramural activities they have on and what your family weekends look like. Using the downloaded time sheet, help them work out their time availability. Block off the chunk of time from the morning until the end of their school day. Block off time for any weekday or weekend sport or extra murals. Block off the time spent eating dinner, preparing for bed, showering, etc. Block of any other set commitments that they have during the week or weekend. Look at the gaps and decide how many hours they could dedicate to homework, studying & projects each day, bearing in mind that they also need some time to relax. Add up the number of hours available to study per week. Click to download the time sheet STEP 2 – BEING PREPARED Knowing that everything is done and ready by the time kids go to bed the evening before, will leave your child feeling far calmer, and will save them from getting into unnecessary trouble at school. A good idea is to have a check list for them so that they never forget anything. Check their timetable for the next day. Make sure all homework has been done. Make sure all required books are in their bags. Pack in sports and PE clothes. Check if there are any orals, projects, tests or assignments coming up soon. Get mom or dad to sign the homework diary. Any notices for parents to be given and signed. Click to download the checklist STEP 3 – MANAGING PROJECTS, ORALS AND ASSIGNMENTS Because projects and assignments are given a couple of weeks in advance, they often get forgotten or left to the last minute and then rushed through. Sometimes when there is a big task to do, they leave it because it feels overwhelming. Write down each step needed to complete the project, oral or assignment. Estimate how long each step will take. Check the time sheet to see which days are best to work on various parts of the task. Weekends are a great time to put in extra work for things like projects, orals & assignments. Work backwards in your diary from the last step & put a date that you are going to complete each part of the task. Always aim to finish at least 48 hours before the due date. This gives you time for anything that may come up at the last minute. Click to download the Project Management Checklist STEP 4 – TAKING RESPONSIBILITY When children are younger, as parents, we email, write notes and call their teachers and friends parents for them. As they get older, it is more likely to become their responsibility to do any of the following: Excuse themselves from sport. Call a friend to find out about homework. Send their teacher a message. Anything else school related. STEP 5 – ACHIEVING GOALS One of the fundamental skills for success is goal setting. Kids are never too young to learn this skill, as long as we keep it age appropriate and make it about bettering themselves and not about being overly competitive. This creates a platform for great bonding with your child, a time to find out what their dreams and aspirations are. It is also a good time to talk about their goals from the previous year and encourage them in the areas where they did not reach their personal targets and help them deal with disappointment they may be feeling as a result of this. They can use goal setting to do well in school, sports or any other areas that they wish. The long term benefit is that kids who learn to set goals while they are young, will grow up knowing how to set and reach goals. As adults this could help them in areas of finance, work and personal achievements. Know what they want to achieve. Pick several goals for the coming year. Write them down. Work out their steps to achieve them. Put dates to the various steps. Write the steps in their diary so that they don’t forget to do them. Refer back to their goals on a regular basis. Reward themselves when they achieve them. Click to download the Goal Sheet STEP 6 – USING A GOOD HOMEWORK SYSTEM It is essential to be organised at school or college. Most working people, even top managers use some form of diary or organisational system. Learning a good system now will help your child later in life. There are various different formats of homework diaries available and most do the job, but an effective system will make all the difference. The School / Student Sorted™ Planner is a system that can be used at school, college, university or even kept on their desk at home to help your child manage their time. Here are some of the features of the School / Student Sorted™ Planners: Homework is viewed one week at a time – this gives the learner a good idea of what is needed each week. There is a key on the left hand side of the diary page, which can be broken down into different subjects and sport or extramural activities. This means the daily pages can include sport, extra murals, breakdown of projects, assignments & studying, personal commitments, goal steps and any other school activities like camps, tours, school photos, etc. and is flexible enough to customise to suite each individual. It has time sheets for summer, winter and exam times. School time table. Year planners for the current and following year. Sheets to break down

March 15, 2016

Handy Tech Tips For The Back To School Run

Faryal Sacoor, Merchandising Buying Manager at Incredible Connection The back to school season is officially in full swing and many parents are still scratching their heads trying to find the best technology to help with their children’s education and learning. To help relieve you of any potential headaches, here’s a list of pointers. Many schools throughout the country are jumping on the digital age bandwagon and are now starting to embrace tablets and their associated benefits. But for some, it is still quite unnerving to say goodbye to traditional handbooks and embrace everything in electronic format. Without sounding too Borg-like, resistance seems to be futile. In fact, today’s learners are embracing a medium they have grown comfortable with given the growth of digital music and video, games, apps, and instant messaging. It’s often hard to believe that the younger generation are comfortable with tablets – even from as young as 2 – 3 years of age. A great example of this is the ClickTab Kids. This 7” 3G enabled tablet caters specifically for children between the ages of 3 and 10 years. The tablet comes pre-loaded with over 25 Apps and age appropriate Games for children with access to an App store with hundreds more. And for those inevitable drops and falls, the unit also comes fitted with a durable silicone rubber sleeve built to absorb the potential falls. Most importantly, is the built in parental controls that allow parents to limit the time that children can spend on the tablets, the time of day that play is allowed and even WhatsApp and games they can access. Parents can even set up profiles for different children of different ages and manage each child’s profile separately. For those with older kids, there is another tablet option with features such as voice calling, dual sim, FM radio and 3G embedded – and of course a front and rear camera to cater for the “selfie” generation, just to name a few. And in addition to a tablet, instead of relying on fingers that can very easily get dirty, consider buying a stylus. It helps with the transition from pen and paper to the screen and also enables really fine work for creative types who love drawing on their tablets. This makes a great birthday gift as well because it is so cost-effective and comes in a number of colours and styles. But tablets aside, there are also other gadgets on the market that can benefit children and do not necessarily cost an arm and a leg E-reader – there is something to be said for reading on a display that is designed to be as natural to the printed paper as possible. Factor in amazing storage and incredible battery life that potentially spans weeks and you have a more than functional device for the avid bookworm. What’s more – there are so many versions and options available that will not only meet your requirements and budget but one that the whole family can enjoy. Fitness Band – Another great gadget to consider is a fitness band like the Fitbit for example. With the rising trend of childhood obesity in South Africa, being active is vital to children growing up and this handy little device is a great way to motivate you and keep track of fitness goals which can then be incorporated where relevant across the family – ensuring that you have fun and exercise with your kids. There are a variety of fitness bands available on the market today are really great for basic use and most of them work very well in practise. In the end, your buying decision needs to be based around comfort and aesthetics. Of course, parents also should never lose sight of safety and security. This means for whatever technology you choose an anti-virus or internet security programme is a must. Most feature parental controls to help with internet monitoring as well as time restrictions when it comes to surfing the internet or playing games. Fortunately, many of the more well-known solutions come with multiple licenses so parents can install them on a tablet, laptop, and smartphone without any hassles. And of course you don’t want the hassle if something goes wrong with your products – so make sure you check warranties and return policies. Go for a technology outlet that offers a no-nonsense warranty 1 year swop out and even better, if they have a rental options or trade in options available, where you can bring in your old tech and get a great deal on new models then even better! Technology is a great aid for children and parents alike. While it might be intimidating at times, using the internet for research or asking staff at a retail outlet for advice and assistance should make the transition that much easier to ensure you get a fun and educational device for your kids, but one that is also safe and provides peace of mind for mom and dad.

February 12, 2016

When Do You Know Your Child Is Ready For Chapter Books?

We often think that pushing our kids to read chapter books and away from picture books is a sign that they are more advanced readers. Being the first to learn to read in the class may look impressive but you run the risk that that same pressure will in fact diminish a child’s independent love of reading and hold her back from achieving later on. Do not think that just because chapter books have more text, full paragraphs and fewer pictures, they are therefore more complex than picture books. Children learn certain critical comprehension skills from picture books that cannot be taught through chapter books, such as: interpreting pictures based on the information given in the text; understanding that there is more to a story than what the words convey; and visualizing a story in their own mind. Furthermore a well-chosen picture book is rich in language and vocabulary which promotes better reading comprehension. As your young child starts becoming a reader do not be tempted to throw away all the picture books on the shelf. In the transition phase the parent should alternate reading chapter books and picture books to their child. In our house my 7 year old daughter practises her aloud reading as she reads her reader from school and any other picture book she wants. At the same time I read to her at night. At the moment I am busy reading “James and the Giant Peach” by Roald Dahl to her. However, some nights she wants me to read one of her favourite picture books and I do that without question. I know she is still developing vital reading skills from the picture book. Parent tip: Simply spend time enjoying (all kinds of) books with your children

November 17, 2015

Avoid the January financial slump – get into gear for the school run!

By 1Life In between convincing your child to do their homework and fetching them on time for their extra mural activity, the cost of schooling and education may not be at the top of every parent’s mind – however, the cost of schooling can often be trying on the monthly budgets as you battle everything from text books to school clothes for children that seem to grow faster every year. Did you know that according to Stats SA the cost of education in South Africa rose by 9.3%* in March 2015 compared to March last year. Added to that, the rand/dollar exchange rate contributed to a rising costs in school textbooks and materials, resulting in South African families having to make more room in their already-tight budgets to afford the rising education costs. In light of these rising costs, 1Life provides helpful tips and advice to parents in preparation for the financial commitments ahead for 2016 and encourages parents not to wait for January, but to rather start now and avoid the post festive season rush. Use these simple, yet effective, tips to make the 2016 school run, your best yet: Start looking around for what your child needs Use the last few months of the year to start looking around for school supplies that your child may need going into the new school year. Compare prices, opt for the more affordable options and include these into your monthly budget planning – even buy some of it now, to avoid having to fork out too much later, and all at once. Start with stationery supplies such as pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, a pencil case or three – if you buy these now, you’ll save money before the beginning of the year rush and price increases. Only buy brand new, if you need to While you may want your child to have brand new school supplies going into their new grade, do they really need a brand new school jersey or can they use the one from the previous year? Always ask yourself these questions before purchasing school items: does it need to be brand new or can one from the school second hand shop do just fine? You can also speak to parents of children in higher grades than yours to see if they are prepared to hand their old clothes down, particularly for expensive items such as jerseys, blazers, dri-macs etc. This will free up some extra cash within your budget for other necessities. If your child has expressed an interest in a certain sport, avoid buying all the top line equipment, rather go second hand or less expensive initially so that if he or she loses interest, you won’t be too badly out of pocket. Try not to overspend during the festive season Although it may be easy to get carried away during the festive season, getting lured into your favourite shops to buy at your heart’s desire and spoil your loved ones – remember that your child’s education should remain a priority. Spend within your means and always make provision for extra things that pop up during the school year – school trips, cake and candy sales, Valentine’s Day celebrations, civvies days etc. It is also a good idea to put any additional money such as bonuses, or even part of your December salary away before the festive season gets into full swing – to make sure you have the money you need when the school run starts. Become money savvy this year, to help you for next year Why not register for a money management and education course which will provide practical guidance on how to best manage your money. In fact, this can be done easily and for free through 1Life’s Truth About Money initiative. Here, you can learn about sound money management through a free 8-hour online financial education course. You are also able to take advantage of debt management should you currently feel overwhelmed by your existing debt as well as plan for your family’s future with will and estate planning. In fact, 1Life are giving away 10 Truth About Money online courses (each course valued at R1 500) to 10 lucky readers who would like to get their finances on track, not just for the January school run but for the rest of their lives. To stand a chance of winning this life-changing financial literacy course simply answer the below question: Which long term insurance company started the Truth About Money initiative? We encourage parents to develop good money management habits and pass these onto your children from a young age to help them develop a good perception of managing money, as early as possible for a stable and promising financial future. Planning for the new school year ahead can be both expensive and stressful for parents – but it doesn’t have to be. Start putting effective financial measures in place as early as possible, both for the school run and the rest of the year, giving yourself the peace of mind that your child’s school needs are covered! *http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/education/2015/04/28/cost-of-education-rises-double-that-of-inflation

November 12, 2015

Life After Matric – How To Decide

This month, hundreds of thousands of young South African are sitting the most important exams of their schooling years. But the pressures at this time are a lot more than the stresses of studying and the anxieties about how they are going to perform. It is also a time of facing incredible uncertainties about the huge life-changes that are looming up ahead and the big decisions that need to be made about their lives after matric. We put Samantha Pretorius, Counselling Psychologist and Head of Programme at SACAP (the South African College of Applied Psychology) on the couch to answer burning questions from South African matriculants and parents about how best to make these all-important decisions: How can a parent support their matriculant to make a career decision that might not be what the parent imagined? Parents need to be as open-minded as possible so that they can acknowledge and support the individuality of their child. You can’t assume that your career path would be good for your child; or that it wouldn’t just because you did not enjoy it. Conflict with someone as influential as a parent about what to do after matric, can prevent your child from getting on a path to success that is right for them. If you have high hopes for a doctor or a lawyer in the family, and your child is passionate about graphic design, pushing your agenda can have a seriously negative impact. You have to remember that the impact of your perspective is huge. Children care what their parents think of them throughout their lives, whether they admit it or not. It is a great time to let go of the authoritarian role and instead become a fellow explorer and collaborator. Showing an interest helps so much, as does practical support such as taking them to open days at potential higher educational institutions. Parents can help with the research of different careers fields and types of jobs. They can activate their networks to find work shadow opportunities and help find bursary options. What they need to avoid at this sensitive stage is getting into power struggles. It is not helpful to be saying: ‘I’m paying for this, so you will…’ Keeping your focus on your unique child’s life satisfaction and future happiness will be a reliable guide for you as to what to do and say. It is also very important to realise that your child is part of the fast-moving, quickest-changing generation known in history. Career expectations, opportunities and trajectories have fundamentally changed over the last few decades. The goal of 3-decade long career with one company, in one industry has been completely overturned. The rate of tech-driven change is so fast that there will even be a host of different careers available straight after your child has graduated from post-school studies. The wise choice at this time is to be open-minded and collaborative. What’s the best way to make a decision that will affect the rest of my life? It is incredibly daunting for a 17 or 18 year old to think that they are making a decision that will affect the rest of their life. It helps to settle the fears by going through the process of making a holistic decision that takes into account everything that you know about yourself. To begin that process you need to gather all the information you can about yourself; consider, reflect on and know your skills, values, passions, talents and abilities really well. During this information-gathering phase it also helps to consult with people you trust and have your best interests at heart. Those might be your parents, teachers, other family members or select peers. Find out from them what they perceive about your skills, values, passions, talents and abilities and consider their feedback. You can then start to identify career fields that you are aligned to. Make sure you have an understanding of the different kinds of career opportunities that may be available to you in those fields once you have graduated from further studies. If you struggle to find the resources to go through this process alone you can go through a career counselling process with a psychologist who will collaborate with you and help you through this process. This could include psychometric testing which can be a reassuring confirmation of what you already know or provide new insights that you have not considered before. What if I make the wrong choice? It may seem right now that your life itself hangs in the balance with the answer to the question: ‘What will you do after matric?’ It is important to remember that while it is possible that you may not make the so-called ‘perfect’ choice initially, even a ‘wrong’ decision results in invaluable learning. For instance, if you now choose a particular degree and after your first year of study you are sure it is not for you, you have still gained a great year of new knowledge, skills and experience through the one year of training you have undergone. You will have still grown as a person. You need to try and see this not as a ‘waste’ of your time or of finances. More often than not, our greatest learning and most vigorous personal growth come from our ‘mistakes’. It helps to take the heat off your decision-making process to take on the perspective that a ‘wrong’ choice at this stage can be rectified in time, and you still would have gained many other skills from your experience, such as study skills, self-management skills, perhaps leadership and time management skills. There’s no doubt you would have improved your self-knowledge. This helps you to take on a more positive approach where you are willing to explore and open to changing course when you realise you need something different. What if I don’t know what I want to do after Matric? Should I be taking a gap year? What is the advantage of taking one? Gap

November 9, 2015

Tech Solutions Can’t Solve Learning Problems

As technology becomes an ever increasing element of our daily lives, educational specialists will gather to discuss how best to incorporate it in schools. However, technology cannot solve learning problems, caution Edublox. On Friday 28 August 2015 teachers and education specialists will gather with IT personnel at the Technology in Education Conference in Johannesburg to explore technology in the education sector and discuss ways to improve outcomes in the classroom, particularly for Mathematics and Science. Edublox Educational Practitioner, Louna Spies will discuss the relationship between technology and cognitive skills in Maths education. “There’s no doubt that technology is a valuable tool for learning and there are many associated educational benefits, but teachers and parents should be careful to introduce technology as a learning tool at the right time and place according to a child’s needs and ability,” says Susan du Plessis, Director of Educational Programmes at Edublox. Calculators, considered to be the most basic technology used in classrooms for many years, are not included in Grade 1 or Grade 2 school stationary lists. This, says du Plessis, is because children first need a foundational understanding of numbers, counting, addition and subtraction before technology can be used as a ‘short-cut.’ “Parents and teachers should note that technology cannot replace educational support for children with learning problems,” says du Plessis. Computer programs designed to improve eye movement are now widely used as an intervention tool for reading difficulties. While eye movements are important for reading, Paarl-based optometrist Lizelle Loock warns that improving eye movements will not solve a reading problem. “Vocabulary, letter sounds and knowledge of spelling rules must first be established before reading can improve; only after these elements have been dealt with can we introduce computer reading programs to increase reading speed,” says Loock. Du Plessis adds that cognitive skills such as focused attention, visual and auditory processing, memory and logical thinking also need to be developed before effective reading can take place. Computer-based reading assessments can give parents a false sense of security regarding their child’s reading ability, says du Plessis who has noted that attention and memory have been negatively affected by technology. “Children do not have the memory capability they used to have and technology plays a role in this. Given the ease with which information can be found these days, knowing where to look is becoming more important for children than actually memorising something.” Studies have found that reading from a book is more beneficial for long-term memory and comprehension than reading off a screen.* “Parts of the brain are developed through handwriting practice, something that touch-screen technology cannot provide. “There is value in writing by hand,” says du Plessis, “it helps fire up our brains to generate more ideas than typing does and it assists with conceptual understanding.” A $10 million dollar study** involving 15 computer-based reading and Maths programs, 9424 learners and 439 teachers at 132 schools in the United States found no difference in academic achievement between students who used the technology in their classrooms and youngsters who used other methods. Tips for parents Do not rely on a computer program to assess your child’s reading ability, speed and comprehension. Look for scientific reading assessments conducted by a qualified specialist. Ensure your child reads aloud to you regularly from a book they select for themselves. Ask them questions to gauge their level of understanding of what they have just read. Monitor the time your child spends looking at a screen for educational or recreational purposes, whether it is a TV, computer, iPad or cell phone. School can be very boring for a child who is exposed to technology all the time. Light from screens in the evening suppresses melatonin levels, a hormone that helps control your sleep and wake cycles. Let your child read an actual, printed book before bedtime. When your child is a good reader, use computer technology to broaden their horizons and teach them to speed read. Edublox are leading specialists in cognitive development with 22 reading and learning clinics across Southern Africa. Edublox offers multi-sensory cognitive training, aimed at developing and automatising the foundational skills of reading, spelling and mathematics. For more information about Edublox visit www.edublox.co.za. *http://mic.com/articles/99408/science-has-great-news-for-people-who-read-actual-books ** http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20094041/pdf/20094042.pdf

September 17, 2015

Rethinking The Way We Plan Our Children’s Diaries

As schools reopen for the second half of the academic year, parents will once again be forced to make decisions about what extramural activities their children will take in Term 3. Be it horse riding, piano, rugby, tennis, gymnastics, squash or choir – their carefree winter holidays will soon become a distant memory. “It’s time to rethink the way we plan our children’s diaries,” says Edublox Director of Educational programmes, Susan du Plessis. “Too many children are busy going from one afternoon activity to the next, every day. They hardly have enough time to enjoy unstructured play or complete their homework, let alone succeed academically.” Parents take great pride in their children’s busy schedules without considering the effects, says du Plessis. “They sign their children up for private coaching sessions while ignoring the average school results on their children’s report cards. The likelihood of one’s child representing South Africa at the Olympics, for example, is very small, while educational success is an absolute requirement for their future.” Without excellent school results, a child’s employment opportunities are severely limited. Of 100 learners who start school, only 50 will make it to Grade 12, 40 will pass, and only 12 will qualify for university.* Of those entering university only 15 percent will get a degree or diploma.** “One cannot emphasize enough the importance of academic success for a child’s future prospects,” says du Plessis. Du Plessis said some parents also fill their children’s diaries excessively because they feel guilty that their child is not excelling in the classroom and their afternoon activities are a pleasant distraction. “There is a very long list of nice to have activities but if a child’s academic performance is of concern, this needs to be resolved first. If one doesn’t address foundational educational problems early on they only become more pronounced the longer they are ignored.” The cost of postponing learning support intervention is both financial and emotional if a child must repeat a grade. While sporting activities are recommended for physical wellbeing, du Plessis said that a balance is required. “When planning after-school activities, parents need to act in the best interests of their child, even if this means temporarily withdrawing their child from compulsory school sport activities in favour of educational intervention support.” “A coach is naturally interested in winning the next match and a teacher’s main concern is to ensure that a child passes the grade at the end of the year. Parents however have the responsibility to consider the long-term future for their child and that is to help them have as many future career choices as possible with excellent school results.” Educational intervention programmes that help children improve academically need not be life-long. “Most children need only 240 hours, or ten 24-hour days to resolve their learning problems. If this time is split over an 18-month or two-year period, it is manageable but it requires a careful look from parents at priorities and what is important and urgent,” said du Plessis. She added that as little as 100 hours of extra educational support could also transform an average student from passing comfortably to scoring well above 80%. Five practical steps for parents who want to prioritise their child’s academic success Review your child’s after-school schedule and prioritise what is urgent and important above what is a ‘nice to have.’ Ensure your child has enough time for free play outdoors. Seek a successful learning intervention programme based on substantial proof of improved school results. Include your child in the process. Explain why an academic intervention programme will help them in the long term. Inform everyone including the class teacher, grandparents and sports coach exactly how you are prioritising your child’s academic success and ask them to support you. This is very important, especially if parents have divorced, that both agree to support this process. Reward and recognise your child’s efforts to improve academically.

August 11, 2015

When should a child be referred to an occupational therapist?

Following is a few easy questions that could help you to determine if a child should be referred to an O.T. What is fine eye-hand coordination? This is the ability to use eyes and hands together to perform a task. We all use this skill every day in all different kinds of situation: tying shoe-laces, writing, cutting, dressing, the list is endless. How will I know if a child has a problem? Drawing shows poor orientation on the page and the child is unable to stay within the lines when colouring/writing. Your child will struggle with activities that kids the same age finds easy e.g. buttoning small buttons when dressing, picking up small objects Your child will rather get involved in gross motor activities e.g. swinging than doing colouring, pegboard tasks, etc. Threading activities will be difficult or avoided Child will find it difficult to cut neatly on a line Handwriting won’t be neat. Muscle tone Muscle tone refers to the natural stress in the muscle when at rest. It is not the same as muscle strength. A child with a natural lower tone in his muscle will use his muscles with more effort than a child with a natural higher muscle tone. How will I know if a child has a problem? Tires easily / or moves around the whole time to maintain muscle tone Appear clumsy / uncoordinated Child will over emphasize movement / use exaggerated movement patterns Lean on to objects Find it difficult to maintain one position for a long time Slouch in chair Use broad base of support when sitting Drool Fidgety – uses this to build up tone when sitting for long periods of time Usually doesn’t part-take in endurance sport What are visual perceptual skills? These skills are necessary to interpret seen information in the brain. These skills are the building blocks for reading, writing and maths. How will I know if a child has a problem? Kids who struggle with foreground-background will ‘steals’ words/letters from other sentences/words and add it to the word/sentence they are busy reading. They also find it difficult to find specific words/numbers on a page. Kids with a limitation in position in space and/or spatial-relationships will confuse p/b/d, switching of words in a sentence or switching of syllables. Kids with a limitation in form-constancy will struggle to read different types of fonts/hand writing and to copy writing from the black board. Kids with closure impairment will confuse letters with each another when different fonts of writing are used e.g. a/d; u/a; c/e. Kids with impairment in discrimination will for example struggle to find words/numbers that is the same. Kids that struggle with analysis and synthesis finds it difficult to read words that they have to spell Kids with a limitation in memory will for example struggle to copy work from the black board Kids that struggle with consecutive memory will for example find it problematic to copy words/sentences/numbers correctly from the black board. What is bilateral integration? That is the ability of both sides of the body to work together to perform a task. How will I know if a child has a problem? Appears to be uncoordinated when doing tasks Difficulty in performing gross motor tasks e.g. skipping, galloping, jumping-jacks, etc. Prefers not to cross the imaginary midline of the body Not choosing a dominant hand to write/draw/colour (after age 5) Swapping hands when doing tasks What is dyspraxia? Praxis (a.k.a motor planning) is the ability of the brain to conceive, organize, and carry out a sequence of tasks/actions. Praxis is the ability to self-organize. Praxis includes motor planning, cognitive events and communication. The child may present with the following: Appear clumsy Poor balance Difficulty with riding a bike Poor handwriting Difficulty with remembering instructions and copying from the blackboard May have difficulty with speech and the ability to express themselves Bumping into objects Late establishment of laterality (right- or left-handedness) Poor sense of direction Difficulty in learning new motor skills (crawling, using utensils and tools, catching a ball, penmanship) Difficulty in completing tasks with multiple steps (playing board games, sports, solving puzzles and learning math skills) Difficulty in doing tasks in the proper sequence (dressing, or following directions with multiple steps, putting together words and sentences in the right order) Difficulty copying designs, imitating sounds, whistling, imitating movements Difficulty in adjusting to new situations or new routines Difficulty in judging distance in activities (riding bicycles, placing objects) or with others (standing too close or too far away) Present with delayed skills – remaining in the early stages of skill acquisition Poor at holding a pencil Forgetful and disorganized Have a poor attention span Need to go right back and begin again at the very beginning of the task when experiencing difficulty, instead of just ‘getting on with it’ Have difficulty using tools – cutlery, scissors, pencils – lots of handwriting problems (although not all handwriting difficulties are the result of motor Dyspraxia) poor balance; Have poor fine and gross motor co-ordination Have poor awareness of body position in space Have difficulty with reading, writing, speech and maths Other signs/symptoms Child acts immature (cries easily, separation anxiety, etc.). Concentration difficulties / easily distracted by things/people/sounds around himself/herself. If a child is struggling with reading, writing, spelling, maths. If a child’s school progress is behind the other kids in the class. If a child has a physical impairment that is influencing his/her playing, walking, running, etc. Hurts himself or other children / appear to be aggressive – when children struggle with certain developmental skills they may become angry easily because of frustration. Kids who have poor self-control/impulsivity often cannot control themselves physically when angry. Hyperactive child / child who fidgets / cannot sit still / talks non-stop – this child may have ADD or ADHD Children who turn the paper when drawing/colouring/writing – this may be because the child is avoiding to cross the imaginary midline of the body A complete occupational therapy assessment will be

June 12, 2015

Understanding Your Child’s Concentration Problems

As the mid-year exams loom, children will write tests to measure how much they remember what they have learnt. Being able to concentrate in class is a critical step in the learning process and is fundamental for success at school. When a child struggles to concentrate, a worried teacher may approach parents to discuss types of intervention. “When it comes to lack of concentration in the classroom, there are various options available to help learners to focus their attention better. The difficulty however, is knowing which one will really help your child,” says Susan du Plessis, Director of Educational Programmes at Edublox. A research study to test treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with prescription medication showed that “only 56% of the patients in the medication group met the definition of success at the end of treatment.”* Researchers list concerns about the use of such medication in children: side effects have been reported, for some serious and life-threatening; insufficient evidence of long-term efficacy of medication; and “symptoms of ADHD reappear after discontinuing drug treatment.” There are a variety of neurofeedback approaches offered for children with attention problems which claim to enhance concentration and optimise brain performance after multiple consultation sessions. In some cases devices like headbands are worn to measure blood oxygen levels in the brain; if these levels decrease below optimal performance when watching a DVD, the volume or brightness of the screen is reduced, sending feedback to the viewer that their concentration is waning. In 2013 the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry published the results of a clinical trial** that tested the efficacy of electroencephalographic (EEG) neurofeedback in reducing ADHD symptoms. Forty-one children between the ages of 8 and 15 years who were diagnosed with ADHD participated; one group received EEG neurofeedback treatment while a placebo group were given treatment with random feedback. If the results achieved in the placebo group are similar to the results achieved with the group who had proper treatment, it means that it was not the treatment that made them better. This was the result in the research study, and the researchers concluded that “EEG-neurofeedback was not superior to placebo-neurofeedback in improving ADHD.” Du Plessis explains that there are three types of attention: “When a child is easily distracted by a pencil falling off their desk or sounds outside the classroom window, they lack focused attention. Sustained attention is required to focus for long periods of time. Then there is divided attention,” says du Plessis, “which is quite similar to multi-tasking. It’s a higher-level skill where you have to perform two of more tasks at the same time. If the task is to write a story, a learner must be able to think about their characters and plot, as well as spelling and punctuation rules that apply.” Lack of concentration is often linked to poor memory, says du Plessis. Parents may think that their child has a concentration problem, du Plessis however cautions that the root cause is often a memory problem. Working memory is the cognitive system responsible for the temporary storage and manipulation of information. Du Plessis describes three other types of memory: “If a child struggles to copy work from the board into their workbook, they struggle with visual memory. If they find it difficult to remember a number of verbal instructions, their auditory memory may be weak.” Sequential memory, says du Plessis, is remembering the order in which events take place. There are practical cognitive development exercises that can be introduced in the context of a learning environment, which can help improve one’s memory and ability to concentrate with long-term results, says du Plessis. A research study conducted last year, sponsored by natural medicines company Flordis SA, and analysed by the Centre for Evaluation and Assessment at the University of Pretoria, showed a significant increase in focused attention among children who had participated in a five day cognitive development training course. The effect of such training on visual memory has also been examined in an unpublished study by Dr Jaiden May from the University of Johannesburg where children’s visual memory increased by 1.3 years after 22 hours of cognitive training. Du Plessis offers tips for parents looking for intervention programmes for their child: “Solve the cause of the concentration problem. Avoid programmes that operate in a secluded environment. Rather choose a programme that replicates a classroom because it is at school that your child’s concentration will eventually be tested.” In-house measures that track intervention performance are not sufficient, says du Plessis. “Intervention programmes should be based upon scientific research with proven results. Improved grades on a school report card are an excellent, unbiased indicator to show that an intervention programme is working.” There are a variety of ways to help your child improve their attention and memory at home, says du Plessis. “Parents can help their child improve sequential memory by asking them to re-tell a story that they have just listened to.” The Stroop Test helps improve divided attention. Du Plessis explains, “The test is to look at the words and say the colour of each word. You will struggle at first because you’re more likely to read the word.” Images for the ‘Stroop Test’ can be found by conducting an online search, an example of one is illustrated below. Edublox are leading specialists in cognitive development with 22 reading and learning clinics across the country. Edublox offers multisensory cognitive training, aimed at developing and automatising the foundational skills of reading, spelling and Mathematics. For more information about Edublox visit www.edublox.co.za. * http://repository.ubn.ru.nl/bitstream/handle/2066/125153/125153.pdf ** http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24021501/

June 9, 2015

Your Role In Your Child’s Education

from Foundation Phase to Intermediate Phase The Parent: The first step, as a parent, is realising that your child is not an independent learner during foundation and intermediate phase. This implies that your child needs to be taught and helped in their learning. The second step is to realise that your role is to teach, guide and assist your child in their educational, physical, emotional and social development. This role is critical to your child’s growth. Your child cannot progress positively without your assistance. The third step is acknowledging that it is vital that you work with the teacher so that your child progresses successfully through school. Homework should be guided and checked by you. If your child is battling with concepts, you should work with them until they understand the concepts and can work with them independently. The parent, the phases and the teacher: Foundation phase: this phase is about developing a solid base of knowledge for your child and helping them further themselves in the school environment and life. Foundation phase is all about the basics in educational knowledge. Remember that your child has never been exposed to these concepts. They need to learn them and learn how to apply them. They need to be assisted at home to build a strong foundational knowledge that will assist them through school and later lead them to becoming independent learners. It is your job to reinforce the knowledge taught at school and to ensure that your child understands, and can apply, the concepts introduced by the teacher. Intermediate phase: this phase is about using foundational concepts to build their knowledge and learn new concepts. A child with strong foundational skills is more likely to succeed in this phase, and to develop a sense of independent learning. Your role as a parent in this phase is to guide and instruct your child, and for them to attempt the work individually without your continuous involvement. This does not mean your child is expected to work unassisted, but that they are required to work for periods independently, knowing that you are available should they get stuck. This phase teaches them how to use their previous knowledge to learn new concepts. Your child is now at a stage where they are learning to work independently and develop their skills, but they are still reliant on the teacher and yourself to teach, instruct, and help them. The parent and the teacher: The teacher’s role is to introduce and practice new concepts in school. It is your role to practice these at home, and to bring to the teachers attention any concepts your child cannot grasp. This is followed by a teamwork approach between the teacher and yourself. This may include extra lessons or extra work to do at home. This is time consuming but essential. The teacher cannot do this individually and relies on you as a parent to be involved in your child’s education. Some tips for Parents: If you are unsure of the concepts yourself ask the teacher to show you – remember the teacher works with these concepts constantly. If you are unsure how to teach or reinforce concepts at home, ask the teacher for tips, methods or recommendations. If your child is struggling, make notes and bring these to the teachers attention. Do not leave concepts that your child does not understand for the teacher to address – work with the teacher. If your child is struggling, invest in extra lessons – do not wait until the later grades for tutoring, because then the child has to return to the basics in order to understand the current concepts. Homework should be done in the afternoon. Do not wait until the evenings – most children are tired and unable to focus. If you are unable to do this ask a relative or friend. Another option is to hire someone who can assist your child. Also look into aftercare facilities that offer homework assistance. Do not ignore or underestimate the importance of the foundation phase. Intermediate phase homework should be guided, and the child should be able to do some of the work independently. By the end of grade 6 a child should be able to do the majority of their homework independently, but may still require some assistance.

June 4, 2015

Why Is Vocabulary So Important For Reading

Vocabulary plays an important part in learning to read. Beginning readers must use the words they hear out loud to make sense of the words they see in print. Children who have a wide vocabulary learn to read more easily as they can figure out unfamiliar words based on the knowledge of words related to the context. It is harder for a beginning reader to figure out words that are not already part of their speaking vocabulary. Consider this: when your little one starts learning to read and comes to the word cat in a book. She begins to figure out the sounds represented by the letters c – a – t and then very quickly realises that the sounds make up a very familiar word that she has heard and said many times. Thus the instant recognition is quicker and her recall of this word is better as she has the association reading strategy to use: all because the word is in her speaking vocabulary. Imagine now that there are hundreds of words in your child’s vocabulary so by the time learning to read comes along it is plain sailing. That’s what all parents want so BUILD VOCABULARY and you will BUILD A READER. Vocabulary also is very important to reading comprehension. Readers cannot understand what they are reading without knowing what most of the words mean. Therefore the more words a reader knows, the more they are able to understand what they’re reading or listening to. Talking to and reading to children are the two best way to develop vocabulary. As you introduce new words to your children, keep this in mind: Define the word in a child friendly manner: for e.g. ’enormous’ means really really big. Relate the word to the child’s life experience, ‘remember the big watermelon we bought in the shop, it was enormous’ Ask children to develop their own example of ‘enormous’ Use the word ‘enormous’ often over the next few weeks Parents please continue to read to your child long past the time they learn to read. The reason is that a parent is the fluent reader and can read vocabulary-rich text that a grade 1 learner is not yet able to read but is able to listen to and understand. Just because your child has starting reading, do not stop reading to him or her. Conversations are vital for vocabulary development, which in turn is one of the keys to unlocking reading. Are we talking enough to our children or are our hectic driven lifestyles and too much screen time creating an environment with less one on one dialogue between parent and child? With this in mind consider the following: The consequence of less verbal interaction between adult and child is a child with reduced vocabulary and the consequence of that is a poor reader! No parent wants that so I will say it again, BUILD VOCABULARY and you will BUILD A READER.

April 28, 2015

The Benefits Of Learning Sight Words

“One of the most important ways for a beginner reader to become a fluent reader is to be able to read & recognize sight words” What are sight words? Sight words refer to the words that are most frequently used and repeated in books. Emerging readers need to be able to identify words automatically (sight words) and have effective strategies for decoding unknown words (the reading toolbox). What are the benefits of a child learning sight words? Sight word recognition builds confidence When a child is able to recognise over half the words in a sentence their confidence starts to soar. Sight word recognition improves fluency When a child is able to recognise over half the words in a sentence their reading fluency improves. Sight word recognition assists the decoding process Once a child can recognise many sight words they can spend energy on decoding the more difficult words using their ‘reading toolbox’. Sight words are not easy to phonetically decode Some sight words are not phonetically regular and it is better for a child to memorise these words to aid reading fluency and pronunciation. The following 11 sight words appear frequently in sentences and are phonetically irregular – ‘the’ ‘of’ ‘a’ ‘to’ ‘you’ ’was’ ‘on’ ‘are’ ‘they’ ‘have’ ‘from’. Sight words benefit second language learners. The more sight words an English second language learner knows the better their reading chances. How does a child learn sight words? Sight word retention requires practise and repetition. The best way to achieve this without boring a young child is through games and sensory play. It’s repetition using diversity.

April 21, 2015

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