Starting the new school year can be a little overwhelming…

Where did the holidays go? All those days of late nights and sleeping in…or all day (and night) computer game marathons!

And all the children go back to school....

Here are a few quick tips to help get back into the swing of things.

For Parents:

1. Start the year in the same way you would like it to end. If you want clear boundaries and guidelines, set the ground rules early and stick to them!
2. Limit computer games and TV – you are the parents so you set the rules. Remove the power cord if you need to!
3. Take an interest in your child’s day. Ask what they enjoyed. Ask about homework. Ask about what homework was set, rather than a question that produces a simple yes or no answer.
4. DON’T BUY ANY JUNK FOOD! If it is not in the house it is less easy to access. Provide nutritious snacks, meals and drinks with plenty of options that are not processed.
5. Encourage a balance of activities.
6. Set bed time limits. Lights out at …
7. Teach organisational skills. Help your child write lists and get organised. Have a planner for the family in a place where everyone can see it and encourage all your children to write on it and look at it daily.
8. Ask your child if they need help.
9. Encourage positive friendships and relationships.
10. Spend quality time with your children and plan fun activities for the whole family.

For students:

1. Be as organised as possible. This means a clean room, books labelled and in folders and a school dairy that you use – record important due dates, events and homework and look at it each night.
2. Establish good work habits. As soon as you get home grab a quick snack and then get stuck into your homework. Use TV, computer games and Facebook as a reward, once you get the work out of the way.
3. Ask for help! If you don’t know something, make an effort to research and learn it. Make a list of questions and ask your teacher or a friend the next day at school. This is really important – especially in maths.
4. Eat well. Yes, healthy food is good for you! Opt for whole fruit and water rather than juice, soft drink, sugary or salty snacks.  The less processed food you eat, the better your brain will function and the better you will feel. Eat a banana or an apple instead of a muesli bar or chocolate bar.
5. Stay connected. Yes, Facebook is fine in moderation. It is important to socialise with your friends and feel part of a group. We all need friends to help us through.
6. Get enough exercise! Most students have compulsory Physical Education classes at school but sometimes you might need a bit more. Take the dog for a walk or go to the gym with a friend.
7. Get enough sleep! Teenagers need 8 to 10 hours per night. And you also need to catch up on any sleep that you missed. Therefore if you stay up all night on Saturday you will need to catch up on that sleep during the following week.
8. Plan for some FUN time! What do you really enjoy doing? Life is a balancing act; you need to make time to have fun.
9. Plan time to relax and just chill out. Listening to music, or going for a walk is a great way to relax and unwind.
10. Write down some goals.

Homework needs to be part of the daily routine

Homework is an important part of your child’s daily routine. Good habits, established early in school, help children consolidate what they have learned at school.

Here are a few tips for parents to help with homework:

Develop a homework routine and schedule

• Together with your child, establish a specific time and place for homework. Set a specific time allocation each day for homework and stick to the routine.
• Ensure that all extracurricular activities, medical appointments, chores and responsibilities, meal times and bedtimes are accounted for in the schedule.
• Be aware that some children prefer to start their homework immediately after school, however other children need to play and relax before settling into their homework. Experiment with different times to see what works best.
• Keep an eye on things to ensure that homework is actually being done during the agreed time.

Create a better work environment:

• Make sure your child’s study is free from distractions and is easy for you to monitor.
• Limit distractions in the home during homework hours, such as noise or interruptions from other siblings.
• Turn off TV and radio.
• Remove phone and if working on the computer, close email and the various chat and social networking sites.
• Be sure all books, pens and homework resources are within easy reach.
• Consider placing a couple of motivational posters on the walls in the study area.

Help with preparation and structure:

• Expect your child to have all assignments and homework recorded.
• Review each task with your child.
• Encourage your child to review tasks each night and make a plan before beginning.
• Write a to-do list with estimated time to spend on each task.
• Encourage your child to check off tasks once they have been accomplished.

Increase motivation:

• Use a timer to challenge your child to stay on task.
• A “beat the clock” system is often effective – motivating children to complete the task before the buzzer goes off!
• Remind your child to complete homework and offer incentives: “When you finish, you can play computer games.”
• Praise work well done.
• Withhold privileges until a certain amount of homework has been completed.

I hope these tips help to make homework time run more smoothly at your house!

Spelling well helps us communicate efficiently with the outside world. Everyone needs strategies to help spell words correctly.

Learn the sounds of the a..b..c

We have compiled a collection of spelling strategies that can assist individuals to spell better.

Tips include:

• Learning a variety of spelling strategies.
• Making up your own strategies to help with difficult words.
• Using a glossary for new and unusual words in various academic subjects.
• Learning to conquer your own personal “spelling demons”… and a whole lot more!

To download a tip sheet on spelling strategies click here.
Spelling is something we can all work on – let us all be the best spellers we can be!

Why conduct assessment?

Assessment is useful to identify an individual’s learning ability.  More information on Psychological Assessments for students can be found here.

Usually I recommended both a WISC ( Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) or WPPSI-III (Wechsler Preschool & Primary Scale of Intelligence) and a WIAT ( Wechsler Individual Achievement Test) as these two tests give the best indication of a student’s cognitive ability and academic achievement levels.

The scoring of these two tests is done in such a way that when used in combination can predict any discrepancies between intelligence and achievement. Assessment may also be helpful to identify learning disabilities (such as dyslexia), giftedness or under achievement.

The most common is when a child has an average or above average intelligence and is below average in achievement. This is usually due to a specific learning disability in reading or maths.

However, the most important reason for conducting assessment is to develop an individual learning plan for each individual. Everyone learns differently, however, once you know strengths and weaknesses, learning programs can be tailored to an individual’s needs.

For example, if a student struggles with decoding words, then they need to work on a phonics based program. If they are having problems with reading comprehension, then a learning program should target comprehension.

Dyslexia is a learning disability, where it manifests itself as a difficulty with reading and written language.  It is believed to be a brain –based condition.

Basically people with dyslexia are processing language differently to others.
Some have referred to dyslexia as a “gift” because often these people need to find creative ways to solve problems. Despite their difficulties in decoding written language, they can find ways around this and end up solving problems in different ways.  However, for a young person learning to read – it can be frustrating!

Assessment can also identify issues with auditory processing.  Auditory processing is the ability to encode auditory information. Problems in auditory processing may lead to problems in auditory working memory and auditory sequencing. Many dyslexics have auditory processing problems including history of auditory reversals. Auditory processing disorder is recognised as one of the major causes of dyslexia.

Assessment is also useful to detect any difficulties as early as possible. If you detect a problem in learning early, then early intervention is essential.

A qualified Educational Psychologist is the best person to conduct these assessments. They can then provide details recommendations for each individual.

Students with learning problems often suffer from a low self esteem.  Counselling is often recommended to help individuals understand that they are not “dumb” or “stupid” – they simply learn differently!

Being successful with study means that you have to be organised! Completing homework and getting all your assignments done is great, but this isn’t study.

This post will outline reasons for getting organised, some tips for getting organised and  it will define what studying actually is! It will also gives students some study tips.

Reasons for getting organised:

• You can easily find the books you need to study.
• You know what needs to be studied.
• You have a complete set of notes of the work completed in class.
• You can learn more effectively.
• You don’t waste valuable time looking for things!
• You are able to break tasks down into manageable study blocks.
• You are able to achieve better result!

Read more

It is important to be organised

Being organised and concentrating during class time are essential elements for academic success at school and at university.

During Class

• Just hearing what your teachers say is not the same as listening to what they say. Listening is a cognitive act that requires you to pay attention, think and mentally process what you hear.
• Make an effort to concentrate during every class.
• Be attentive and concentrate on what the teacher is saying.
• Try to make links between what you are learning and what you already know.
• Sit near the front or middle of the class room.
• Identify what the teacher hopes to teach you during the lesson.
• Make an effort to sit away from friends who distract you during class.
• Participate in class – ask at least one question per class.
• Write notes – jot down a few points about what the teacher is saying.
• Wear an elastic band around wrist and flick it to remind you to concentrate!
• Use Diary – after each lesson write down homework (if nothing is set write this down).

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Learning to grow

There was a recent article about raising smart kids in Scientific American Mind (Vol 18, No.6). The main idea conveyed was the need to foster a ‘growth’ mind set in learners.

Apparently, the key to success at school is not so much intelligence as it is effort.

Research suggests that while our society values superior intelligence and ability, an over-emphasis on intellect or innate talent can leave students vulnerable to failure, fearful of change or unmotivated to learn.

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