Long-term substitute teachers can lead to poorer educational results, study suggests
January 19, 2008 by andy · Leave a Comment
A study of schools in North Carolina by, among others, Duke University economist Charles Clotfelter, suggests that the long-term use of substitute teachers to plug the gaps left by absentee full-time teachers may be having a detrimental effect on children’s education.
Though the statistics aren’t readily to hand in the source article, claims are that, in general, schools’ use of subs for long-term (a year or more) teaching posts has dramatically increased over the last few years.
Discipline and learning problems often accompany a substitute teacher, because they don’t have the same plans and behavioural knowledge of a class as the regular teacher should have.
“Teachers often have to re-teach material, restore order and rebuild relationships after absences,” said Miller, who is conducting the research with Harvard University education professors.
This is not to say that substitute teachers are not worthy, or highly qualified, for the role — simply that the situation is not ideal.
(Via The Reporter)
Young children’s academic development heavily influenced by family affluence
December 13, 2007 by andy · Leave a Comment
A new study by UK children’s charity the Sutton Trust suggests that economic factors play a huge role in the academic and learning development of young children.
They claim that research on children born in the years 2000 and 2001 shows that, even between the ages of 3 and 5, less bright children from more affluent families are catching up academically with very bright children from poorer families.
By age seven, many have caught up or even overtaken them.
The Trust claims that this wide social divide hasn’t changed in thirty years.
Toddlers’ TV favourites to feature on new interactive web site for preschoolers
September 17, 2007 by andy · Leave a Comment
A new website — ClickAndPlay.com — has launched to encourage computer literacy amongst preschoolers, helping to boost their self-confidence at increasingly IT-centric schools.
To add to the fun, various hit TV characters, including Bob the Builder, feature on the site.
Users can sign up for a free subscription to the site, though it does require a PC-only piece of software to be downloaded and installed.
According to British Education Communication and Technology Agency (BECTA), the UK is ranked fourth in Europe for the highest number of internet connected computers in schools.
Alastair Gregory, MD of ClickandPlay, said that children shouldn’t spend hours in front of a computer, at the detriment of physical exercise and social skills, but that it’s as vital for preschoolers to learn how to use a computer mouse as it is how to hold a pencil.
“Parents can help prepare their child for school by adding computer time into their day-to-day play,” he said.
ClickandPlay features a range of interactive games that teach a child how to move a mouse around a screen, how to move forward and back to new pages, how to use a keyboard and how to send emails. Children love the email application as they can send a letter, with their parents help, to their favourite character, and then receive a personalised e-mail in return, written in the character’s tone of voice.
Other features include an art package that allows children to draw and paint in ClickandPlay. They receive backgrounds, stamps and animated stickers at the beginning of their subscription and can earn more as they do the activities and win stars. These can be used to make art that can be printed out or sent to the characters.
Six ways to make your child’s school safer: enter the security experts
September 3, 2007 by andy · Leave a Comment
Experts from ADT, the security firm, say that parents can be as influential as school board members, superintendents, principals and teachers in helping prevent violence in schools, and have offered up six tips for helping parents get more involved in security issues:
- Talk to your children about school security. Kids are very tuned into what happens on their ampuses. They know where there are weak spots in the security plans. Ask them about the security drills or other emergency procedures in place at their school. Also talk to them about resolving conflicts in a peaceful, nonviolent manner and about immediately reporting to school officials any threatening talk or behaviour from other students.
- Visit your child’s campus and talk with an administrator about the security plan. Among other things, find out how visitors can enter the campus. Ask if the doors are regularly locked. Check to see if the campus has cameras monitoring entries, hallways and common areas. Ask if the school has a plan in place for handling an armed person on campus.
- Educate yourself on the plans, procedures and technologies working well at other schools. Contact the National Crime Prevention Council (www.ncpc.org) for a copy of the Caregivers’ Guide to Safety and Security and School Safety and Security Toolkit: A Guide for Parents, Schools and Communities.
- Get to know the law enforcement officials assigned to your child’s school. Find out when they are on campus and what their responsibilities include. If your child’s school does not have a regularly assigned law enforcement official, work with the school to make that happen.
- Join other parents who may also be concerned about the security of their children. Become involved in the PTA or PTO and start a security committee if one does not already exist. Ask school officials to meet regularly with the group and report on security/safety incidents and continuing plans to keep the campus safe. Be an active participant by asking questions.
- Do not keep firearms easily accessible in your home. If you have weapons in your house make sure that they are kept locked and secured. Report a missing or stolen firearm to police immediately. Teach children respect for the devastation that can occur when weapons get into the wrong hands or are used improperly.
Five tips for keeping kids safe and healthy on way to school
September 3, 2007 by andy · Leave a Comment
The American Planning Association has come up with five things which parents can do as their kids return to school, to keep them both healthy and safe on the journey to and from school.
- Conduct a “Neighbourhood Walk Audit” to inventory your neighbourhood’s sidewalks and bicycle routes and determine if they are safe.
- Map out “Best Walking Routes” for your and other neighbourhood children to get to school.
- Organize “Walking School Buses” in your neighbourhood so children can make the journey to school together with an adult.
- Form a “Parent Eyes Group” enlisting parents along walking and biking routes to take turns being “eyes on the street.
- Create a “Safe Routes to School Team” by bringing in all the interest groups that have a stake in encouraging kids to walk.
More information from the APA web site.
High child care costs mean 1 in 4 women delay or decide against having children
August 16, 2007 by andy · Leave a Comment
One in four women have decided against having children altogether, or are delaying having one, because of the high cost of quality preschool and child care, according to the anti-crime organisation “Fight Crime: Invest in Kids”.
28% of women aged 25-34 have delayed starting a family or decided against having a second or subsequent child.
Law enforcement leaders are calling on Congress to increase support for child care and Head Start. Research shows that when at-risk children receive quality child care and Head Start, they are less likely to end up in trouble with the law when they grow up.
It’s good to talk: 30,000 words a day from 0 to 3 will bring academic success
August 14, 2007 by andy · Leave a Comment
Children under the age of 3 need to hear 30,000 words from their parents and caregivers to ensure optimal language development and academic success.
The Power of Talk research study has found that, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic factors, kids who converse regularly with their parents do much better educationally.
Study suggests educational DVDs and TV may not be so good for baby after all
This article was first published at Tech Digest:
A new study from researchers at the University of Washington suggests that using educational TV and DVD, such as the “Baby Einstein” and “Brainy Baby” series, or “Sesame Street”, may not be as beneficial for babies and young children as many hoped.
It’s hardly a crime for parents to let their children watch some TV, and if it’s teaching them something too, so much the better (at least, better than letting them watch Big Brother). Even so, the study suggests that for every hour per day that babies watch these DVDs and videos, they learn six to eight fewer new vocabulary words than babies who hadn’t watched them.
Now, parents being told what’s best for their kids by University boffins often leads to emotions running high. While these studies suggest that children who sit passively in front of TV shows don’t do as well educationally, child-raising is a helluva lot more complicated than that.
Back to school tips for helping your child manage peer pressure
July 13, 2007 by andy · Leave a Comment
The Californian Association of Marriage and Family Therapists has put together a list of six things parents can do to help with the burden of peer pressure:
- Talk about drinking, drugs, and other harmful behaviour, maintaining open communication and understanding your children’s opinions.
- Talk about your children’s concerns and pressures.
- Help your child to prioritise important items and form achievement goals.
- Use TV and movies to start discussions about appropriate and inappropriate ways of responding to negative classmates and peer pressure.
- Invite your children’s friends home and understand the social groups they are in.
- Address concerns your children have quickly, ensuring they don’t develop into long-term problems. Consider your children’s point-of-view when resolving image issues.
Risk to families from long school days, says UK headteacher
It feels as if the possibility of UK schools staying open from “dawn ’til dusk” has been a possibility for quite some time now, but now a headteacher has spoken out on his belief that it will pose a risk to families.
The government’s policy of opening schools from 0800 to 1800 risked damaging family relationships, head teacher Stuart Merry told the NASUWT.
Mr Merry, from Kirklees, said schools should not encourage parents to be away from their children for long days.
Delegates said extended schools should not mean extended hours for teachers.
Mr Merry said some parents regarded their children as “accessories” to their busy lives and left them with childminders for up to 12 hours a day.
He acknowledged some children, especially from deprived backgrounds needed help, but said that should not be done on the “backs of teachers”.
He said: “They are actually better off being with someone who’s qualified, getting a decent breakfast so they’re ready for school and having some care afterwards.”
“But I know children who are left with childminders at sometimes seven and eight in the morning who don’t see their parents until half past six or seven at night.
“It’s not a real issue for them to make a cohesive family.
Let’s be honest. This is all part of the increased pressure parents find themselves under. The increased cost of living in many parts of the country, plus the rise in single-parent families, means that parents feel pressured to work longer hours.
It’s rather unfair to say that all parents see their children as commodities, though of course this is a sad reality in some cases.
This is an important issue and will change the lives of children, parents, and teachers.
UK primary school kids to get books that introduce gay relationships
Gay.com UK & Ireland reports that some British primary schools will be launching a selection of books which introduce gay relationships:
The most important thing these books do is reflect reality for young children,’ said Elizabeth Atkinson, director of the No Outsiders project that is being run by Sunderland and Exeter universities and the Institute of Education (IoE) in London.
‘My background is in children’s literature and I know how powerful it is in shaping social values and emotional development. What books do not say is as important as what they do.’
Atkinson argued that the absence of gay relationships in children’s books amounted to ’silencing a social message’. She’s far from alone in believing that this gay whitewash fuels playground ignorance and can lead to bullying and isolation for children who’re gay or perceived to be.
Kids, Toys and Games
July 1, 2006 by ginny · Leave a Comment
My friends and I were talking about what would make great gifts for kids. There were suggestions of play houses, slides and toy robots. Building blocks and balls were also recommended along with cars, trucks and various vehicles of all shapes and sizes. Some were truly expensive toys that I would love to have myself.
You could tell who of us actually grew up with kids around or were already parents because of the kind of gifts we suggested. Experience has shown me that sometimes the one we think they will love the least is what they like the most.
Take for example the slide. I managed to save up for one and gave it to my kids a couple of years ago for christmas. They loved the size of the gift and were excitedly tearing the wrapper. As soon as we had it out of the box, you know what they did? They ignored the slide and played house with the box it came in!
Kids have simple tastes when they are young. We are the ones who teach them to have a desire for the toys that flash and whirl and go bang. There are many simple toys that are fun and educational and absolutely perfect for them.
Among toys that my kids loved as babies are soft blocks, assorted buckets, swim balls, a basketball set (the kind that was adjustable) and for my girl - a rag doll.
Now, they play with many kinds of toys but we have added game boards that we can play as a family. We play Uno, Scrabble, Cranium, Sorry and Monopoly together. Of course, living with computers, we each have a neopet which helps teach the kids responsibility as well.
Toys are meant to be fun as well as educational. There are many toys to choose from. Keep in mind that the kinds of toys they play with help shape their character and their safety is always of paramount importance.
