104 Reprinted fromYoung Children • January 2010® 1, 2,.docx
How to Gear Your Child towards Academic Success
1. How to Gear Your Child
towards Academic Success:
The Learner Attributes
Dr. Michael Matthew, Ed.D
Staff Developer and IB Coordinator
for American Youth Academy
2. How to Gear Your Child towards
Academic Success:
The Learner Attributes
Purpose
To explore academic
strategies of gearing
children towards
academic success
To identify learner
attributes as integral to
academic success
Agenda
What about homework?
What does current research
say about my child’s
learning process?
What are learner
attributes?
How can knowing about
learner attributes assist me
with my child’s education?
3. Parents often view their children’s
academic success as being involved with
homework. Whether children do
homework at home, complete it in after
school programs or work on it during
the school day, homework can be a
important for:
(a) Informing parents and other
adults what the child is learning
(b) Providing children and parents a
reason to talk about what’s going
on in their class, subject, or school
(c) Communicating with teachers
about children’s learning concerns,
challenges, or progress
What about homework?
6. The learning Process
Maturationist Theory
The maturationist theory was advanced by the work of Arnold Gessell.
Maturationists believe that development is a biological process that occurs
automatically in predictable, sequential stages over time (Hunt, 1969). This
perspective leads many educators and families to assume that young children
will acquire knowledge naturally and automatically as they grow physically
and become older, provided that they are healthy (Demarest, Reisner,
Anderson, Humphrey, Farquhar, & Stein, 1993)
Environmentalist Theory
Theorists such as John Watson, B.F. Skinner, and Albert Bandura
contributed greatly to the environmentalist perspective of development.
Environmentalists believe the child's environment shapes learning and
behavior; in fact, human behavior, development, and learning are thought
of as reactions to the environment. This perspective leads many families,
schools, and educators to assume that young children develop and acquire
new knowledge by reacting to their surroundings.
7. The learning Process
Constructivist Theory
The constructivist perspective of readiness and development was advanced
by theorists such as Jean Piaget, Maria Montessori, and Lev Vygotsky.
Although their work varies greatly, each articulates a similar context of
learning and development. They are consistent in their belief that learning
and development occur when young children interact with the environment
and people around them (Hunt, 1969).
Constructivists view children as active participants in the learning process.
In addition, constructivists believe that children initiate most of the activities
required for learning and development. Because active interaction with the
environment and people are necessary for learning and development,
constructivists believe that children are ready for school when they can
initiate many of the interactions they have with the environment and people
around them.
8. The learning Process
Most research today indicates that the constructivist
model of instruction is the key to academic success,
both at school and at home.
What to look for in schools:
• Teachers and adults have direct conversations with children
• In elementary classrooms children move actively from one learning center to
another
• In middle and high school classrooms children engage in active learning
processes such as answering open ended questions, group projects, extended
essays, and debates
• Daily activities are made meaningful through the incorporation of children's
experiences into the curriculum
9. The learning Process
Most research today indicates that the constructivist
model of instruction is the key to academic success,
both at school and at home.
What to have in homes:
• Parents engage their young children in reading and storytelling activities
• Parents encourage children's participation in daily household activities in a
way that introduces concepts such as mathematics, language use, and science
• Parents ask, “Why?” in a constructive manner that involves critical thinking
and engages in the learning process rather than for disciplinary reasons:
CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING
• There are physical and psychological structures such as a specific time, place,
and rules for completing homework
12. The Learner Attributes
21st Century standards for academic success require
facilitating key attributes that are holistically linked
to the learning experiences of our children.
Inquirers
Knowledgeable
Thinkers
Communicators
Principled
Open-minded
Caring
Risk-takers
Balanced
Reflective
13. Contact Information
Dr. Michael Matthew
American Youth Academy
5905 E. 130th Ave
Tampa, FL 33617
Work: 813-987-9282 extension 216
Email: mmatthew@ayatampa.com
Email: drmikematthew@gmail.com
14. Demarest, E.J., Reisner, E.R., Anderson, L.M., Humphrey, D.C., Farquhar, E., & Stein,
S.E. (1993). Review of research on achieving the nation's readiness goal. Washington,
DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., Battiato, A. C., Walker, J. M. T., Reed, R. P., DeJong, J. M., &
Jones, K. P. (2001). Parental involvement in homework. Educational Psychologist, 36,
195–210.
Hunt, J.M. (1969). The impact and limitations of the giant of developmental
psychology. In D. Elkind & J. Flavell (Eds.), Studies in cognitive development: Essays
in honor of Jean Piaget. New York: Oxford University Press
Walker, J. M. T., Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., Whetsel, D. R., & Green, C. L. (2004).
Parental involvement in homework a review of current research and its implications for
teachers, after school program staff, and parent leaders. Retrieved from
http://www.hfrp.org/
References
