How to Help Children Succeed

1. How to Help Children Succeed Downtown School PTAFriday, January 10th2014

2. The Whole Child Academic Social Emotional

3. Big Ideas • Motivation and Challenging • Keeping At It • Curiosity and Resourcefulness • Self-Confidence

4. Motivation and Challenge • What drives us to keep working at something even when it is hard? • It turns out we feel motivated when we value what we’re trying to learn – when it’s interesting fun or meaningful to us • We stay with it when we think we can do it if we try. If it doesn’t challenge us we’re bored. If it’s too far beyond our reach we get discouraged.

5. How do we Keep Students Motivated and Challenged at the Downtown School? • One way is by helping students set individual learning goals. • Conferencing with students to discuss their work. • Posing challenging tasks and questions to students • Allowing students to explore topics of interest • Book choice during independent reading time • Using hands on developmentally appropriate learning opportunities.

6. How Can You Support Your Child at Home? Your goal is to help your child develop interest and take on the right amount of challenge. • Ask your child to pick something he or she enjoys doing and wants to get better at. What got them interested? Talk together about the answers. • It looked like fun • Someone supported and encouraged you from the start • The activity had an audience that mattered to you • You had a personal interest in getting good at it

7. FACT • You can’t give your children motivation or “make” them motivated. But you can help find ways they can explore and expand their interests. • You can also help them keep their challenges within their reach - not too many, not too heavy to take on.

8. Keeping At It • Persistence means that we keep going, even when it’s hard and we feel like quitting. • Practice is part of persistence. No one likes doing the same thing over and over again until we get it right. • But if we practice with a clear goal, with focus, and with encouraging feedback, we’ll see results. • And when we see results, we’ll probably keep at it!

9. How do we Help Students Keep At it at the Downtown School? • Mathematical Practice Standard # Persevere in problem solving. – Posing problems that require students to communicate, think and work together • Frequent check-ins/conference when students begin their work to allow success early on. • Setting realistic expectations for individual students • Content – words of encouragement on the process

10. How can you support your child at home? Your goal as parents is to help your child keep on and stay focused, even when quitting seems easier. • Praise more, correct less • Point out that it’s worth the trouble • Giving students time to work • Lay down the law, selectively

11. FACT • The “deliberate practice” involved in keeping at it has a clear goal. It demands attention. It matches what you need to work on. • 10 to 20 minutes of this kind of practice does more than an hour does practicing the same thing with no purpose.

12. Curiosity • We are born curious! And we are meant to stay that way. • Curiosity makes the mind active instead of passive. • It prepares the mind for new ideas. • It opens new worlds to your child.

13. Resourcefulness • Resourcefulness goes with curiosity. • Resourceful people learn to take the initiative. • They seek out information on their own. • They find creative ways to “make do” • They deal well with new or difficult situations.

14. How do we Keep Students Curious and Resourceful at the Downtown School? • Write and ask questions of guest speakers/experts • Engage in research – using the public library, internet, local community contacts • Allow them to have choice in their learning • Ask “what if…” questions of our students

15. How can you support your child at home? Your goal is to help your child develop an open mind and become more self-reliant. Tips for developing curiosity – in yourself and your child • Keep an open mind • Ask lots of questions • Forget “boring” • See learning as fun • Dip your toe in other worlds • Ask the “right” questions of your child about their day

16. How can you support your child at home? Tips for Developing Resourcefulness • Teach everyday skills • Help your child practice gathering information • Encourage problem-solving

17. FACT • Our brain craves new experiences almost as much as it craves food. When kids say, “I’m not interested,” try to spark their curiosity before moving on. • Curiosity paired with motivation, is a powerful combination. Teach your child resourcefulness and you have a winning combination.

18. Self Confidence • All parents want their children to have self-confidence. • We want them to believe that they have what it takes, that they can overcome what holds them back. • How do we build our children’s confidence when they need more? We show that we believe in them. We praise their effort, every time.

19. How Do we Help your child develop self-Confidence at the Downtown School? • Asking questions of guest speakers/experts • Encouraging and allowing them to take risks • Allow and support students to solve problems on their own • Supporting students through their failures

20. How can you support your child at home? Your goal is to show that you believe in your child-by praising effort, every time. • Attend your child’s events • Spend time with your child • Make small gestures that show you care • Be generous with your praise • Let kids know you’re a permanent part of their lives