Every Parent Matters

The ability to read is the single most important factor in a child’s education. It is one of the easiest areas in which a parent can help at home using one of the reading games now available to help. Yet 67% of all parents don’t bother reading aloud with their children. Only 33% read with their children daily and the majority are mothers. Dad’s have given up or never started to help in the first place.

These startling figures have been revealed by Booktrust, a charity that promotes reading. They also established the drop off rate is alarming declining from 43% to 37% in the last two years.

Almost 25% rarely or never read with their children. And in the place of reading is TV. A further oddity is that the older the parent the least likely they are to read to their children. 75% of mothers aged 25 – 34 read to their children but this drops to 60% with mothers aged 35-44 and down to 33% if they are 45-54 yeard old.

In order to excel in school reading is an absolute must. Practice helps significantly and the easiest way is with your parents at home. There are some great online books that feature animations to help with the reading.

Dads are abandoning the essential task of reading to their children. Seven steps to overcome the fear of most Dads in a simple guide to encourage them to read bedtime stories to their children and turn story reading into an educational game. Recognised as a key ingredient to a child’s reading development this enjoyable task has fallen by the wayside with 57 percent of Dads.

Point a video camera at somebody and ask them to say something, the chances are they will clam up. It’s a natural reaction; most of us don’t want to take centre stage. And it is the same with bedtime stories. To help at a child understand the story we should try to use different voices for each character, apply inflection in the narration and worst of all we have to read out aloud!

It’s the end of the day, we’re tired, stressed, and certainly don’t feel the ideal person to read a story. Whereas mums tend to take the lead in early learning with their natural affinity with language, the bedtime educational story is still a vital support role that dad’s should play. Stories develop a child’s imagination, encourages literacy, self expression and an interest in reading – the backbone of all education.

Step 1. Catch your breath, relax and take your time. No point in rushing as you will achieve little apart from disappointing your child and getting frustrated yourself.

Step 2. Reading aloud may be awkward initially, with many of us inhibited by the thought of it. But it becomes a lot easier with practice. Speaking to a video camera involves ad libing or remembering some lines. Reading a story is easier as the script is right there before you.

Step 3. Try and develop a different voice for each character. It helps add drama and your child’s understanding of the story. It makes reading easier for you and listening more fun for the children.

Step 4. Add inflection to your voice to emphasise the action. Make it sound scary if the villain speaks or you are setting a key scene in the story.

Step 5. Try listening to an online story. Many can be found on the web. Narrated by actors they tell the story and also give you a great idea of how you can read a story out loud.

Step 6. Show your feelings as you read the story, and ask questions to get your child to join in “What do you feel about that?”

Step 7. Read support books such as “Dad did it” by Chris Wakefield, and “How to enjoy reading aloud to young children” by Alison Shakespeare.

You have probably presented a report or opinion at work, school or university. You may have loved or loathed the experience. Some people have a natural talent to present; others need a bit of encouragement. Do remember at bedtime you have an intimate audience of one or two delighted children who also enjoy their time with you. It induces some quality time with the kids, gives mum a break and acts as a transition between work and home. With practice you will really get to enjoy it.

The LiteracyTtrust in the UK have shown that story telling has a huge influence in a child’s interest in reading. Their literacy skills leap ahead, and their story telling ability, something that is essential in expression, gets a real boost. And it could all be down to you and a little light reading.

Alistair Owens http://www.keen2learn.co.uk

They say education is a lifelong journey. Difficult to comprehend when you are at school slogging through lessons and exams but learning can be greater fun when turned into an educational game. Take a practical application and apply as many subjects that have been learned in the classroom.

This morning I took a shower, a frequent occurrence I hasten to add, but today I had one of those eureka moments – a tribute perhaps to that other rather more famous bather. Have you ever thought how much science is involved in the process of taking a shower?

To highlight the point I have used the following abbreviations as each topic appeared during my ablutions.

• Biology (B)
• Physics (P)
• Chemistry (C)
• Maths (M)
• Citizenship (City)
• Psychology (Psy)
• Geography (G)
• Geology (Geo)
• English Language (Eng)

The first question to loom up is why we take a shower? The experience is functional in removing body odours created by bacteria, (B) but also physiological as it induces endorphins that help wake you up and make you feel good (Psy) Removal of body odours also makes you a little less undesirable to others nearby ( City).

The water is fed from a header tank under gravity- thanks to Newton (P) – and as I’m a devout wuss, heated. Energy is consumed to heat the water by the conversion of electrical energy into heat P). This is measured in watts, the result of multiplying volts by amperes (M +P).

Responding to marketing persuasion I have been attracted to the delights of a power shower. The increased force (P) boosts the endorphins (B) but unfortunately uses 12 times the amount of water (Geo) than the gravity shower all of which has to be heated (P ) This is draining the natural resources, literally, of water and power causing environmental concerns (forgot to add the code for the environment – that’s an (E). The availability of water depends on geography (G) and the natural storage which locally are aquifers (Geo).

Being male I have a predilection to B.o.g.o.f offers ( buy one get one free) in supermarkets and anything in blue packaging (Psy) The resultant over purchase of needless stock (M) led to a ban by my wife (City)that means all shower products used have her stamp of approval and sensible supply level.

Today’s showering experience was a cornucopia of non blue ingredients. The shampoo promised a “Fruitful Infusion” to produce a “Dazzling Shine” (Eng) from the passion flower, patchouli and vetiver ingredients(B). The conditioner provided “Tangle free hair with uplifted volume” enhancing the dazzle effect by way of a “Citrus lift”(Eng) from tangerine, lemongrass and aloe vera (B) And the rest of the body below the head was in turn subjected to “Serious pampering”(Eng) from fennel (B) and sea mineral (C) based in a silky smooth shower gel (C).

The post shower application of talcum powder, contained talc mineral (C+Geo). The deodorant, promising to maintain a “desert – dry”(Eng) atmosphere under the arms (B +G) from aluminium zirconium trichlorohydrex (C). The aftershave contained alcohol ( C).

In the space of 5 minutes I had consumed 150 litres of water, 4 kilowatts of energy (P), half an alpine meadow of additives, and drained the lot away to the water treatment works where they will use bacteria (B) to break the ingredients free from the water, and off we go again.

Taking a simple shower will seem a lot busier from now on. My shower involved 34 applications of science and learning and a lot of fun to see just how many links with education can exist.

Alistair Owens operates an educational games web site www.keen2learn.co.uk and writes on educational matters for a wide range of publications.

The role of a modern teacher is not easy. The objective to impart knowledge, instil a learning ability, an interest in learning and ultimately groom their students towards examination success posses many challenges in modern schooling. The expectations of parents, educational authorities, the schools inspectorate and changes in society are a growing challenge to the average teacher resulting in a significant number falling by the wayside.

The dilemma is how to provide the ideal modern teaching resource extending from early learning through primary to secondary and high school. We need to compare the honed skill of the experienced teacher applying the traditional approach, able to control a class of mixed ability, with that of a computer literate vogue fledgling teacher. But in the contemporary school which has the greater relevance? Modern technology has resulted in significant changes to the teaching resources now used in school. Sophisticated software and a games approach to learning can enliven the class lesson content immeasurably compared to 15 years ago. Educationalists have developed a fun learning approach to education, turning many a dull subject into educational games. This approach has even spurred eminent scholars in education research on the University campus to recognise the advantage of applying greater video game content in education.

But still that question, which of the teaching skills is therefore better matched to the modern classroom. The mature disciplinarian versus the technocrat. A few years ago I had a conversation with a large supplier of “whiteboards” that have appeared in many classrooms. This sophisticated piece of modern electronic wizardry allows the teacher to project information onto a class sized interactive screen and interface with a computer program. The problem is the computer literacy required to make them work effectively is not second nature to many otherwise skilled teachers and many have tended to switch them off having spent most of the lesson trying to master the operation. The supplier found a significant number being used only as a modern “blackboard” with dry wipe pens used instead of chalk. This expensive technical standoff can be perhaps personified by the “video chasm”, where parents rely on children to operate the video or DVD recorder.

Yet technology is a core element of the curriculum and needs cohesive introduction, or does it? Can anyone recall giving instruction to children on the operation of a mobile phone? Doubtless the skill wasn’t taught at school yet the average child’s speed of operation and use of a phone’s features is phenomenal. Children learn from experimentation, the buzz of immediate feedback and peer support. The hands -on approach has a significant benefit. It would seem there is a need for a mixture of instruction at school and experimentation that might have to extend beyond the school timetable.

So who does makes the better teacher; the mature disciplinarian or the technocrat? I believe the mature approach has the edge. Learning is a process that benefits from a sound structure that can be enhanced by technology rather than replaced by it. The early building blocks for learning need to be put in place correctly to guide and enthuse. If this is enhanced through an element of fun in learning English games rather than pure text book slog then so much the better, but in the long run it is the steady experienced and proven approach rather than the fashionable that wins through. Yet the time served teacher is under threat as many are leaving the profession early due to the mounting pressures of the role. And of equal concern the young fledgling that would ultimately become the next generation of mature teacher is also falling by the wayside, with a significant number of new teachers leaving the profession within three years. Perhaps we need to turn education inside out and really get to understand the needs, motivation and experience of teachers and how the system should be best configured. Maybe the experience of an Ofsted inspection on the bureaucrats behind the system could be the start.