Education

Once a child has the creativity to come up with a story on their own, but it is lacking in length and depth, try having them make their stories more complex by adding a problem and a resolution. Inexperienced writers generally don’t make their stories very deep, probably because they want to get the writing over with, but also, they may not know how to do it. If a student writes a short story without any depth, what I usually do is ask them, “What if….?. What if it’s too hot inside the spaceship and the snowman starts to melt? What if the country ran out of food while you are the President?” Students usually take no issue with solving problems in their story, and they think it’s really fun! Feel free to give them plenty of prompts at first and you will notice that they may not need them after a period of time.

In order for the student to gain independence in complex writing, I will start to ask what a problem in the story could be before the student begins to write.For example, if a student is writing about being a superhero, I would ask, “Who is the villain or bad guy and what superpowers do they have? How will you save people from them?” This aides them in the brainstorming process and allows them to feel confident in their own abilities.

As always, point out their good writing with lots of praise, even down to their word choice. Kids are more apt to write more and write well when they feel that the person reading it will enjoy it and notice how much effort went into it. And remember, that spelling will improve with practice, so don’t be too anxious over misspelled words.
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I hadn’t been working at U CAN LEARN for very long before I discovered that the majority of students who are struggling academically in reading, math, etc., were also really struggling with writing. Once I began having the students write, even if it was a few sentences a session, I noticed that many other things started to improve. Handwriting, vocabulary, creativity, reading comprehension and spelling all started to naturally increase. Don’t get me wrong, we put emphasis in other places too, but I was amazed at how writing was able to help the students really put to use what they were learning in other areas. Even the most reluctant student has learned to love writing here, and the confidence they gain from using a skill they feel they have improved was really rewarding for me and the other tutors.

Writing is a challenge! It’s also intimidating to think about writing something and having someone else read and critique it. Common fears I hear often are, “What if the reader doesn’t like it?” or “What if I make mistakes or don’t spell the words right?” When a student is reluctant or fearful to write, they have a mental block against it and are convinced that they can’t produce a “worthy” story. These students need lots of coaxing and practice, as well as heavy praise in order to overcome their fears. This post will give you one way to help your student overcome their fear of writing. Check back for the other tried-and-true tips coming soon!

Tip 1: Fostering Creativity

Students who are struggling academically may find it hard to think of an interesting story. Others may struggle to get their thoughts down on paper, so what comes out is usually very simple. Know that simple is a great place to start! If they have a hard time thinking of WHAT to write about, try giving them a prompt. Sometimes we will use 3 stickers, pictures or toys that they need to use in their story. We also let them write about what they like; sports, animals, vacations, technology, superpowers. If it’s interesting to them, they will write. You can also ask questions like, “What if there was no such thing as electricity?” or, “What would you do if you were the President of the United States for a day?” You will be amazed at what you come up with! I can’t stress enough that whatever they write is acceptable. The more practice they have, the better they will get. Foster creativity by giving them ideas for characters or names. Help in the creative stage is okay when they are just starting out. After some time, you will notice that they no longer need/want your ideas and can be creative all on their own.

It’s also very important at this stage that we don’t worry about exact spelling, periods, capitols, etc. You can help them fix some mistakes, yes, but don’t be a perfectionist. In my experience, once I relax about spelling and punctuation, the student is more excited to write. Once they’re excited to write, they will be less fragile to correct. Also, writing can increase spelling ability and you’d be surprised that your student will start to notice and correct his or her own mistakes.

This is just one area of writing that I hope will improve for your fearful or hesitant writer. Check back for more tips, and happy writing!

Jenna

Christmas break has come to an end and the students who aren’t exactly excited to return to the classroom might find their “school flame” a bit weak, or worse, extinguished. William Butler Yeats said, “Schooling is not the filling of the pail, but the lighting of the fire.” So what to do when a student has little or no motivation to complete their homework? What can you say to a child that doesn’t even want to go to school? How can a student stay motivated beyond Gym Wednesday or Pizza Friday? As a parent or educator, we pull out our best logic, we use all the reasons that schoolwork should get done-but the problem is, motivation is a feeling, so trying to create this feeling using logic doesn’t always work.

Deborah Stipek, Ph.D, Dean of the Stanford University School of Education, is an expert in the subject of motivation in young children. She’s also a mother, so her latest book, Motivated Minds/Raising Children to Love Learning, is full of practical advice.

Dr. Stipek says kids will be self-motivated to learn when they:

• Feel competent about something
• Have some choice and control over their learning
• Believe that intelligence isn’t fixed at birth
• Feel loved and respected by their parents

FIND YOUR CHILD’S PASSIONS

Create a list of the things that your child naturally enjoys doing. If your child has a particular strength in school, such as being a math whiz, find ways outside of school to expose him or her to math in the real world – computers, hands-on science museums, and math camps.

If he/she struggles with most school subjects, look elsewhere for his or her passions. Pay attention to whatever makes your child perk up. Is it animals? Plants? Music? Art? Sports?

Have your child build a collage of this passion, let him/her write a book or make a family website. He/she could research and write about animals that are rarely seen. Try putting his/her picture in photos of these animals, Photoshop him or her in a setting as a famous explorer who finds rare animals. Let him or her draw an animal he/she imagines might be found someday.

Use this passion in all subjects, making it fit math skills, spelling, writing and reading.

Talk about how performing well in school will help them achieve their dreams of reaching that desired passion. Once you help them see how their actions will lead to a cool future, create a daily routine that ensures that they do what they need to do. Once the homework task is done, they are rewarded with more focus on their passion.

The key to motivating your child the second part of the year is by associating positive emotions and feelings with spending time on their homework.