Love Learning

More evidence of a teaching failure in NZ schools. Love Learning is here to help.

Agencies dispute over how to solve low literacy and numeracy scores High failure rates in new literacy and numeracy tests have led to friction between the Qualifications Authority and Ministry of Education.

Ultimately, a child's success at school is dependent on the quality of their interactions with their teacher. The teacher can make or break a child's potential to succeed.

Letter to a sadist headmaster An author writes to a teacher who took considerable pleasure in beating him

Love Learning has compiled 10 top tips to help parents guide their child through the new school year and help them avoid the "struggle zone". All of these tips are designed to reassure parents that there are strategies that can be used right now to support children who are struggling at school.
Top Tip #10/10
Get help - It may be time to involve a tutor. But it is critical to be informed about what tutoring services actually offer. Otherwise there is a risk that you will just end up investing your hard-earned money in an unnecessary education insurance policy or enrolling your child into a homework factory.
This will not solve your problem. Instead, consider investing your time in learning about what effective teaching and learning actually looks like.
In this way, you are likely to be more effective at supporting your child. (see tip #6)

https://lovelearning.nz/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-a-reading-tutor-for-your-child/

Love Learning has compiled 10 top tips to help parents guide their child through the new school year and help them avoid the "struggle zone". All of these tips are designed to reassure parents that there are strategies that can be used right now to support children who are struggling at school.
Top Tip #9/10
Compassion first - Trust your instincts, trust your child. If your child is not thriving at school or is just "hanging in there", then it may be time to view it as a "red flag".
The concern you have been suppressing up until now, may actually be justified.
And note, just because you had to tolerate a negative school experience as a child, it doesn't justify your child having to tolerate the same negative experience as you had to.
If you think your child is in the "struggle zone" it is then time to locate the source of that struggle. The school system is not always perfect. Which means there is plenty of scope fro the "teaching and learning disconnect" to have a negative impact on your child. But rather than look for scapegoats, apply a problem solving approach.
Start a conversation. A friendly chat with your child's teacher, highlighting your observations about your child is a good place to start.

https://lovelearning.nz/ten-guiding-principles-to-help-support-your-teaching-practice/

Love Learning has compiled 10 top tips to help parents guide their child through the new school year and help them avoid the "struggle zone". All of these tips are designed to reassure parents that there are strategies that can be used right now to support children who are struggling at school.
Top Tip #8/10
Resist labels - My child is dyslexic/has too much energy/can't focus/is anxious...
Check your belief systems at the door. Every child can learn if they are exposed to effective teaching. It is that simple. Effective teaching creates effective learning.
But before the learning takes place, you may need to invest time and energy into boosting the child's motivation and curiosity quotient. I describe this as "getting ready to learn". It is a different problem to solve than teaching a child to read.
It is relatively straightforward to achieve but it is essential if you want a child to be a good reader. By boosting motivation and curiosity you are increasing the chances of a child being an effective learner. In teacher speak, it is called "student agency". ie. the student is at the heart of their learning growth.

https://lovelearning.nz/the-impact-student-agency-has-on-improving-student-learning-outcomes/

Love Learning has compiled 10 top tips to help parents guide their child through the new school year and help them avoid the "struggle zone". All of these tips are designed to reassure parents that there are strategies exist that can be used right now to support children who are struggling at school.
Top Tip #7/10
Understand your child's underlying behaviour - Behaviour is universal. Often it is not an issue of ability that is holding your child back but about motivation.
You can get an understanding of your child's behaviour by understanding your own behaviour. For example, when you have to complete a task that you find difficult or unappealing, it is quite likely that you will engage in behaviour that helps you avoid doing that task.
Your child is no different and will use the same behaviour strategies in order to avoid the learning task if it is too difficult or not interesting enough.
Using inducements and rewards to sweeten the learning tasks is a legitimate strategy.

https://lovelearning.nz/managing-behaviour-in-a-constructive-way-requires-deep-teacher-reflection/

Love Learning has compiled 10 top tips to help parents guide their child through the new school year and help them avoid the "struggle zone". All of these tips are designed to reassure parents that help is at hand and that strategies exist that can be used right now to support children who are struggling.
Tip #6/10
Get curious and be informed - It may come as a surprise to hear but, there is a best way of teaching that will ensure that the best learning happens. This best way of teaching is "open-source" and accessible to everyone. You will need to have an open mind and you are likely to be provoked into thinking differently about the education system and how learning happens best.
https://lovelearning.nz/teacher-as-catalyst-for-positive-change-in-the-classroom-and-beyond/

Love Learning has compiled 10 top tips to help parents guide their child through the new school year and help them avoid the "struggle zone". You just need to be aware that there are strategies available.
Tip #5/10
Model, model, and model some more - Model explicitly and generously. Start with materials before moving onto abstract concepts. Assume your child is competent and capable of learning when provided with the right input.
Be very clear about what you are wanting them to learn. Then provide them with lots of generous scaffolding and slowly nudge them along.
Academic learning is build on a strong foundation of enthusiasm, curiosity, confidence and engagement. Attitude and effort are key indicators of learning achievement.
Learn to make yourself and the learning tasks addictive. This is critical when you realise you are competing against their favourite computer game or social meda app.
https://lovelearning.nz/the-key-teaching-ingredients-to-make-great-learning-happen-are-readily-available/

While it can be frustrating for parents to see their child struggling at school, there are some strategies that parents can use to support their child. Love Learning has compiled 10 top tips to help parents guide their child through the new school year and help them avoid the "struggle zone".
Tip #4/10
Focus on the journey rather than the destination - The best learning happens when it is approached as a fun adventure.
Observe, observe and observe your child some more. Find out what makes them tick and what their interests are.
Try to create a "visible learning environment" that allows for "rich learning conversations". These learning conversations need to be seen by the child as invitations to show you what they do and don't know, their level of curiosity and what motivates them.
A big part of that process involves taking time to celebrate, with your child, examples of the learning growth they are displaying - social and academic learning as well as academic learning.

https://lovelearning.nz/children-love-learning-and-are-naturally-curious-heres-how-i-know/

The long summer break allows parents time to reflect on how their child is doing at school. Every parent wants the best school experience for their child. But it is not always easy to get an accurate assessment of how a child is doing.
With that in mind, I have compiled a list of 10 top tips to help parents guide their child through school and hopefully, avoid the dreaded struggle zone.
Top tip #3/10
Even though it is tempting to do so, try to avoid comparing your child to others - While schools should be measuring a child's progress against a set of standards, these standards need to be seen as broad indicators of progress.
As children grow, they progress through developmental stages. But be mindful that there is always going to be some variability in the way children develop relative to their peers.
Also keep in mind that there is always going to be some variability in parent expectations and demands. That is, some children will be attending extra academic activities outside school hours while your children playing at home. Play and learning how to interact socially with ones peers is a skill that is too often overlooked in favour of extra academic study. Extra study may not necessarily be a long term advantage.
Finally, if your child has been formally diagnosed with a condition that will potentially hinder their learning, then it is definitely inappropriate to compare your child to others. That is not to say you can not expect great learning outcomes but that you will need to readjust your expectations and level of input.
Read more about how Love Learning works with autistic children here... https://lovelearning.nz/the-love-learning-reading-programme-can-help-your-autistic-child-to-read/

While it is reasonable to expect your child's school to take care of their academic and social learning, there can be a lot of variance in what the system provides every child. As a parent, there are steps you can take if you believe that your child's needs are not being met sufficiently.
The Love Learning top 10 tips for parents...
#2/10
"You are a long time an adult" - What's the rush? High academic achievement at school in the early years is not a good measure of future academic success or happiness in life. A strong social and emotional foundation combined with lots of curiosity will all lead to both better academic and life outcomes in the long run.
For more insights into how to create effective learning and life outcomes for your child...
https://lovelearning.nz/ten-guiding-principles-to-help-support-your-teaching-practice/
"Learning to read is as easy as A, B, C."