Adapting Homework Assignments To Maximize Your Child's Strengths, Part I
Adapting Homework Assignments To Maximize Your Child's Strengths
Part I
| By | Dr. Sam Goldstein |
| Dr. Sydney Zentall |
If your child is a poor reader and the purpose of a social studies assignment is to learn about a specific time in history, forcing your child to struggle through reading the material is not productive. This will not only lead your child to dislike reading, but history as well. In other words, it is important to not allow your child’s skill weaknesses to interfere when the purpose of an assignment is gaining knowledge. If your child experiences problems with reading or reading speed, either read the material to or with your child. These compensations will allow your child to focus on understanding and comprehending the material. It is a little known fact that the majority of children struggling to learn to read could read to learn if they could decode. That is, when read to, the majority of children with reading disabilities comprehend at a level consistent with their age and development.
In contrast, when increasing reading speed and proficiency is the goal of the homework assignment then your child must read independently. At all ability levels, when asked to read out loud to their parents, children improve reading skills above and beyond those who do not have this reading experience. Next week we will offer a number of suggestions to help you adapt homework. This week we suggest you review each homework assignment and consider the teacher’s goal or purpose in making the assignment.
