The mental block that can easily occur in the busy classroom frequently has little chance of easing at home.. No child actually enjoys parents and teachers being angry with them but there have always been a significant number of UK students who simply cannot retain maths properly when taught the traditional way in school.  No matter how hard they try, they require a different teaching method altogether. This is where the latest Maths games and worksheets now available for home use can make a huge difference.

Educational games played at the learning pace of the child provide an enjoyable approach that help children and parents to overcome the block to learning. Putting fun at the forefront in the parent child relationship provides a more practical rapport to coach a child through this difficult transition. Turning the block into a maths game the fear and frustration can be broken The ‘Independent Learning’ method used by ConquerMaths delivers the UK secondary maths curriculum via CDs, or online in brilliant mini-tutorials. Each lesson has its own worksheet and automatic marking that builds into personal progress summaries.  Only the essential parts of each lesson are given but the huge benefit of the system are the audio explanations explaining the theory  that are synchronised with the onscreen graphics, making the maths much, much easier to understand and take in.

Parents can relax to a large extent, because whilst providing moral support and  involvement  the ConquerMaths system  specifically recommends children get on with their homework independently. They soon enjoy being in total control as the program can be paused and  rewound to repeat sections to increase understanding, embed  facts and go over anything the child is not sure of to catch up missing knowledge from the class. It is like having a personal teacher going over the lesson with you until you understand. And parents can bring themselves up date too, if they wish!

One ConquerMaths parent, Julia Martin of Buckinghamshire writes “As a person who always found maths a serious challenge when I was at school, I have found this course to be a Godsend.  My nine year old son is flying through the tutorials and understanding everything because they are put across so clearly, in ‘bite sized’ lessons. I am no longer worried about having the ability to teach him maths - in fact, I am learning stuff I never properly understood at school by using the program myself! (I wish we’d had it in my day!)”

Building confidence in children is an essential building block in learning. The time spent in class is much shorter that most of us imagine and a busy lesson with 30 children can leave the struggling mathematician feeling isolated. Using maths games at home in a relaxed environment can pay dividends in boosting understanding, confidence and performance back in class.

Val Constable ConquerMaths    Alistair Owens Keen2learn

The new TV documentary highlights the dilemma. Accepting the inevitable slant TV puts on many programmes to add drama, last night’s docudrama featuring a group of nine mature and illiterate students was still shocking.

The reality of this staggering statistic is a body blow to the educational standards in the UK.  We still fail to provide the very basics of education to all our children.  The TV teacher chosen to lead the recovery demonstrated passion and commitment to the role. But worryingly he was at considerable odds with the teaching resources he was advised to use.  If the reading support, including worksheets and procedures developed by the hierarchy were regarded by the teacher as complex, arduous and missing the point what hope is there it will work.

The slightly over emotional teacher, previously a musician, admitted he had never taught anybody to read in his life. Initially he seemed a strange appointment but his direct approach proved the skill of a good teacher can outweigh a multitude of ring binders of arduous theory.  His novel approach using educational games supported his passion in the role that started to break through decades of frustration and neglect. Turning reading support into fun and providing one to one support has started to overcome the many reasons for the student’s illiteracy, epitomising what good teaching is all about. Once the inertia is overcome we can expect rapid progress.

Each of the nine students had been failed by the initial schooling process. They had suffered the law of averages, inevitably casting students operating at the bottom of the class into the inevitable realm of exclusion from the lesson.  The point emphasized by the illiterate plumber set word search puzzles at school and sent home at midday.

Teachers facing the constant pressure of attaining academic targets are bound to focus on the average and brighter student to boost the score. In place of spending vast sums of money on complex procedures maybe we need to listen more closely to the operational experience of teachers. Investing in a policy where no student should leave primary school whilst failing in literacy or numeracy would deal with the problem at source. This perhaps brutal approach should receive vital direct funding where it will help give all children the best chance to thrive academically in secondary school.  The “Every Child a Reader” literacy scheme introduced by the government has to be a prerequisite in any target judgement.

The sterling work completed by the reading support organisations such as the “Volunteer Reading Help” ( primary schools ) and “Reading Matters”(secondary schools)  provide 1:1 support to struggling readers in school. Both are registered charities and reliant on volunteers. Should government funding be extended to develop the services offered by these groups? A greater number of trained volunteers to help teachers in more schools and perhaps adult classes can only help - provided they do not loose their independence.

The TV program’s refreshing angle showed the element of fun through reading games overcame many of the issues faced by the students, and that illiteracy is not down to a single cause. The musical introduction to reading skills introduced enjoyment to the process that seemed adequately to displace the complex procedures. But learning to read through English games involves teaching phonics - the sound of words - ironically where the “ph” of phonics is of course pronounced as “f” which is where we came in!

To most children homework is a bore or chore and wastes valuable recreation time.  To most parents homework help induces a degree of anxiety; can they, should they help and if so how?  To teachers homework is a vital element of lesson practice that results in 75% retention in learning.  Compared to the activity in class, where learning retention can hover around 50%, ( National Training Laboratory) homework has a  critical role that is ironically predominately beyond a teachers  control.  Can it be true that one of the most significant elements of the education armoury lies largely outside of the school gates?  This is comparable to a car with the turbocharger not working. The performance is limited, the car struggles to reach 70 miles per hour and the fuel consumption is much higher than it need to be.Homework, perhaps better described as - school work at home, is the single biggest opportunity for parents to turbo charge their children’s education. Modern educational games present a breakthrough to enable parents support to be enlisted as an additional teaching resource. Research has shown that what parents do at home to support learning can account for 80% of a child’s academic success ( PTA magazine).
So how can parents and grandparents get more involved in effective homework help?

The prevailing view of homework is through text and exercise book tasks. Leaving many parents isolated and acting in an overseer role, many children gain support from their peers.  Add, subtract, multiply, write a story, and read a chapter are simple tasks set by the teacher to induce the element of practice. Homework has to be set, collected and marked which amounts to a sizeable burden on a teachers’ time. It also gains more teaching time beyond the statutory minimum of 196 days a year.  Expressed differently 53% of the year spent in school leaving 47% at home.

The best way to include parents is to make time spent with their children fun. Access to the maths games, English grammar and fun science projects used in school can make a real difference when also used at home. Greater interaction is possible than with conventional homework allowing parents to participate in “homework help” that avoid any conflict with manipulating homework. More importantly it avoids the parent having to be an expert in the subject area.

Educational games become “learning in disguise.” The subject areas, developed in games format introduce key elements of the subject as an interactive computer game, bingo, card or board game etc.  The learning process is hidden in the fun; 30 minutes playing these games allows a child to practice maths, English, biology or history with the parent in the role of learning mentor. Witnessing a child’s performance dynamically rather than waiting for end of term or year school reports allows more timely adjustments.  Ongoing guidance provided by the teacher avoids wasting precious time.

A survey of teachers in 2007 and a government report from the DCSF reveals unanimous support towards greater engagement of parents seen as crucial in the learning programme.  With modern educational games toys and puzzles now available parents have the chance to rekindle their effective involvement and make a real difference to their child’s academic achievement.

Edward Lazear of the Hoover Institution found that, “If, on average, each student disrupts the class just 1 percent of the time, the time available for learning drops to 74 percent for a class size of 30.” Even the best teachers can only do so much, and many have cited disruption as the most stressful element of teaching. It is no wonder that the “teach to test” syndrome is one consequence of a school’s need  to grasp some vestige of achievement by streamlining the teaching content to hit targets  Regrettably this  results in a veneer of knowledge, presenting  a smart image on the surface but with little depth. Now it is possible for parents to use educational games at home to give greater practical support in the teaching activities of their children.

A sea change in the parental influence and control of a disruptive child is perhaps distant. A parent who doesn’t care is difficult to convince otherwise and the offspring understandably lack guidance, positive influence and a sense of direction. Moreover many disruptive children fail to see the consequence of their actions. Unfortunately this hurts the innocent students who wish to be taught.

The medium term fix requires a change in social attitudes. More immediate action can come from activity at home as research has shown that what parents do at home support to support learning can account for 80% of a child’s academic success. ( PTA magazine )

In the classroom the lesson length is a key component in the learning strategies of the school. The teaching time at school, matched to the needs of the National Curriculum, amounts to 196 days a year. Time lost in any lesson is irrecoverable and it is the whole class including the innocent that suffer. But over 47% of the year is actually spent by the child at home – weekends and holidays, which presents a huge opportunity for parents and grandparents to join in.

Teaching in the classroom involves the structured introduction of maths, English, science and ICT etc. through the key stages of the curriculum. Learning development is greatly enhanced through practice; applying the relevance of what is being taught. Increasing emphasis of learning outside the classroom is being promoted by schools, education authorities and the government and this is where parents can play a huge part. Many teaching activities, in the form of educational games, are ideal for use at home. By allowing the parent and child to practice the lesson using maths games, English games and science games that follow the curriculum and classroom learning programme a child learning retention can be greatly enhanced.

The hands-on involvement of the parent in a programme where teacher, child and parent interact in a fun and highly productive manner is a real benefit. Educational games played at home are a great way to reinstate the involvement of parents that started in the foundation of their children’s learning. As previously mentioned research in the UK ( reported in the PTA magazine in 2007) shows  the effect of what parents do at home to support learning can account for 80% of a child’s academic success. This compares to school being directly responsible for around 20% of factors leading to academic achievement.

In a class of 30 with a small disruptive element the lost learning time is staggering. The solution at school will take time; the solution at home can be immediate. And the active involvement of parents in the schooling process can help mitigate certain disruptive forces.

Alistair Owens Keen2learn

Alistair Owens believes modern fun based education increases interest, understanding and helps re-engage parents in an interactive role at home using these educational games and educational toys can substantially support their child’s progress at school. He has developed an Intel award winning web site http://www.keen2learn.co.uk that promotes an extensive range of classroom games and educational learning programmes for use in schools and with parents at home.

The learning triangle is carefully balanced with three equal components, teachers, pupils and parents. When these components work effectively together educational and behavioural standards are raised and outcomes are improved. However, ensuring that the parental side of the triangle is supporting the other two sides can be a challenging task. Educational games, toys and puzzles provide a great starting point.

The learning time in a classroom is limited.  Operational constraints can reduce the core teaching time to around 30 per cent of the lesson length, but outside the class children see the practical reference point to their learning that increases the absorption rate.  A biology game played in the open can reveal the difference in the size, shape and seed dispersal techniques of trees. Arguably so can a text book, the difference is the tactile nature of outdoors learning combing the feel, touch, smell and relative size of the subject and its association with its surroundings. Peter Carne, a former geography teacher with a passion for hands-on practical experience and a champion of “learning outside the classroom” says “Education in more than the acquisition of knowledge. Learning outside is a vehicle to develop the capacity to learn”.

There are some limitations.  Planning a trip for 30 excitable children takes some organization which can sometimes limit the effectiveness. This is where parents can give great support or even take the lead role. Letting 30 children en masse see the inside of a synagogue, mosque or chapel needs tenacity and diplomacy. A parent and child combination introduces greater flexibility. The educational bond developed can turn the process of exploration into an educational game that supports progress back in class.

History, science, biology and geography are obvious choices for practical learning through parks, museums and theme parks. But maths? I recall a class trip to Wandsworth library in London when I was 9. Learning about the reference system and book indexing before ISBN coding still holds memories. But the highlight of the trip was on the way back. A quick detour to the engineering company next to the school had us enthralled. Our teacher commenced to yank out strands of our hair to play a maths game. Invoking a slight tear reaction – a little biology, psychology and more than likely now socially illegal the process produced the samples he was after. Using a micrometer the engineering manager  measured the thickness of each strand in thousands of an inch – pre metric days. We queued delightedly to suffer the anguish of the hair tug and record the result. Back in class, the realisation that black hair was on average thicker than blonde. An educational game with a lasting memory, it happened 50 years ago.

Turning a trip out with mum and dad into an educational game is both great fun and mutually rewarding. The practical investigation and the relative knowledge gained help significantly back in class. The fact that the experience was gained outside the classroom provides a strong memory tag association when it comes to exams. What better way to appreciate the scope to the planetary system than look at the physical size of the Jodrell Bank telescope needed to study its detail? Marvel at engineering feats such the Thames barrier and question what  could happen if it wasn’t there, or see history in operation at the Beamish working museum. Whilst teachers need further encouragement, and time, to take the lead role wherever they can, the time spent in school only amounts to 195 days per year. The remaining 170 days, or using a little maths game; 47 percent of the total year are weekends and school holidays. Parents take note.

Alistair Owens keen2learn

The possibility of a sea of change in our educational system is distant.  Requiring government intervention that is both ponderous and frequently transitory, it will take a generation of children to prove or disprove any change in policy. In the meantime can parents and employers continue to watch from the sidelines?  Potentially their active involvement in the schooling process can reap dividends in the breadth of learning given to children. As parents, we want the best for our children, and as employers, we want an all round education that allows employees to think outside the box. This can only emerge if the span of education is a precursor in any examination. Teachers, in the meantime, are frustrated by the limitations in the scope of the curriculum. Urging expansion in their role, they welcome the support from greater active parental involvement in the schooling process.

Ironically modern teaching resources have come to the aid of teachers, parents and children. Classroom lessons can now be emulated back at home, using the same facilities.  Developed by educationalists they comprise of DVD’s, educational games, toys and puzzles to enrich the teaching process.  Use of these educational games in the classroom is often restricted due to time constraints. This is ideally where parents can supplement the process at home.

Turning maths into a game; English into a quiz and science into an investigation in school and at home can be great fun.  The interactive involvement of parents can be a supportive and highly productive way to maintain a dynamic view of a child’s progress. The child sees the parent as a proactive ally rather than a distant “do your homework” authority; and teachers welcome the move.

Pressure on teachers to hit targets to appease the inspectorate will inevitably continue to impact on the classroom. A change would involve children again being guinea pigs in the process. Yet teachers are surely the best people to suggest the ideal approach. Their skill, judgement and experience should play a greater role in enriching the learning journey.  Reinforcing the curriculum through the greater involvement of educational games helps understanding, improves attention, experimentation and the overall holistic understanding.

The child improves their understanding of the subject matter, with the support of their parents, by revising or revisiting the activity undertaken in the classroom at their own pace, not that of a crowded classroom. Parents become empowered to help their child’s development at home by working in conjunction with the teacher at the right time, rather than waiting historically for the end of term report.

This hands-on approach by parents would continue the active educational bond with their children nurtured during infancy and all too often abandoned when they go to school.

Alistair Owens  keen2learn

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 Literacy Trust 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

Paddington bear popped home yesterday, not to Peru but keen2learn.  Bet you thought he was born in Peru and resides in Paddington.  Well he does, but the bedrooms at Home Farm in Burghwallis, now the base for keen to learn, echo to bedtime stories read many years ago by Shirley and Eddie Clarkson.  The kitchen table witnessed Shirley make the very first Paddington bear as a Christmas present for her children, Joanna and Jeremy, and brought the stories to life.  Friends upon meeting the character in the flesh wanted one, and the rest is history.

Shirley has just launched her book “Bearely Believable” coinciding with the 50^th anniversary of the Paddington stories by Michael bond.  It’s the amusing story of the fun they had living in Home Farm and the trials and tribulations surrounding the development of Paddington bear.  The kitchen table was quickly outgrown, and production moved to the spare bedroom, then across the yard to a converted cowshed and finally to a local factory.  Shirley revisited Home Farm recently - with the original Paddington - after a 21 year absence to record these events for the BBC.

Bedtime stories turned Paddington into a firm favourite in the Clarkson family.  The imagination that bedtime stories trigger in a child’s mind develops their learning process.  Parents reading stories and playing other educational games with their children throughout the schooling process helps stimulate learning.  And the interaction between child and parent becomes mutually rewarding with obvious benefits back at school.

Our modern lifestyle leads to many parents being time poor.  Coupled with a frequent reluctance to read aloud the essential bedtime story has taken a back seat with 54% of Dad’s. But modern technology has come to the aid of the busy parent.  Subscriptions to on-line stories narrated by actors and including animation and highlighted script turn a PC or laptop into a world of imagination.  An educational game, the service enhances reading and literacy skills in children, is easy for tired Dads to join in and learn how to read a story aloud.

In a world of TV, Internet, Wii, Nintendo and computers it is all too easy to assume children can amuse themselves.  Encouraging developments in the Electronic Media to include educational games is a positive move.  However, parents and grandparents still have a vital role to play.  Help, encouragement, mutual involvement and interactive feedback can all inspire a child to learn more.  They love to share their experience and show how they are doing.

Electronic Media has the advantage that it never tires of repetition, something the tired parent can be grateful of when the same story or game is played yet again!  Predicting what happens next is an essential part of the learning curve, children love to be able to foretell and repetitive feedback is part of this process.

So how is Paddington doing after all these years?  The stories are still popular and the Paddington bear figures are still in shops.  Production has moved from the bedroom at Home Farm to China.  Marmalade sandwiches are probably deep fried.  If you want the full story read Shirley’s great book.  And did those bedtime stories read by Shirley and Eddie Clarkson help the children? One of them is Jeremy Clarkson; author, journalist and broadcaster – with an innate ability to tell a great story.

I feel the bilingual edition will be of benefit to both learners and native speakers. As a Welsh learner I found the audio Welsh version easy to understand but it did not sound like ‘learner’ material which gave me a greater sense of achievement because I was able to understand it. There is a lack of Welsh language material for learners and native speakers. This bilingual work has the added advantage of providing an opportunity for non-Welsh speakers (parents and grandparents) to become involved in their children’s Welsh medium educational experiences. Non-Welsh speaking grandparents could play the audio version but use the English language text and activities to allow them to discuss the material with their Welsh-speaking grandchildren.

The illustrations blend well with the text, which must have required a great deal of work in the bilingual edition. Single pictures cover a double page with the text in both languages fitting round it. Other pages contain different yet appropriate images on the Welsh and English pages.

In an age where the ‘Google generation’ may shun the printed word, this book may provide a bridge between ‘grandma’s world’ of books as a source of information and the Internet where so many children would ‘google’ to find the information and its links to relevant websites.

Ellen Harris
Learning Resources Adviser
Learning Resources Centre, Trinity College Carmarthen