Don’t fight – Don’t fight with them.  Don’t turn the whole affair into a power struggle, because you will have to do this every time.  Instead, encourage them to do homework.  Sit yourself down with the books open and promise to help them as much as you can.  Setting an example can be more effective than any words.  Why not do some of your work at the same time?

Encourage Your Kids – Encourage them with kind words and lots of questions that are easy to answer.  Help them with the answers too, if they have problems.  If they can’t answer, maybe they don’t understand the question or they have forgotten. Confidence in doing homework is something children really need.

Take Breaks – Remember their concentration on one task is not the same as yours, they have a very short attention span (except for video-games!).  So take lots of breaks to help them.  But don’t let them take too long a break,  5 minutes is fine.

So, if you have tried other ways and failed, try some of these suggestions.  One of them just might!                                   Kenneth

88% of students feel intense pressure to learn English: study

“According to a recent poll, a vast majority of students feel immense pressure to learn English.

The survey, organized by the People First Party caucus in the Taipei City Council, polled 1,180 fifth and sixth graders about their reasons for learning English. Eighty-eighty percent responded that they felt intense pressure to learn the language while 84 percent studied English at cram schools outside of their regular schoolwork.”

Actually, this plays very nicely, albeit somewhat late!, into the discussion of students learning of English… and their exam performance.

Are we placing too much emphasis on ‘traditional’ learning methods, at the expense of creating a positive environment for children to learn English?

Kenneth

Children’s book writer Jack Gantos noted that Jean-Paul Satre “started off reading comic books as a child and that if it wasn’t for comic books, he never would have stuck with books.” (“Teachers are getting graphic,” May 3).

There are many cases like this. One is Desmond Tutu, who also gives comic the credit being a conduit to literacy. He describes his father as “very patriarchal,” but tells us that “One of the things I am most grateful to him for is that, contrary to educational principles, he allowed me to read comics. I think that is how I developed my love for English and for reading.” Comic books appear to be a motivator for reading for many youngsters today.

In a study published a few years ago, Joanne Ujiie and I compared heavy, light and non-comic book readers in middle school (ages 10-14). We found that those who read more comics liked reading more, read more in general, and read more books. Thanks to USA Today and writer Greg Toppo for publicizing the contribution of comic books to literacy.

Stephen Krashen

He is writing in response to an article:Teachers are getting graphic published in USA Today. “When the American Library Association invited acclaimed comic book artist Jeff Smith and three fellow artists to its annual meeting in 2002, the quartet huddled beforehand and agreed that this was their best —— and perhaps only — chance to pitch comics to an influential group of tastemakers.”

So, how do you experts in Teaching value comic books and their art? Is it useful to kids reading or a waste of time?