Parenting - Pedagogue

Matthew Lynch published in Parental Involvement, Parenting, Psychology and Education July 26, 2021

A Guide to Negative Reinforcement

There are four types of operant conditioning identified by B.F. Skinner: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment. Both types of reinforcement have the goal of increasing the desired behavior, while both types of punishment aim to diminish certain behaviors.

In this article, we will focus on negative reinforcement.

Negative reinforcement has the same goal as positive reinforcement, which is to increase a specific behavior. Whereas positive reinforcements use rewards and tokens to encourage the repetition of a behavior, negative reinforcement has to do with the removal of unpleasant stimuli.

An Example

A young boy always leaves his dirty clothes on the floor as soon as he changes out of them after coming home from school. Parents nag their child to put his dirty clothes in the laundry basket immediately after changing clothes. Every time the child forgets to put his clothes away, he gets nagged. To avoid getting nagged again, the child will put his dirty clothes in the laundry basket. Time will come when this will become a habit. The child will no longer have to be nagged just so he can remember to put his dirty clothes away.

In this example, the unpleasant stimuli is the parents’ nagging, while the desired behavior is putting dirty clothes in the laundry basket.

Negative reinforcement is not punishment

People often get these two mixed up, but it’s understandable because of the connotation of the words “negative” and “punishment.”

When talking about “negative” and “positive” in the context of reinforcement and punishment, negative refers to taking something away while positive refers to adding something (a reward, a token, etc.).

Conclusion

Negative reinforcement can be an effective way to increase or encourage behaviors. Consistency and timing of applying the reinforcement are key to seeing the repetition or increase of a behavior. Deliver negative reinforcement as soon as you observe the child perform the behavior you want to increase. Most people gravitate toward positive reinforcement because it explicitly rewards the child for good behavior; however, the proper use of negative reinforcement can be just as effective. It is up to you, the adult, to determine which one to use.

Matthew Lynch published in Early Childhood, Parental Involvement, Parenting, Reading & Literacy, Reading Education June 11, 2021

Using Close Reading to Improve Your Kids’ Reading Comprehension Skills

Close reading is a teaching strategy where content is read several times to find more profound meaning. Emphasis is placed on analyzing the content, beyond recall questions. Educators must carefully select content for close reading, looking for rich vocabulary, complex ideas, and thought-provoking messages. Close reading can be introduced in kindergarten and continue to be used throughout older grades.

Introducing Close Reading

In kindergarten, close reading is typically introduced via teacher read alouds. The content chosen has to be complicated enough that it lends itself to being reread over several days, with a specific purpose set for each reading. For beginning readers, having the text read aloud by the teacher is an efficient way to begin incorporating close reading into their literacy curriculum.

The teacher plans the purpose for each close reading and whether the entire text or portions of the text should be read aloud. On the first day, the teacher may select to read the text in its entirety and for learners to listen for enjoyment. This first read may consist of straightforward reading strategies such as having learners tap into their prior knowledge about the subject, discussing the main events in the story, and sharing their opinions of the content.

During the initial read or the second read, the teacher may select “text-dependent questions,” which are carefully crafted questions that require learners to utilize evidence from the book to explain their responses. For instance, questions may be posed about the text’s central ideas or the problem and resolution.

The next day, the same book, or parts of the book, is read aloud again. Learners are cued to listen for a specific purpose. This process is repeated over several days.

In older grades, where learners have become proficient readers, close reading can still be accomplished through read alouds and guided reading and independent reading. Educators need to select texts at learners’ teaching level to access the content and explore their deeper meaning.

Defining the Purpose

Educators need to decide a clear purpose for each close reading and share it with learners. There are many areas educators can select to focus on as they facilitate a more in-depth examination of texts. To support language development, educators may focus on taking a closer look at challenging vocabulary. Learners can be cued to listen for words they identify as “tricky” in a specific passage, sharing their findings afterward. Educators can give learners specific words they want learners to listen for and ponder their meaning in the context of the text.

Contingent on learners’ age and ability level, determining the meaning of foreign vocabulary may occur through discussions with the whole group or with a peer. More proficient readers can be allowed to search for definitions on a computer device and share their findings. They may also use their copy of the text to utilize context clues, like rereading the sentences around the unknown word, to guess its meaning.

Close reading can be used with comprehension strategies. It is a great teaching strategy for going beyond simple recall questions. For example, learners may be cued to listen to the author’s purpose. They may be asked to explain the story from the perspective of a specific character. Close reading can help learners understand inferencing as they listen for implied versus stated info in a text. Learners can be asked to read to discover the vital message we learn from the content or what it motivates us to do.

Learners can be cued to ponder what questions they still have after the text concludes or what wonderings they experienced throughout the story. Educators may select to have learners finish these activities orally, utilizing strategies such as “turn and talk” or “think, pair, share.” Alternatively, educators may ask learners to record their thinking in writing, utilizing blackline masters, or reading journals.

Close reading can be implemented in collaborative learning. Small groups of learners can be formed, and groups can reread the text with a specific purpose in mind. Learners may utilize content such as highlighters and sticky-notes to document their thinking. With developing readers, the teacher can read the text aloud, then have small groups of learners meet afterward, working towards a common goal. For collaborative learning to be efficient, each learner needs to participate, share their ideas, and ask their classmates questions. The goal is for each group member to walk away with a deeper understanding of the content.

Pros of Close Reading

Close reading requires that content be read more than once. This process provides chances for learners to explore the content in several ways, including to deepen their understanding and to work with others. Close reading does not overwhelm learners with multiple questions and instead allows them to slow their pace, visit a text more than once, and cue into specific purposes.

Close reading allows educators to share a wide variety of texts with learners from many genres. It also provides the benefit of encouraging learners to engage in purposeful conversation in whole group, small group, and partner settings. For learners who require extra support, close reading is advantageous because they can visit a story more than one time. Close reading facilitated in the form of read alouds also allows each learner to participate, even those who struggle to read the text independently. It is an efficient teaching tool for promoting the utilization of critical thinking.

What did we miss?

Matthew Lynch published in Child Development, Early Childhood, Parental Involvement, Parenting June 10, 2021

Teaching Children to Use Context Cues While Reading

When kids encounter an unfamiliar word in reading, they may utilize context cues, that is, info from pictures or sentences surrounding the unknown word. One of the most misunderstood topics in reading instruction involves how kids should be encouraged to rely on context cues in reading. This confusion stems from the popularity of theoretical reading models that do not reflect scientific evidence about how kids learn to read. An additional source of confusion is the failure to distinguish context cues in word identification.

Using context in word identification

When kids utilize context to aid word identification, they employ pictures or sentence context to read or decode an unknown word. For example, contemplate the following sentence from the Arthur series:

“D.W. put baby powder on her face to look pale.” (An image of D.W. accompanies the text with white powder on her face.)

Suppose a kid cannot read the last word of the sentence; they can look at the picture or ponder the meaning of the sentence, perhaps in connection with the first letter or 2 of the word (p- or pa-), to come up with the correct word, pale. Reliance on context to assist in word identification is common among poor readers, both normally-achieving beginners and older struggling readers. It is undesirable because the kid is guessing rather than attending to each of the word’s letters. Of course, educators certainly want kids to monitor meaning frequently as they are reading. Specific behaviors may demonstrate monitoring during the reading of passages.

Children who do not monitor their comprehension while reading should be encouraged to do so. However, any teaching strategy that discourages attention to the complete sequence of letters in a word will not be successful for an alphabetic language like English. Every letter counts, and learning new words is greatly facilitated by close attention to individual letters. The words pale, pole, and pile each differ in only one letter, but their meanings are entirely distinct!

Scientific evidence demonstrates that the development of skilled reading involves increasingly accurate and automatic word identification skills, not the utilization of “multiple cueing systems” to read words. Good readers do not need to rely on pictures or sentence context in word identification because they can read many words automatically, and they have the phonics skills to decode some unknown words quickly.

It is the poor readers who tend to be dependent on context to make up for low word recognition. Many struggling readers guess at words rather than to look carefully at them, a tendency that may be reinforced by encouragement to utilize context. Some teachers of struggling readers have seen the typical pattern in which a kid who is attempting to read a word (say, the word brown) gives the word only a passing glance and then offers a series of guesses based on the initial letter: “Black? Book? Box?” (The guesses are often accompanied by attention to the expression on the teacher’s face rather than to the print, as the kid waits for this expression to change to indicate a correct guess.)

Even when kids can utilize context to arrive at the correct word, reliance on context to compensate for inaccurate word reading creates a strain on comprehension. This type of compensation becomes increasingly problematic as kids are expected to read challenging texts with sophisticated vocabularies and grammatically complex sentences.

Teaching context along with comprehension

The use of context in reading comprehension indicates something quite distinct from the utilization of context in word identification. The use of context to assist comprehension should be consistently encouraged by educators, although some contexts are more helpful than others for this purpose. Use of context to decide word meanings also must be accompanied by a program of direct vocabulary instruction, as utilizing context will be insufficient for many kids to acquire the word meanings they need and is incredibly inefficient for the kids who need it most.

More considerations

Because youngsters with reading disabilities usually have poor phonological skills, they generally benefit from teaching approaches that provide explicit, systematic teaching of phonemic awareness and phonics. Nevertheless, suppose kids are taught systematic phonics in one part of the reading program but are encouraged to utilize context to predict when reading passages. In that case, they may not apply their phonics skills consistently. The phonics part of the reading program may be compromised.

Also, kids must be placed in reading instruction with books that match their word identification accuracy and phonics skills. If they are placed in reading content that is too difficult for their skill levels, they may be left with one or two options other than guessing at words.

Like normally-achieving readers, kids with reading disabilities benefit from encouragement to utilize context as an aid to comprehension. This type of context use can happen when kids are listening to text as well as when they are reading. Because youngsters with reading disabilities typically have listening comprehension that far outweighs their reading skills, oral comprehension activities are often good ways to challenge and develop their comprehension capabilities.

Matthew Lynch published in Parental Involvement, Parenting, Special Education June 2, 2021

What Parents Need to Know About Procedural Safeguards

Procedural safeguards define the ground rules for how you’ll work with the school if your child has an IEP or needs special education services. Here is a list of ten (10) significant procedural safeguards and what they mean for your child and you.

Procedural Safeguards Notice

You must be given a written description of your privileges under IDEA and your state’s law by the school. This description or notice is provided to you as a printed procedural safeguards notice. You can also ask for a verbal explanation to aid further understanding.

Participation of Parents

You have a right to participate in gatherings or meetings about your child’s education. You can also call an IEP team gathering at any moment.

Permission to Access Educational Records

The right to see and access your child’s school records is also a procedural safeguard. Also, you can ask for revisions. These rights are safeguarded by IDEA and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Privacy of Information

The school is mandated to keep your child’s information confidential. Personal data, like your child’s name, location, social security number, and other private details should be treated as confidential. There are a few exceptions, though.

Parental Consent

The school is required to notify you before assessing your child for special education services. You must also be informed of what it entails. You are also required to give your approval in writing before the school can proceed.

Initial Written Notice

As a guardian or parent, you have to be provided a written report by the school before altering your child’s educational placement. It includes when the school plans to add or reject services. It must tell you what it chooses to do and why.

Simple Language

When given a written report by the school, the school must use language that is understandable to the general public. The notice must also be in your native language.

Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE)

If you do not support or agree with the school’s test results, you have the freedom to get an IEE. An IEE is a test of your child’s abilities and education needs by an independent evaluator. The school must assess the results of the IEE, even though the school isn’t compelled to acknowledge the findings.

Stay-Put Protection

You can request stay-put protection in a situation where you oppose a change to your child’s IEP services or academic placement. Stay-put protection holds your child’s recent IEP in position while you and the school work out things, but you have to act quickly.

Conflict Resolution Options

You have the right to disagree with the school concerning what’s best for your child, and IDEA gives you several conflict resolution choices.

You can choose to handle the dispute with the school amicably or use mediation, where an indifferent third party helps you and the school resolve the conflict. You also have the right to due process, which begins with a written complaint and ends with a hearing.

Lastly, you can file an objection with the Office for Civil Rights for the U.S. Department of Education if you think your child has been discriminated against or treated unjustly.

Matthew Lynch published in Early Childhood, Modern Parenting, Parental Involvement, Parenting May 23, 2021

Selecting the Perfect School for Your Child

Choosing the right school for your kid can feel like a job. Frankly, with all the slashes made in the U.S. on educational budgets, you must be concerned about the quality of learning your child is getting. You may probably be considering different options for high school, ranging from home schools and online schools to private schools and charter schools. Most times, parents need help making this decision as the available options can be staggering.

So, what methods can you use to detect whether or not the present school is attending to your child’s needs? If the school is failing to do so, how do you find the perfect high school substitute for your child? Below are some tips

Does the Current School Meet Your Child’s Needs?

When analyzing the current high school and looking at possible alternatives, ensure that your considerations go beyond the present year to the years ahead.

• If your child is currently battling with school work, can the school offer the needed support to improve the general classes?

• Does the school push your child enough? Do they offer any advanced classes?

• Do the school’s extracurricular programs match your child’s needs?

Significantly, you should be sure that your child’s school is the most appropriate for the long run. That is where your child will grow and develop, and you should know how the school is likely to change over time. Does it move from being a loving and cherishing lower school to a difficult and competitive middle and high school? Scrutinize every division before settling for the school.

Does Your Child Blend In At School?

Moving to a different school can be a tremendous decision, but your child would fail where he or she cannot blend in.

• Does your child love to go to school?

• Is your child socially active, involved and healthy?

• Does your child partake in various activities and sports?

You should raise these same questions when considering new schools that are likely alternatives. It can be tempting to choose the most competitive school available; however, ensure that your child is going to blend in well there and that it would neither be too challenging nor too easy over time. Ensure that you do not force your child into a name brand institution that does not stimulate his or her interest and talents. Also, ensure that the classes meet the individual needs of your child.

Can You Bear the Cost of Switching Schools?

If the need to move to a different school is getting more pronounced, you must consider the time and cost of doing so. Although homeschooling is not expensive, it requires a lot of time. Alternatively, private schools require less time and more money. So what can you do? Ponder on these questions following proper research before making a decision.

• As a parent, how much time do you have to invest in homeschooling your child?

• Can your home serve as a suitable learning space?

• What is the cost of your selected alternative?

• Does the likely alternative require a tuition fee?

• Are you required to purchase any vouchers?

• Does moving to a different school need extra commuting, or will provisions be made for childcare and transport?

• What impact will switching schools have on your family’s lifestyle?

• Will you have to apply for financial support in a private school?

These are vital questions you must ask when going over the available alternative schools.

Choose What Best Suits Your Entire Family

Although every pointer might seem to tilt towards a private or homeschool as the best choice for your child, you have to think about the implications it can have on you and everyone else in the family. Even when the private school is just the perfect choice for your child, you will be creating a problem for everyone, including the child, if you switch him or her to that school when the cost is not affordable for you. Similarly, you may want to give your child home or online school experience, but you only do your child a disservice when you don’t have sufficient time to put into making sure the child learns properly. Carefully consider your options and make the best choice for the good of all.

If you conclude that private school is the best option for the child and everyone else in the family, then you should consider this guide on how to find the best private school. With tons of private schools situated in the U.S., there has to be one that goes well with your needs. Getting started can certainly feel overwhelming, but with these tips, you can make the most of your search.

Consider Hiring an Educational Consultant

At the point where you’ve concluded that the best and prime option is to switch to a private school, you might consider hiring a consultant. It’s okay to do the research yourself, except that many parents feel lost and subdued by the entire process. They can get the help of a professional educational consultant. You will be grateful for all the expert advice and experience which this professional has to offer. Make sure the consultant has qualifications endorsed by IECA (Independent Educational Consultants Association).

However, this is a paid service and middle-class families might not be able to afford the fee. But there is no cause to worry, you can handle this on your own.

Make a List of Schools

This is the exciting part of the process. A lot of private schools have websites that contain interesting photo albums and video tours, with enough information about the programs available. You can go through the internet with your child to find many schools you could add to your list. This is a great way to take the first step. We suggest that you add some schools to a list of favorites, so you can easily find them afterward. You can then have a serious discussion about each of the schools. On the Private School Finder website, you can find thousands of private schools.

About selecting a school, you and your child must be fully aware of each other’s needs. Try as much as you can to take charge of the process. However, don’t force your ideas on your child, else he or she will not see reasons to attend a private school and will be reluctant to be at the school of your choice. Make a list of about 3 to 5 schools. You have to make realistic choices, and although you want to go for the best, you have to include at least one school where you can be sure that your chance of getting admitted is high. Also, you should consider whether or not switching to a competitive school is good for your child as highly competitive schools are not recommendable for everybody.

Visit Schools

This is essential. You cannot just rely on other people’s judgments or information from a website to learn about the school. So appoint a time when your child can visit the school. It will let the child get the right sensation for his or her possibly new home outside home. It also helps parents feel confident about where their child is.

Ensure you make personal visits and evaluate every school on your list. The schools will want to interview your child and convene with you. Still, you must meet with the admission folks and ask questions as well. It is meant to be a two-way lane. Don’t feel frightened by the interview.

During your visit to the school, pay attention to the things you can directly notice and have a clue of what the school considers important. Make sure you visit the classes and speak to both the teachers and the students.

• Does the school appear to be the type of place your child can thrive in?

• Do the teachers look capable of highlighting your child’s talents?

• Do you think they are passionate about helping children learn?

Go for an admission event like an open house ceremony so that you get the chance to listen to top administrators like the headmaster or fellow parents. The headmaster can establish the setting for a private school. If possible, attend one of the headmaster’s speeches or read a publication made by him or her. By doing this research, you will get acquainted with the school’s missions and values. Don’t lay hopes on past theories about the school because schools change remarkably as the administration changes.

Some will let your child attend classes and in some boarding schools, they can even stay overnight. This priceless experience will give your child a clear understanding of what it feels like to be in that school, and try to imagine being there every day of the week.

Admissions Testing

An admission test has an incredible way of helping you determine which school is best for your child. By comparing your child’s test scores in the different prospective schools, you can decide which ones may be best to apply to, knowing that average test scores are being shared by these schools. If your child receives a relatively lower or higher score than the average score, you may have to speak to the school authorities to ensure that the academic workload doled out to him or her will be adequate.

Also, it is crucial to be ready for these tests. Although you have an exceptionally smart or gifted child, if he or she has never taken any practice tests, it will be difficult to perform well in the real one. Don’t ignore this preparation step. It will help your child gain the edge that he or she needs.

Be Realistic

As tempting as it might get to fill up your list of prospective private schools with the lead schools in the country, it is truly pointless to do so. You should go for the school that is best for your child. Those top schools may not provide the particular learning environment that suits your child the most, and the provincial private schools may not be challenging enough for him or her. Invest quality time to find out what each school has to offer and what is required for your child to grow. It is pertinent that you choose the best private school for your child.

Apply for Admission and Financial Aid

Remember that selecting the school that best suits your child’s needs is only the initial step. You still have to get admitted there. While keeping in mind the deadlines for applications, try to submit all the application materials early. As much as possible, strive to turn in all application materials on time. In some schools, there are online portals where applicants can conveniently track their application progress and be aware of the missing pieces in order to meet up with deadlines.

Remember to apply for financial assistance. Financial aid packages are offered in most private schools. Make sure you find out if you think you will need the assistance.

After submitting your application, you just have to wait. Normally, acceptance letters are released in March, and admissions take effect from January to February. However, you will be given a deadline in April to respond to the school.

You don’t need to panic if your child is put on the wait-list. It wouldn’t take too long before you hear from the school, and there are tips on what you should do if you are waitlisted.

What did we miss?

Matthew Lynch published in Early Childhood, Parental Involvement, Parenting May 21, 2021

A Guide to Giving Clear Instructions to Your Kids

Are you looking for a guide to giving clear instructions to your kids? If so, keep reading.

1. Do not talk to the learner from across the classroom. Go to the learner, get their full attention, and then speak to him or her.

2. Urge teachers, coaches, paraprofessionals, school officials, etc., to give the learner written instructions along with oral instructions.

3. To enable comprehension, urge the learner to ask for clarification of any directions, explanations, and instructions before starting a task.

4. Urge the learner to avoid ingesting any substance (e.g., drugs, alcohol, cold remedies, etc.) that might further alter their capacity and ability to direct or keep attention.

5. Give recorded information from lectures and seminars. Create questions from these recordings for the learner.

6. Urge the learner to create a 30-second definition of their goal to help them remain on-task and focused (e.g., “I will listen carefully.” “The better I listen, the better I will perform”).

7. Urge the learner to create an understanding of the consequences of their behavior by writing down or talking through problems that may happen due to their need to have oral instructions and questions regularly repeated (e.g., not focusing on instructions may cause misinterpretation of a task that could lead to a lower grade and losing their place on the soccer team).

8. Select a peer to model excellent communication skills for the learner.

9. Urge the learner to say a mantra to themselves when entering a situation where they will receive instructions/instructions (e.g., listen carefully, listen carefully, listen carefully).

10. Do not criticize when correcting the learner; be honest yet compassionate. Never cause the learner to feel negative about themselves.

11. Create classroom rules: • Remain on-task. • Complete assignments quietly. • Remain in your seat. • Finish tasks. • Meet task expectations. Examine rules often. Praise students for following the rules.

12. Create rules for listening (e.g., listen to instructions, ask questions about instructions if they are not grasped, follow the instructions, etc.). These rules should be applied consistently and followed by everyone in the classroom. Talk about the rules often.

13. Assess the appropriateness of requiring the learner to respond to oral questions and instructions without needing repetition.

14. Assess the visual and auditory stimuli in the classroom. Ascertain the number of stimuli the learner can tolerate. Remove the unnecessary stimuli from their surroundings.

15. Provide a signal to gain attention prior to delivering instructions orally to the learner.

16. Provide instructions in a straightforward, specific manner.

17. Provide the learner instructions to follow with no more than two or three steps (e.g., “Please open your text and turn to page 28.”). Instructions that involve several steps can be confusing and cause the learner to have difficulty following them.

18. Provide the learner one task to perform at a time. Present the next task after the learner has followed instructions and successfully finished the prior task.

19. Get a peer to help the learner follow oral questions and instructions.

20. Train the learner to ask for clarification if he/ she does not understand oral or written instructions.

21. Consider using a classroom management app to help the student learn to respond appropriately to instructions. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

22. Consider using Alexa to help you with classroom management. Click here to read an article that we wrote on the subject.

23. Click here to learn about six bonus strategies for challenging problem behaviors and mastering classroom management.

Matthew Lynch published in Child Development, Modern Parenting, Parental Involvement, Parenting April 7, 2021

A Parent’s Guide to an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)

An IFSP is a document that organizes a plan for young kids who need early intervention services. It is customized for each kid, as well as including a plan for the family. For instance, when kids receive early intervention services, parents may also need the training to support their kids’ needs. Because an IFSP is customized for the individual, every IFSP will be distinct.

You’ve just found out your kid is eligible for early intervention. What’s next? An IFSP. An IFSP is a process you go through and a document that you and a team of specialists construct to assist you and your kid. In this article, we will discuss what you need to know about an IFSP.

Difference Between an IEP and IFSP

An IFSP is a blueprint that guides your efforts to boost your kid’s development up to age 3. An Individualized Education Program (IEP), on the other hand, is a plan for and for kids ages 3 to 21.

IFSP: A Plan for the Family

Think of the IFSP as the foundation—and a road map—for your family’s involvement with services. It lays out what services your kid should receive and what results you and the team hope to achieve for your kid.

A key tenet of early intervention is that services happen in an organic setting—where you and your kid feel most comfortable. This is your home, but it could also be a place like a community center.

The IFSP takes into account your kid’s present level of functioning. It focuses on what your family needs to best support your kid. What are your priorities for your kid and your family? The IFSP builds on the personal strengths of each family member. Together, this helps individualize the plan for your family.

You must give your consent in writing before the plan is formally enacted. You know your kid best. If you feel a service isn’t right for your kid, you can decline it at any time. This won’t hurt your kid’s chances of receiving other services.

IFSP Team

Who puts together the IFSP? The IFSP team must consist of:

You
Additional family members
An outside advocate
A service coordinator who administers the IFSP
Professionals charged with the assessment of your kid’s needs
Early intervention service providers for your kid or family

Updating the IFSP

The team reviews the IFSP every six months and must update it at least once a year. You and the team review your kid’s progress and your family’s situation together. This can help decide whether you need to make any changes in goals or other aspects of the IFSP.

You’re a major part of the IFSP process. Explore tips on what to include in an IFSP. The more info you know, the better prepared you’ll be to advocate for what your kid needs.

Matthew Lynch published in Modern Parenting, Parental Involvement, Parenting, Psychology and Education February 11, 2021

10 Disturbing Facts About Teen Dating Violence

According to Choose Respect (a national initiative), some dating patterns start early in life that cause violence throughout a person’s lifetime. This initiative aims to help youngsters in the age group of 11-14 years to keep away from abusive relationships.

Parents, teachers, and students in the US should be aware of the prevailing dating violence among teenagers in the nation. Based on the information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in eleven adolescents suffers from physical violence related to dating. The number of victims might be even more because most youngsters and adults prefer not to reveal their involvement in an abusive relationship. Besides this, some young people do not know what abuse is. If they are aware of the signs of abuse, they can avoid partners who mistreat them emotionally or physically.

Facts About Dating Violence Encountered by the Youth

The information provided by the Choose Respect initiative can enable the teenagers to understand the patterns of abusive relationships. In case they have encountered abuse, they will know that others have experienced the same thing, and it is possible to find someone who will respect them.

Most teen dating violence takes place in the house of one of the dating partners.
About seventy percent of young girls have suffered rape at the hands of someone they know, such as a friend, casual acquaintance, or boyfriend.
About twenty percent of teenage girls said their partner threatened to harm themselves or commit violence if their relationship ended.
About eighty percent of the young women who have been abused physically during dating continue to have a relationship with the abuser.
Eighty percent of teenagers feel that verbal abuse is a severe problem.
One out of three teenagers knows a peer or friend who has encountered violent actions like hitting, kicking, slapping, punching, or choking by their partner.
Fifty-four percent of the students in high school have witnessed dating violence amongst their peers.
About one out of five girls have been abused sexually or physically by their dating partner in high school.
About one out of five adolescents have reported that they have suffered from emotional abuse.
Every year about one out of four teenagers report physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal abuse.

Ways to Combat Dating Violence amongst Teenagers

Teachers, counselors, friends, and parents should be vigilant about it. As soon as they notice any signs of abuse, they can talk to the victim.

Usually, abuse takes place in the houses of adolescents. So parents should watch the interactions of their children with their partners. They can forbid their partners from visiting them when there are no adults to supervise. If their child encounters dating violence, parents can provide therapy for them and inform law enforcement.

Parents’ relationships with their children play a significant role in preparing them for healthy dating partnerships. Youngsters who experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse from caregivers, parents, or others might develop trauma. As a result, they may attract dating partners who are not safe. If parents love their children, treat them respectfully, and fulfill their emotional requirements, there will be fewer chances for them to enter into abusive relationships later.

Matthew Lynch published in Literacy, Parental Involvement, Parenting, Reading & Literacy, Reading Education January 11, 2021

Teaching Your Child to Read

Literacy is the most important skill that elementary school students can learn. Without the ability to read, it will be very difficult for a student to succeed in other academic subjects. Because of this, teachers cannot afford to make mistakes during reading instruction. The stakes are just that high. Prison officials calculate the number of cells that they will need based on the number of children that cannot read on grade level by 3^rd grade. Think about that for a moment.

Why do they do it? Because if you cannot read on grade level by 3^rd grade, you are at a very high risk of falling behind academically. If you can not read the subject matter presented to you, chances are you won’t be able to succeed academically. You will never catch up, and eventually, you will probably drop out, and end up in the school to prison pipeline. All because your reading ability never quite caught up with your grade level.

Are you a parent looking to teach your child to read, or supplement the reading instruction that their eacher is providing in the classroom. I just found this amazing video on teaching children to read on YouTube. Learn how to teach your child to read with research-based, modern strategies!

Matthew Lynch published in Math Education, Parental Involvement, Parenting June 22, 2020

Why Parent Number Talk is Critical to Early Learning

Number talk is the term used to describe the type of language and questioning used by adults to help young children acquire early math concepts. These short, daily exercises help children develop number sense, which is an intuitive understanding of numbers and mathematics.

Number talk is normally used in grade-level classrooms to help children understand number magnitude, the relationships between numbers, and how numbers can be modified by various operations. However, number talk is incredibly important for parents to utilize even before their children start school.

Number talk is critical to early learning

Most preschools don’t have children participating in number talk, and they especially don’t emphasize number talk. Reading is emphasized much more in the younger years. However, developing number sense is just as important as developing early reading skills. In preschool, most children learn how to count to ten. But this doesn’t involve number sense, just memorization. So it is often up to parents to initiate number talk with their children.

Researchers have identified nine types of number talk that parents can use with their children:

Counting
Cardinality (knowing the number of objects without directly counting)
Equivalence (understanding what makes things equal)
Nonequivalence (understanding what makes things unequal)
Number symbols (recognizing a number in written form)
Conventional nomatives (using numbers as titles, dates, labels, etc.)
Ordering
Calculation
Placeholding (place values such as ones, tens, hundreds, etc.)

Number sense can be developed through number talk in preschool years during regular play activities. When children are exposed to geometrical shapes during play with blocks and Legos, their number sense is being developed.

To use counting number talk, you may ask your child to count the number of Legos he has in his hand. To use nonequivalence number talk, you can ask your child if the three blocks you have and the five blocks he has are equal in amount.

Opportunities for number talk are also present where opportunities for counting are not. To use conventional nomatives in your number talk, you may ask your child, “What was your favorite part of Three Blind Mice?” If you want to use ordering number talk, you can ask him to order family members from shortest to tallest. Truly, there are opportunities for number talk at every corner.

Age-appropriate number talk

Number talk with your child won’t do much good if the number talk is not age appropriate. Number talk that is too simple or too complex for your child’s age will not help him develop foundational math skills.

Even infants can benefit from age appropriate number talk. A dad that plays One-two-three… peek-a-boo with his infant is actually utilizing counting number talk. However, an infant would not benefit from number talk that is too complex for his abilities, such as ordering number talk that would require him to order objects. Similarly, a six-year-old child will not benefit from simply counting the five objects in front of her.

You want your child to develop number sense and foundational math skills to help her succeed later in life. This can be done by using consistent, age appropriate, engaging number talk that can be interwoven in the activities of everyday life. Number talk isn’t simply a math lesson for your three-year-old. Instead, number talk is a playful, relationship-building technique that teaches your child to have an awareness of the math around her and a passion to learn more.