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Email to the teacher:
Hi Mrs. X --
C did not complete her research homework. Unfortunately, her internet research skills are not up to the task of researching the four causes of the Revolutionary War (or the four most important battles fought in New York). Her brother and I did give her four causes and four battles (if she was given that information in class, she did not bring it home), but her attempts to research did not yield much good information.
I did not research for her because I usually try to avoid doing her homework, and I am helping her with her Winn Dixie project today.
I don't know what specific research instruction she has received in class, but clearly this is an area where she needs remedial help. Any ideas you have to help us with this would be appreciated. Maybe I can spend time with her this summer teaching her how to conduct internet research on historical topics.
Thanks again -- Tex
From speaking with a few other parents, it appears that many 4th graders are unable to sit in front of a computer, Google “Revolutionary War battles”, sift through the results and pull out relevant references for their project. No, the parents would be the ones doing this.
I am reminded of Catherine’s idea of a basic principle she would wish for her school:
Persuade the school to give homework assignments all of the kids can do completely on their own with ZERO "assistance" from mom and dad?
Of course, that’s wishful thinking. Schools expect that perfect parent who will support them by helping with homework in any way necessary, but who will never ask hard questions about the curriculum.
I’ve helped C with internet research before, many times. Starting in first grade, she’s had projects that required finding information about insects, history, stories, and more from the internet. I just didn’t feel like doing this time. I’m tired of spending time on these types of assignments.
Instead of formally building internet research into the curriculum, the schools just expect the parents to make sure kids learn it. At least, I think that’s the way it’s done around here. When school starts in September, I will ask C’s teacher what type of internet research instruction my daughter has received and how the school assesses student progress for this skill.
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12 comments:
Any ideas you have to help us with this would be appreciated.
Bonus points to you if she says she doesn't have any ideas and you come back with "But you can internet research that."
I've seen this internet research issue with my 5th grade son too. First, they expect everybody to have computers with a high-speed connection. Second, my son can't sort through the massive amount of information. There is a big tendency to get side-tracked. Thirty minutes after starting, he is still no closer to getting his work done. We find that the internet works best (for him) for finding the answers to very simple questions. Broad questions require sorting and organizing skills that he just does not have.
wow, you read my mind
We were just driving back from Philadelphia (RIDGEWOOD IS RIGHT NEXT DOOR! WHO KNEW? I USED TO DRIVE OVER THERE TO GET MY HAIR CUT!) & I was mulling over which problem is worst here in Irvington: the Darwinian tracking or the tutoring.
I think they're the same problem, but I can't put it into a coherent sentence yet.
absolutely
DEMAND homework assignments your daughter can complete on her own
this is ridiculous
Schools expect that perfect parent who will support them by helping with homework in any way necessary, but who will never ask hard questions about the curriculum.
If you give the parents enough homework to do, they won't have time to complain about the curriculum. If it looks like they (the parents) don't have enough homework, get them involved in the Book Fair.
When my older son was finishing up 6th grade last year, I was at my wit's end. I finished 6th grade a long time ago. Why am I doing it again? I even had dreams that I was back in my childhood school.
I'm telling you, homeschooling this past year was easier than being a parent in a "middle school model" school.
Internet research in elementary school should be confined to specific sites that the kids access from their school's website, sites that are selected by the teacher so that they contain the information the child is supposed to "find." That's what I think we parents should be suggesting to the teachers.
This would start them out in baby steps. They might learn how to do it that way.
If you give the parents enough homework to do, they won't have time to complain about the curriculum. If it looks like they (the parents) don't have enough homework, get them involved in the Book Fair.
Right after I started asking difficult questions of administration, I received a large packet of material that needed to by typed within a couple of days. Perhaps it was a coincidence or maybe not. I just imagined them saying "She must not have enought to do."
Bonus points to you if she says she doesn't have any ideas and you come back with "But you can internet research that."
That would’ve have been perfect!
The only response was the next day my daughter came home with 6 pages of pictures and text. I learned the teacher had sat with my daughter and another student at the computer and generated these. Still, my daughter didn’t learn how to do this on her own.
How about some direct instruction? How about a handout with recommended sites and 4th grade-level guidelines for internet searching?
Internet research in elementary school should be confined to specific sites that the kids access from their school's website, sites that are selected by the teacher so that they contain the information the child is supposed to "find."
I agree! That’s what I’ll be asking for. Baby steps, building blocks, sequential learning.
What they do instead seems to be discovery style. Let them struggle with the all the information available on the internet. That’s the best way for students to develop those “higher order thinking skills.” (Or, perhaps, how to learn to plagiarize in second grade.)
Right after I started asking difficult questions of administration, I received a large packet of material that needed to by typed within a couple of days. Perhaps it was a coincidence or maybe not. I just imagined them saying "She must not have enought to do."
LOL!
Internet research is extremely difficult; it requires major organizational & classification skills; it also requires knowing enough about the subject to have the proper search terms.
I'm still learning education search terms.
For instance, the legal and policy term for placement, tracking, etc. is "student assignment."
The term for an educator's legal obligation to proactively find kids with special needs is "child find."
Was I going to figure out the term "child find" on my own?
No.
An education attorney gave me the language and I went from there.
"I'm still learning education search terms.
For instance, the legal and policy term for placement, tracking, etc. is "student assignment."
The term for an educator's legal obligation to proactively find kids with special needs is "child find."
Was I going to figure out the term "child find" on my own?
No.
An education attorney gave me the language and I went from there. "
How about a post on this? I would love to know the proper terms used within the field of education.
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