10 Tips for Parents Trying To Supervise Home Learning

Are you trying to supervise your child's learning at home and wondering how on earth teachers do it? Here are some tips from a teacher.

1. Go easy on yourself - we train hard to be teachers and we continue to hone and perfect our practice all the time. Even after 10 years at it, I am still learning and sometimes - don't tell anyone I said this - I get it wrong!!

2. Go easy on your kids. Their world has just turned upside down; there are upsetting and troubling things on the TV and radio and the grownups are acting weirdly. Tell your kids to look for the helpers: doctors, nurses, volunteers... Keep them focused on the positives.

3. Establish a work-space. Your kids are used to walking into a classroom that is set up for working in. There is display on the walls, a whiteboard, dictionaries, their exercise book, pens, pencils, paper... As much as you can, try to replicate that. It puts them in the right head-space. The sofa is for relaxing - don't let them try to do school work on it!

4. Create routines. Teaching is only possible because we have these and your kids are well used to them. Make a wee timetable and stick to it as much as you can.Try starting each day with some reading for example. Kids do well when they know what to expect and routines are soothing and reassuring.

5. Remember kids have short attention spans. The attention span of a child on any one task will vary hugely depending on what the task is but a good rule of thumb is 3 minutes for every year of a child's age. If your 6 year old can do 18 minutes then that's about right. It's ok that they dip out of tasks. Don't expect them to stick at a task for 40 minutes - you will get nowhere.

6. Let them get it wrong then give them time to get it right. If they tell you that 6x6 is 82, ask them how they got to that answer. Ask them to try again. It's ok they got it wrong - that's what we do at school. We get it wrong so we can figure out how to get it right.

7. Keep your language positive. Use lots of praise. Kids love stickers and stars but a smile and a "well done" are invaluable. There are plenty of websites that will sell you the kinds of stickers we use in schools. Even Y10 will go nuts for a smelly one! You will get further with "do this and then we'll do something nice" than "If you don't do this, you won't get..." And don't feel bad about bribery - just keep it small, cheap and sustainable.

8. Have rest breaks and movement breaks. Your child will need them. So will you! Remember that secondary pupils get a room change every 45 - 60 minutes and Primary teachers make sure that the kids move regularly. They also vary activities a lot!

9. If your child is upset, don't try to teach them. Deal with the emotions first. Children need feel safe and secure or they will take nothing in. If that means putting the timetable on the back-burner for the morning, then do it.

10. Reward yourself. You are doing an amazing thing for your child. I wish they were in my classroom not in your kitchen getting under your feet, but that's not where we are right now. Some days it's enough that you still have all your hair. Trust me, Friday 6pm is wine o'clock for the professionals. Me, I like rum!