-From the Desk of Heather Tuttle, Curriculum Writer-
Life Skill #3: Communicating with Peers
Life-Skills #1 and #2 (keeping a to-do list and time management) are pretty obvious life-skills your kids can learn from homework. But how about one that’s a little more out-there: Homework can be a great opportunity to teach your kids some lessons in effective communication. Now, I see your skeptical expression (well okay, I don’t really see it), but hear me out.
To start, homework provides an opportunity for your kids to reach out and network with other students in the class. Your kids should have at least three contacts in each class, logged neatly in one place so they won’t get lost. Seems like a lot of work and a lot of contact info, but trust me, you’ll be glad you have it when your child can’t remember an assignment. But what exactly can a kid learn from calling up a friend? Your child can learn what times of the day it’s appropriate to call people (for instance, 2 AM the day the assignment is due is probably not a good time to call), how to leave a phone message (don’t forget to state clearly who is calling, keep it brief, and make sure to include your phone number slowly and clearly), and how to be polite and clear on the phone.
Groups and partner projects are another great way for your kids to learn communication and team work. Your kids will have to learn to schedule meetings, follow up, and delegate tasks. You can help them determine everything that has to get done, and then divide up the responsibilities as evenly and/or fairly as possible among the team members. I would strongly recommend that you have the group write down all the tasks and who’s doing what, and make sure that each member has a copy. Otherwise, the group might be in for an unpleasant surprise when two of them do the report on bee pollination, but nobody put together the diagram of the hive.
Filed under: Learning Tips | Tagged: homework, social skills
