Homework Strategies
I am often asked by parents how they can better support their adolescent child in
homework and study and below are a series of effective strategies that have proven
successful that may be of interest to you.
• Ask your child about their homework, know what they are learning about and
when assessments are due (remember you have access to these).
• Use a term assessment planner like this one, to record when assessment
activities are scheduled so you can help your child prepare in advance. Make
'to-do' lists to spread out the workload.
• Get into a routine of doing homework at a set time, ideally a little each day.
• Have a set place where your adolescent child can do their homework, with the
equipment they'll need
o pens and pencils
o highlighters
o scissors
o glue
o scrap paper
o ruler
o calculator
o printing paper
o computer and internet access
o a printer.
• Turn mobiles to 'do not disturb' or off so there are no disruptions. Out of the
room is even better!
• At SVC even of your child says she has no assigned homework that evening,
she should always be engaged in wide reading of a novel ideally, to assist her
general literacy and articulation.
• Don't jump in and give answers, homework is about helping adolescents
become independent learners.
• Encourage your child to start assessments as soon as they receive them (at the
College all students are given a 3-week notification on all assessment
activities)
• Your child needs to do their own assessments. Teachers need to know what
students can do independently.
• If your child is having difficulty with their homework, contact their class teacher
for help in the first instance and then the Tutor teacher and Head of House for
wider issues.
Studying
In high school, regular study becomes important. Study time is completely different to
doing set homework. Students should regularly review work covered in class,
