How To Increase Learning

Research Shows What To Do To Improve Learning

Dec 26, 2008

There are some things that parents can do at home with their child to increase learning.

Learning doesn’t just happen in school. There are many things parents can do to help increase the chances of success in education at home.

Moms Listening Helps Kids Learn

Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee has recently released a study on the effects of a mom listening to what children learned in school. Bethany Rittle-Johnson, the author of the study said, "In this study, we just had the children’s mothers listen, without providing any assistance. We’ve found that by simply listening, a mother helps her child learn." [sciencedaily.com, January 24, 2008]

According to the article, "Kids Learn More When Mom Is Listening" found in the January 24, 2008 ediction of Science Daily, research also shows that the person can be anyone that takes the time to listen to the child tell about the school day. It could be a father, aunt, grandfather or any familiar person. The results are the same.

Taking this a step further, Vanderbilt researchers wondered what the results would be if children would learn more if they had to explain the solution to a problem to someone else. Four- and five-year-old children were shown a series of bugs arranged by color and size. The children were asked to arrange these bugs in a specific order following criteria, a challenging activity for children this young. The children then explained their answers to their mothers. Results? "We saw that this simple act of listening by mom made a difference in the quality of the child’s explanations and how well they could solve more difficult problems later on," said Rittle-Johnson. [sciencedaily.com, January 24, 2008]

Parents Be Aware Of Eye Problems

Getting eyes checked by a doctor may not uncover all vision and perception problems. CI, convergence insufficiency, often shows up at home when the child is doing homework. CI is a condition where the eyes don’t turn together properly to read.

The solution is to see an ophthalmologist or optometrist trained to treat children with CI. The treatment is a series of eye exercises for approximately a year. Some eye exercises are as simple as moving a pencil steadily closer to the nose until the child sees double. There are other methods to treat this. Some parents attempt to do the exercises solely at home. Others purchase computerized eye games. But, a study by the National Eye Institute shows that the best results are gained by going to the doctor’s office. [Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press, November 29, 2008]

Children Need More Sleep

It is very common to hear children say that they go to bed at 10:00 p.m. in fourth grade. If the bus comes at 7:00 a.m., that child only received 8 hours of sleep or less. Small children need to get 9-10 hours of sleep per night. If they don’t get the sleep they need, children are more at risk for

The brain also needs time to rest so it is ready to process new information in school the following day.

Parents Should Talk Slower to Children

When talking to children, especially when explaining something new, parents should slow their rate of speech down substantially. The average adult speaks at around 170 words per minute. While that may not seem fast to an adult, it is lightening speed for a child. Toddlers and small children comprehend about 120 words per minute. Mr. Rogers was a popular children’s television program. Mr. Rogers would walk through his door on the set slowly, greet the children slowly, take off his coat and put on a cardigan slowly, and tell children what would be occurring during the show. Children sat glued to the set.

Researchers are now learning that smaller children do not comprehend what is being set if spoken faster than 120 words per minute. And what was Mr. Roger’s painfully slow rate of speech? 124 words per minute. Children likely understood everything Mr. Rogers said.

Allow Children To Teach Each Other

William Glasser, author and M.D., has written many books on improving education. One of his suggestions is to allow children to teach each other. Students learn a topic better by teaching it to others. Instead of teaching the second born something, have the first born teach it to the second. And, when a third needs something taught, have the second born teach it to them. Cliff Isaacson, author, counselor and expert on birth order, believes that First Borns could have higher IQs because they teach younger siblings how to do things.

Lauran Neergaard, "Kids' eye problems often emerge in homework battle", Associated Press, October 28, 2008

The copyright of the article How To Increase Learning in Educational Issues is owned by Barbara Pytel. Permission to republish How To Increase Learning in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Jan 6, 2009 1:27 PM

Guest :

Wow. I didn't realize listening to a child tell about the school day was so important. June Cleaver really had that down, huh.

Jan 13, 2009 12:40 PM

Guest :

I printed this article and took it to my son's teacher hoping she would get some ideas on how to help him. Her comment was that she's been teaching for 25 years and is not about to listen to someone on the internet. So much for helping a student.