Education Expert Dr. Abigail Norfleet James, "Dr. Abby", Offers Back to School Tips for Parents

Aug. 19, 2010 - PRLog -- Abigail Norfleet James PhD is an internationally-recognized expert in both childhood brain development and real-world classroom teaching.

Called “Dr. Abby” by students and teachers across the globe, James is the author of  Teaching the Male Brain: How Boys Think, Feel, and Learn in School, named 2007 Gold Award “Book of the Year in Education” by ForeWord Magazine (http://www.corwin.com/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book228945&); and Teaching the Female Brain: How Girls Learn Math & Science (http://www.corwin.com/booksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book232288&). Both books were written for teachers, but they have also become popular with parents who have read them. She is currently working on a book about brain development and gender-based learning for general audiences, including parents who want to help their kids become the best learners they can be.

Dr. Abby has these tips for parents getting their kids ready for another school year, plus some additional ideas for helping your students and pre-schoolers be successful learners year-round:

Back to School
Let your child take the lead on getting ready to go back to school.  
Get out the list supplied by the school and ask your child what s/he needs. As your child gets older, from middle school and up, give your child a budget from which to get all the supplies. When you are paying for everything, your child won't compromise on popular items. When they have a budget and you stick to it, it is amazing that a regular binder will be fine so that money is left to get the best backpack.  

Summer reading lists can be an issue, particularly for boys.
Use my paper clip game: paper clip five pages of the book together, then the next five, and so on. Have your child read five pages, and then come and tell you about what they read. Do this several times a day, with play/activity breaks in between. The books will be read by the time school starts, and you and your child will have some great “us time” in the process.

Keep chores on your child’s schedule during summer break.
The structure will keep your young students focused on task accomplishment. That’s a key part of managing school work, whatever grade they’re in.

During the School Year
Let your child be in charge of his/her homework.  
The more you take over, the less your child will learn to do on her or his own. Yes, your child may fail to complete assignments, but that may be the only way for your child to learn to do his or her work. Getting your work done on time is a much easier lesson to learn early in school. Some children only learn by suffering the consequences for failure to work.

Provide a regular place and time for your child to complete homework.  
Even if your child assures you that she has no homework or he did it all in school, insist on that routine.  If all homework has been done, the child can read a book, work on a project, or write letters to grandparents.  The computer and TV should remain off for the entire time.  Once your child realizes that you are serious about this time, s/he will stop whining and find something to do.

Have a child who’s challenged by spelling?
Don’t use say-and-spell, use say-and-WRITE. Sound them out and write them. Perfection isn’t the goal, progress is. Make it a game – highest number of words spelled correctly gets to pick an activity or favorite meal for the family.

Toddlers & Pre-Schoolers
Read to your child every single day for at least 20 minutes.
I know that mothers are busy, but the single most important thing you can do to prepare your child for school is to read to him or her. Language skills are the basis for school and the child who has been read to has an advantage.

Talk with your child about anything you can thing of.
While you are shopping, talk to your child about what you are doing. Ask your child what s/he thinks about the pictures on the cereal box or how ripe peaches smell. At home, accompany everything you are doing with a running commentary directed at your child. Save your phone conversations for naptime. The child who can communicate has an advantage in school and children model their communication skills on their parents.

Teach your child to be responsible.
Give your child chores and do not do them if the child forgets. A three year-old can set the table. If your child forgets, simply sit down to dinner and remark "Oh, how are we going to eat, we have no forks." The child who has responsibilities feels like s/he matters to the rest of the world.  

About Dr. Abby:
Abigail Norfleet James PhD has presented at conferences around the world (most recently at Young, Drifting & Black in London in late June) about how to help kids learn better in both single-sex and coed settings. Dr. Abby has also been invited to speak at the 2011 ACSD (formerly Assn. for Supervision and Curriculum Development) Conference – her presentation will be Gendered Education: How to teach girls and boys effectively in the same classroom. An expert in brain research and the real-world classroom, Dr. Abby’s groundbreaking work has helped schools in the US, Europe, Asia, and Africa get real results for their students.

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