In this article, we suggest some teaching techniques that work well to help parents with their children’s study and homework during confinement.

During coronavirus confinement, for many families with school-aged children, it is very difficult to get them to concentrate and do their homework. So that homework time does not become an odyssey, there are some simple and useful teaching and learning techniques that parents can use.

What is a teaching technique?

A teaching technique is a concrete action, a strategy planned and executed by the teacher, which aims to achieve learning objectives.

In other words, a teaching technique is a methodological tool developed through a series of activities aimed at carrying out teaching techniques and learning processes in the individuals who are part of these processes.

However, we are aware that the vast majority of parents are not teachers and that they are not expected to know and know how to apply certain teaching and learning techniques typical of the institutionalized school environment.

However, knowing and applying certain simple techniques can help them achieve better results in their children’s schoolwork.

Ideal teaching techniques for containment

Here is a brief explanation of some teaching techniques that are appropriate for helping children with homework, and that can be adapted for different ages. Child applying some of the teaching techniques to study during confinement.

Pomodoro technique

This technique is valid at any age and allows you to better manage the time spent on an activity. So, according to the technique, you are more productive when you work or study for a period of 25 minutes and you rest for 5 minutes.

The technique in turn indicates that after performing 4 “pomodoros” (working time plus rest time), the child can take a longer rest, 20 or 25 minutes.

It is very useful to explain this technique to children and to apply it when we help them with their homework. Basically, because in this way, we make the children make an effort of concentration and attention because they know that 5 minutes of break or rest will come.

In this sense, the five minutes of rest can be used to go to the toilet, eat fruit, move a little, dance, or even kick a ball.

Pascal method

This method consists in respecting certain fundamental steps in the face of the study. First of all, make a preliminary and general reading of all the themes in question. Then highlight or note the main concepts or ideas, for which it is useful to identify keywords.

Then, move forward in the realization of a kind of diagram or mental map in which the central concepts and the ideas which flow from it are organized (secondary and tertiary ideas, etc.). Some people even find it useful to note certain dates, names, or other specific data.

The Pascal method is more oriented towards helping students over 9 or 10 years of age to study, but it is perfectly adaptable to younger children. They can also have a general first reading of the subject and what to do with it. And, with the help of adults, they can take simple notes highlighting with colors.

Mnemonic rules

Teaching children to memorize facts, names, or numbers is easier if they are taught to use this system. The mnemonic is a set of memorization and remembering techniques that can be adapted even to young children since they consist of mentally associating the information to memorize with data which are already part of our memory or our daily practice.

Let’s see some examples:

  • To know the names of the countries of the European Union: we associate the word baguettes with France, Volkswagen with Germany, Ferrari with Italy, or bulls with Spain.
  • If we have to learn where the main rivers of France are and what they look like, a good idea is to include all the facts in a story created by the children themselves. This story can include data, anecdotes, or sensations that are familiar to them.
  • If we need to know the names of the planets, we can tell students to associate a place or space they know with the word they want to remember. For example, a bath to remember planet Earth, a refrigerator to remember Uranus, or to associate Mars with cooking and fire.

Some conditions for applying teaching techniques in confinement

It must be emphasized that, for a teaching technique to be more or less effective, other elements and factors must be taken into account, such as:

  • A suitable place to study and do homework. That is to say a quiet environment, without distractions, such as a mobile phone or a television, and with good lighting.
  • Try to do homework at the same time each day. This helps children to adopt a daily routine and therefore to internalize the habit.
  • And most importantly: support, motivate, encourage and create a close bond with children during their studies. It is the best way to apply any teaching techniques and learning techniques and to make “homework time” dynamic, fun, and different every time.
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