MegaSkills

1) Category:
General program

2) Issues Behind the Program:

Parents play a major role in their children's educational and personal success as well as in the development of their skills and abilities. However, at times parents may lack the necessary tools and may feel ill-equipped to meet the needs of their children.

3) Objectives:
To develop students characters and sense of accomplishment at school, at home, and beyond To build success for children, parents, and teachers with the help of the 12 MegaSkills: confidence, motivation, effort, responsibility, initiative, perseverance, caring, teamwork, common sense, problem solving, focus and respect

4) Environment:
Daycare centers and primary schools Families

5) Target Group:
Children from 4 to 12 years old

6) Key Words:
MegaSkills, coeuraction, school-family-community partnership, general program, confidence, motivation, effort, responsibility, initiative, perseverance, caring, teamwork, common sense, problem solving, focus, respect, parent involvement, training program, educational success

7) Program Description:
MegaSkills are the attitudes, the behaviors, and the habits which promote student achievement at school and in life. The program is based on the belief that parent and family involvement should be a part of students learning process. The program proposes a range of simple and entertaining activities that can be done at home or in school. Several specific activities address each MegaSkill. The activities demand little time and can be done anywhere in the house.

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/.

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8) Steps:
There are no specific setup steps, which vary according to communities needs and the activities organized.

9) Activities/Actions:
Multiple activities are proposed in the MegaSkills book (see the Program Material section). The following are a few examples: o Family "intellectual" outing: This activity allows the entire family to attend a cultural event in the community. A play or a museum is chosen by the organizers (parents, teachers). The organizers must then buy the tickets, organize transportation and prepare a reply coupon for the students and parents. The event must be announced at the school and there can be a small community meal before the show. This is another effective way to raise funds for the school and for groups or classes (MegaSkills cultivated: teamwork, responsibility, initiative, concentration). Family follies: A family announces (at school for example) that there will be an open house at their home for families who wish to present a variety show before a public audience made up of other families in the neighborhood. This activity provides children from the neighborhood with the opportunity to get to know one another better. The activity also helps to develop a social network (MegaSkills cultivated: confidence, teamwork, effort, motivation, performance). Sitting and watching: This activity is designed for children from 4 to 7 years old. Parents go for a walk with their child and observe people around them who are working (e.g. in a shopping mall). Parents ask their children questions: What do you see? What is that person doing? What is the piece of equipment the person is using? How is that person dressed?, etc. In short, this activity allows children to awaken their senses and become familiar with various jobs. Furthermore, it is very motivating for children to be alone with their parents and to talk with them about what they see in their surroundings. Children can also gain knowledge by questioning their parents (MegaSkills cultivated: motivation, concentration).

In order for parents to design new activities or adapt existing ones, there is a Home Learning Recipe that describes certain principles that must prevail: o o o o The activities must tie to schoolwork but not be schoolwork. The activities must be serious and be fun at the same time. The activities must have a teachable focus. Lastly, the activities must be easy to do, take little time, and cost little or no money. Around ages four through six, many of the "recipes" have to do with getting ready for school and using primary school subjects like counting, sorting, and early reading at home. Around ages seven through nine, many of the "recipes" focus on helping children get organized, build study skills, and develop sold work habits. Around ages ten through twelve, "recipes" work toward helping children understand themselves, their friends, and their family. Activities aim at developing greater selfreliance, building career awareness, and establishing healthy habits and self-esteem that can help prevent destructive habits, such as drug abuse.

Each activity is tailored to the childs level of development. o

o o

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/.

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10) Resources Required:

Human resources: o o o Parents Teacher, psychologist, social worker, remedial staff or other Budget for training of service providers (see http://www.megaskills.org/trainingPrograms.html for details)

Financial resources:

11) Roles of the Participants:

Parents: o o regularly organize activities related to the 12 MegaSkills for their child. integrate MegaSkills workshops into their educational program. Teachers:

12) Scientific Basis or Validity:

The activities proposed in the program have been tested by the Home and School Institute Program. Fieldwork has shown that the program has a positive effect on student achievement and ability (see http://www.megaskillshsi.org/impactResults.html and http://www.megaskillshsi.org/programEffectiveness1990.html). Researchers at Memphis State University who evaluated the impact of the workshop program on participating families discovered the following: o o o The percentage of students who spent 6 hours/week or more of their time doing homework jumped from 12% to 24%; The average amount of time that children spent in front of the television was reduced by 31 minutes/week. Instead, this time was used to do homework; The average amount of time that parents spent daily with their children rose from 2.05 hours to 2.25 hours.

In the Austin Independent School District, located in Texas, the 1 196 students (K-6) who participated in the MegaSkills program, either in school or at home, posted the following results: o o o o Improved State test scores; Improved school attendance; Fewer discipline problems; Results better than the national average.

In San Diego, California, the teachers of students who had parents who used the MegaSkills workshops were polled. The teachers made the following comments concerning these students: o o o o More organized and more willing to learn (74%); Improved behavior and discipline (67%); Completed more of their homework (78%); Worked in teams with greater ease (79%).

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/.

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13) Program Material:

RICH, Dorothy. Megaskills: Building Our Childrens Character and Achievement for School and Life, Napierville, Sourcebooks Inc., 2008, 348 pages. (An abstract of this book is also available online.) Free activities are offered on the programs website. Two are proposed for each MegaSkill.

14) Additional Information:

This program is present in 4 000 American schools (http://www.megaskillshsi.org/statisticalPortrait.html). The program has been in existence since 1988. The Character Education Partnership (CEP) has identified MegaSkills as a national behavioral education program. The information contained in this factsheet was taken from: http://www.megaskillshsi.org.

15) Contacts:
Harriet Stonehill, Director MegaSkills Education Center Tel: (202) 466-3633 Email: HSIDRA@erols.com Dorothy Rich, Program Author Contact: http://www.dorothyrich.net/MegaSkills_Dorothy_Rich_Contact.html

This factsheet was taken from the following website: http://rire.ctreq.qc.ca/.

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