Make sure they�re sitting comfortably at a table

4) Be consistent. Discuss, monitor, check and sign homework every night if

possible, but at least very regularly. Better to spend 5 minutes every night than
to leave it for three weeks and then spend 2 hours at it!

Homework will tend have a specific purpose and will be given consistently, in small
quantities. It is extremely useful for a number of reasons:

It acts as a form of communication between school and home

It allows you to see how your child is progressing in different areas
It helps to develop the child�s self-discipline
It helps a child to become an independent learner
It is helpful to revise or reinforce work done in school
It may be used to finish work that was begun in school

Don�t judge your child�s teacher by the amount of homework he or she gives!
Valuable school time can be ineffectively used if too much homework needs to be
corrected.

Guidelines on a Class by Class Basis

5) The child should be encouraged to complete the homework, working independently

6) It is best, though not always possible, for both parents to be involved in a

child�s school life and homework, but not at the same time.

Children should see that both parents are interested and involved in their
education.

It may be more difficult for one parent than the other to be available every
evening but effort should be made to find some participative role suitable to all
parties

Make contact with the teacher, explaining that your child honestly worked for the
allotted time.

If you can, point out the child�s specific difficulties.

10) If you display undue anxiety about children�s schoolwork or homework, it

creates tension within the child. Acknowledge and respect their effort, honesty and
enthusiasm. This way, children will progress and develop at their own pace, in a
safe and relaxed environment

The Benefits of Homework

7) Try to avoid confrontation with children over homework. If you�re getting

impatient, it�s best to stop and try to come back to it a little later

8) Allow children to make mistakes. Rather than correct them all the time,
encourage them to find and correct their own mistakes. Children must be able to
accept that making mistakes is part of the learning process and it�s important that
they are willing to go back and try a different method or approach.

9) If your child is having genuine difficulty, try to help them but don�t exceed
the allotted time.

The infant classes don't usually get homework. Parents of children in the infant
classes are always encouraged to read stories to and with their children as often
as possible, to play games with them and even watch television with them.

In 1st and 2nd class, twenty minutes per night, in one or two subject areas, with a
little reading should be sufficient. In 3rd and 4th class, this goes up to forty
minutes and typically, in 5th and 6th class, homework time will not exceed one
hour.

Your Role

The NCCA (National Council for Curriculum and assessment) produced a really useful
booklet to coincide with the introduction of the 1999 Primary School Curriculum.

As a parent, you have an important role to play in:

Encouraging your child�s work

Observing their work

Looking over completed work and signing it

Try to make sure that children make an honest effort to do the homework without
assistance.

If they have a difficulty, your help should generally take the form of prompting
and guiding them towards completing the task that is set.