| The dilemma facing many parents concerns the | | | | most important factor in success or failure of |
| level of help they should give their children. In the | | | | children in education are parents. This pivotal |
| UK the state education system has received | | | | theme ran through a major policy review by the |
| record levels of investment over the past 20 | | | | UK government department responsible for |
| years with billions of pounds being spend on a | | | | education. If parents are the key what is their |
| variety of teaching doctrines. Concentrating on | | | | motivation? |
| the core subject of English, maths and science, | | | | Conventional homework is the current means of |
| strident efforts introduced to change the course | | | | generating some form of lesson practice at home. |
| of achievement have been disappointing. | | | | But the nature of the text and exercise format is |
| Despite developments in technology and an acute | | | | predominately seen as a chore by all parties and |
| awareness of the demands of a growing global | | | | tends to exclude effective parental support. |
| economy little has been achieved to improve the | | | | Children spend 15% of their waking hours in |
| standards beyond levels achieved 50 years ago. | | | | school, leaving 85% as a target opportunity. If |
| Whilst we have landed men on the moon, seen a | | | | parents are the key then the home environment |
| supersonic airliner come and go, experienced the | | | | needs to be more effectively mobilised. It is |
| onslaught of mobile phones and pc computers, we | | | | essential that a child is also allowed to enjoy their |
| have failed to provide a large proportion of | | | | childhood, and any parent adopting the role of |
| children with an effective education. It's not for | | | | learning mentor should ensure they induce an |
| the want of trying; teachers have endured a | | | | essential element of fun. Children learn more when |
| barrage of corrective initiatives tested over | | | | their imagination as well as their attention is |
| successive generations of school children which | | | | captured, something the 1:1 ratio at home can |
| has proven to be of doubtful worth. | | | | achieve equally as in class. Ironically the mechanics |
| The lot of teachers burdened with adopting such | | | | to activate parents in this role already exists. |
| measures, continually scrutinised on performance | | | | Modern educational resources developed over the |
| and dealing with changes in society's attitudes | | | | past 10 years are predominately Educational |
| presents a dour image. An emerging level of | | | | Gamescovering the whole curriculum. But the time |
| disruption seen in the classroom, influenced by | | | | to play the games in class during the core |
| changing values in society, impacts both on the | | | | teaching time can be extremely limited. Therein |
| class achievement and the resilience of the | | | | lies both the problem and opportunity. |
| teacher. Reduced resolve shows in the number of | | | | Learning has been categorised by the National |
| trainee teachers leaving the profession within | | | | Training Laboratories into "See, Hear and Do" |
| three years of qualifying, and at a senior level the | | | | categories. Studies show the "See and Hear" |
| growing gap in deputy heads refusing promotion | | | | function in class achieves 45% of learning |
| to Headteacher. | | | | retention, increasing to 75% through the "Do" |
| The UK is not alone in this situation. Comments | | | | process. The use of the educational games at |
| from English speaking countries globally voice | | | | home allows the parent to support their child in |
| similar concerns. A root concern is that average | | | | the "Do" activity - critically at the pace of the child |
| class sizes of 30 are not conducive to effective | | | | and in a far more productive manner than |
| learning. The dominant performance of | | | | conventional homework. The synergy to be |
| independent schools, with an average class size of | | | | gained between the school and parental support |
| 17 indicates achievement significantly influenced by | | | | can achieve a quantum leap in results. Ideally |
| the teacher pupil ratio. So what of the future? | | | | advice from teachers to mange to learning |
| Having invested billions of pounds over 20 years | | | | journey by steering the home activities can |
| there must be a better way, yet if it takes a | | | | improve the educational chances of countless |
| generation to test an initiative, could we fail | | | | children with minimum investment. Teacher's |
| another generation whilst we wait? | | | | teaching and Parent's practice could become a |
| Recently the UK Prime Minister stated the single | | | | maxim for the future. |