Discussion: Age-Appropriate School-Age﻿ Scenario * Module 2 Page 24 (12/13)

Discussion: Age-Appropriate School-Age Scenario * Module 2 Page 24 (12/13)

6/4/2016

20 Comments

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Please read the scenario, then discuss the following questions:

Do you think this behavior or expectation is age-appropriate?
If so, how could you explain this to the parents/co-workers?
Is there anything you can do to prevent this situation from happening again?

School-ager Scenario
You just started working in an afterschool program for 5-8 year olds at a local elementary school. The children are expected to do their homework as soon as they come in afterschool since this is what parents want. You notice that this is a constant struggle with children acting up and complaining (and doing very little actual homework.) Your supervisor asks what you think they should do. What do you think should change and how would you explain your reasons?

20 Comments

miah radcliff

10/18/2018 08:38:21 pm

I would change the schedule of when and how the homework was done by rotating from homework to an activity so the kids brains stay stimulated and focused while not getting too overwhelmed. I think both behavior and expectation are age appropriate as this age group is right around the time where attention span is building as well as patience. I would explain to parents and coworkers by informing them of the developmental stages of a childs brain, and because every child is different you could try to prevent this from happening by changing the way or time this is being done but it will never be 100% guaranteed.

Zoe Rogers

11/12/2018 06:23:21 pm

I think at this age the struggle with doing homework comes and goes. It all depends on where that child is deveoplmentaly. I would make home seem fun and inviting. I wouldn't just have them sit at a table and leave them alone. I'd check in on each child frequently, and ask if they need help.

Scott Kerman

10/23/2018 09:44:05 am

Do you think this behavior or expectation is age-appropriate?
Yes and no. For school age children, differentiating may be called for. There could be students who prefer to complete homework first as this calms their anxiety about unfinished assignments. However, my assumption is that for most students, after a busy day at school, they likely could use some physical play time and probably a snack.

If so, how could you explain this to the parents/co-workers?
I'd try to get parents/co-workers to see the issue from their own experience. How many adults enjoy having to launch into chores right when they get home from work? How does that make them feel? Stressed, anxious, unhappy? The answer is probably a resounding yes. Well, children are no different.

Is there anything you can do to prevent this situation from happening again?
Create structure where students can start the program with a snack and opportunity for free play--having options for the students would be important. At the same time, there can be a quiet nook for students who would actually prefer to do their assignment first and then play.

Jeremy

10/27/2018 11:31:06 am

I think this behavior is common among school-agers and is almost to be expected. Homework is something they usually do at home and are doing with parents. I would say to prevent this from happening you can break up the time since they just got out of school and do free time or a fun game activity to break up their day so that they have time to get energy out and then ask that they get any homework out that they may have.

Nicholas South

10/30/2018 01:06:27 pm

I believe that this is age appropriate but is not being implemented appropriately. Seeing as children spend so much time in school already sitting listening and learning often their brains are not ready to focus and have energy they need to get out. Thus the most effective way to resolve the situation is to allow freedom for the kids to choose physical and/or mental activities to get the energy out. Then after this have the children work on their homework for a appropriate set amount of time, so that the children not only can focus but can learn to manage their time. This would also be the way I would communicate this opinion.

Emily Trumbull

11/3/2018 10:50:41 am

Take them outside for about an hour, come back inside for snack and then have homework time for about 30 minutes. If they don't have homework then have them read a book.

Louis Berticevich

11/3/2018 07:03:39 pm

I would make sure that the afterschool program starts with snack and a recess. After 7 hours of school, kids are often tired and exhausted and need a release, especially since they usually would have had lunch a few hours before.

In order to explain to parents, I think going in depth into all the work that the students are expected to do during the day would help get that across. I also think that compromising and making sure that there is a good time for homework to be completed would put their minds at ease.

Ideally, the behaviors and outcomes would all start to look better so this kind of issue won't come up too much again. Maybe have the option for parents to contribute healthy snacks (if possible) so they can have some sense of control.

Jana Samuelson

11/4/2018 07:46:51 pm

I would suggest starting of the after school program with some down time, playing outside or a snack to break up the time and give the student a chance to reset in a new environment. This behavior may be expected depending on the student and talking with parents about what our problem is and what they are seeing at home would be helpful in figuring what is happening. Making a change to the after school program schedule might be enough to break up the challenge for this student.

Lisa Boecker

11/5/2018 11:21:33 am

In my personal experience, young school agers perform much better academically if after their long day at school they are allowed outdoor play and a snack before expecting them to sit down and focus on homework or other academic tasks. I would explain this to my supervisor and ask if we could at least give it a try and see how it worked out if the parents were amenable to the idea as well.

M. Lizzette Mattsib

11/5/2018 12:15:03 pm

After a child working on academic classroom structure for 5+ hours, the child will need a good long break in order to operate productively on an academic task. A very good 20-40 minutes of break, games, snacks will help the child to restart and work on homework faster than if we have him/her work straight right after school.

Anita Utheim

11/7/2018 11:11:39 pm

I would suggest to the supervisor that the kids get a break to have a snack and get some gross motor time either playing outside or an active game using their bodies for a set amount of time before going back into structured time.

Sheridan Zimmerer

11/8/2018 10:52:13 am

This is natural behavior for children this age. They have a lot of energy, especially after restraining their energy for much of the day in school. It would help the kids focus more if they had some time to vent their energy and relax. I would let the parents know, and encourage my supervisor to give the students at least 10 or 15 minutes to play or relax after school before starting homework.

Padmaja Kondeti

11/8/2018 03:52:00 pm

It's very common at this age when all kids go home the kids who are in after school program they want break. instead of asking to do their homework immediately we need to give some time kids to play and have some snacks so that they will do their homework with more energy and interest.

Jennifer

11/11/2018 05:12:07 pm

I would tell my supervisor that maybe kids need a break first, with snack and wind down time or play time. Parents should be notified of this schedule. I think it's the parents responsibility to make sure a kids homework is done unless the teachers have arranged an agreement with their students and with daycare director.

Marilyn Kriger

11/14/2018 09:31:15 am

This expectation is expected since the kids have been in classes and doing homework all day. I would explain to parents and co workers that the kids have been in school all day mainly sitting inside and need to release their energy, making it harder for them to focus. I could take the kids outside before they start doing their homework so they can let all their energy out and be more prone to focus.

Brianda Kukulka Heredia

11/14/2018 12:25:32 pm

Working in a school age classroom I know first hand the struggle of getting all children on bored with doing homework. If this was how we did things at our center, I would discuss the way it works for me and how children in our center respond to doing homework. What we do is have children wash their hands first thing, when the get off of the bus. Then they have snack, after snack we have a half hr of free play. After free play we have a half hr of homework time. Whether this is reading quietly or having to help kids with their work. After homework we go outside and have a group game then free play. This works very well with our class that I'd hope my new supervisor would be open to trying this out and seeing if this would help with homework issues.

Rachel Patrzeba

11/14/2018 10:55:39 pm

Yes this it totally age appropriate. The kids have been in school all day and the brains need a rest from all the academic work. I would give them a snack and let me run around a bit, or have some type of physical activity for just a couple of minutes. This will refresh the brain and the body of the kid and then they will be more likely to do their homework and complete more of it because they just needed a little break.

Lucy

11/16/2018 10:48:26 am

This appears to be very appropriate for the age range of 5-8. I would explain this to parents by saying that children at this age need breaks from strict, direct instruction style settings like studious homework time directly after school lets out. Allowing a recess period between school letting out and homework time allows children of this age to release their built up energy, have a break, and play with friends. After an appointed time of recess, the after school program can gather the kids for an organized homework time. This way, the students have expressed their excited energy, and the daycare staff have allowed them "fun time" in exchange now for "work time".

Neha Bhatia

11/17/2018 09:30:56 pm

The kids Re probably saturated and its time to give them a break and allow some me time.

Veronica Herrera

11/19/2018 01:38:40 pm

I do believe that this behavior is a common problem amongst school-aged children. I would explain this to a parent or coworker by mentioning that they spend many hours a day in school and by the end of the school day, many of the children just want to play or do a fun activity and do not want to work on homework. To help with this situation and prevent this from happening again I would start the afterschool program with outside time or gym time to allow the children to run around and play because they tend to be restless by the end of the school day. We then transition to snack time and then we do homework time so that they are no longer as restless or hungry and can better concentrate on their homework.

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