Age Guidelines
Age-Appropriate Guidelines for Parent Involvement
Note: This information is based on a Conference Handout for the lecture, Teaching Students to Work Independently by Susan Wise Bauer.
There are different levels of supervision required by parents:
● Parent at Elbow (PEW)
- sitting next to your student helping him understand concepts and complete work to the best of his ability
● Hovering Parent (HOP)
- checking in frequently to ensure he is understanding what is being asked of him and what he has read/learned
- brainstorming paper and project ideas and how to break the task down
- proofreading papers and helping him see errors in grammar and logical structure
- helping study and manage time
- making sure his best work is what is being turned in
● Assign and Check Parent (ACP)
- checking in to ensure he is understanding what is being asked of him and what he has read/learned
- brainstorming paper and project ideas
- proofreading papers and encouraging him to find errors in grammar and logical structure
- testing to make sure your student is prepared for tests
- making sure their best work is what is being turned in
● Start and End of Day Parent, On Call (SEDPOC)
- being available to discuss what they are learning
- being available to brainstorm paper and project ideas
- proofreading papers and requiring him to find errors in grammar and logical structure
- debriefing about study techniques that are working or not
- reining things back in if best work isn’t being turned in
● Start and End of Week Parent, On Call (SEWPOC)
- being available to discuss what they are learning
- being available to brainstorming paper and project ideas
- proofreading papers and requiring him to find errors in grammar and logical structure
- debriefing about study techniques that are working or not
- reining things back in if best work isn’t being turned in
It is important that at each stage you are also helping your student have a healthy relationship with technology. Make sure that you are working with your student to develop good time management habits that involve technology free times while studying to avoid distraction.
How This Guideline Applies to the Grammar levels at CRCS
GK-G2 Levels
Parents should practice the Parent at Elbow method through every subject.
G3-G4
• Move towards Hovering Parent in all but one or two subjects.
• Make use of a Student Checklist based on the homework spreadsheet.
G5-G6
• Move towards Hovering Parent in all but one or two subjects.
• Begin to work on personal schedule-keeping.
• Buy student a wall calendar or notebook planner.
• Make sure the student has an alarm clock and a watch.
• Challenges for the year: the student should write in all appointments (doctor and dentist visits, holidays, birthday parties, babysitting jobs, visits with friends); the student should establish a regular time for getting up and going to bed and other deadlines without prompting.