Help for Homework?
Education faculty member Cornelia Hoogland was interviewed this week by the London Free Press and 570 News Radio on the subject of a recent Ipsos Reid survey, conducted for ABC Life Literacy Canada. Released in the lead-up to Family Literacy Day on January 27, the survey suggests that 50% of Canadian parents don’t feel confident in their ability to help their kids with reading, writing and math homework. These survey results are reinforced by the local Thames Valley and London District Catholic School Boards, who recently conducted their own parent surveys with similar findings.
Professor Hoogland commented that parents may worry they are not giving the “right” answer in these days of standardised testing. She stressed the importance of community literacy programs, such as those offered by the public libraries, and the need to make sure that such programs reach those who most need them. Homework goes beyond reading, writing and math, Professor Hoogland suggested; parents also need to teach their children about the environment and the world around them so that young people can make informed choices and have different points of view.
