Katie Brody – Director of Students K-6

Including interpersonal characteristics in discussions about academic progress

Many different environmental and intrapersonal catalysts encourage and foster academic progress whilst others can make progress stagnate or can even hinder progress. When teachers and parents meet together to discuss each student, we unite home and school in support of learning and development in both contexts. The family environment, the school environment, the co-curricular environment and the social environment all have an impact on progress and need consideration. In addition though, it is the intrapersonal characteristics of each child that has a profound impact on learning and progress. This also needs addressing. 

Based in cognitive science, the process of learning is highly complex and fascinating. Learning is joyous and it is challenging, it is long and it can be tumultuous. Teachers encourage learning through a scaffolded sequence of building conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, strategic competence, adaptive reasoning and an ability to ideate. Creating learning situations and opportunities for practice and progress, we accept that learning is going to be incremental, will be different for each child and will require each to embrace struggle as inevitable and acceptable. Most importantly too, a productive disposition is taught by teachers as this serves as the main catalyst, enabling learning as it comes from within the child. 

Intrapersonal characteristics such as temperament, self-management, motivation, adaptability, self-concept, curiosity and tenacity (to name a few) all impact learning progress and should form part of the conversation when teachers and parents sit down together to discuss students. Developing the intrapersonal aspects of a child is highly relational, requires attention to the actions and behaviour of each child and is dependent on modelling, reinforcement and targeted positive feedback at home and at school. Some intrapersonal dispositions can be nurtured this way, some are a result of nature (genetics) and some are developmental. Importantly, these characteristics, when well-developed, assist academic progress, resulting in student achievement. 

What does it take to make progress with learning? What can parents do at home to develop skills and dispositions that lead to learning and achievement? 

In essence, learning requires a mindset that is accepting of struggle and of the failure that can come before success. Learning anything requires the ability to persevere, resulting in a feeling of elation that comes after time is spent grappling. It is that moment of elation after a period of challenge that is the turning point for many learners, as it is the moment where their self-concept is affirmed as capable, making struggle less threatening. This is the reason why teachers and parents jump to praise students when they overcome something that at first seems too hard. 

Here are some ideas for use at home that model and encourage a range of productive dispositions:

• Model active organisation – Display a calendar that outlines co-curricular events and have your child/ren add to the calendar as events arise. This models the need to be pro-active, keep track of events and set up items needed in advance, to avoid rush or disorganisation.
• Assign household chores – Have your child complete chores that assist in the running of the household. This sets up the expectation that they are not passive recipients of ‘the good life’, but they must and can contribute. Adopt and affirm a strong message that in our family, “We pitch in”.
• Spend time reinforcing the fundamentals –  Encourage your child to develop fluency with a range of the fundamental skills that support learning. Have them write a journal, spend time practising touch typing, consolidate times tables, revise Hebrew vocabulary and practise reading fluency. Reinforce that this important practice can and should be done, even without the teacher assigning the task.
• Value Reading – Gradually increase the complexity of the books read at home. Set fun challenges such as reading a range of genres across a term. Praise your child for using vocabulary that they gleaned from books they are reading and for their independent commitment to reading.
• Build deeper understanding – Refer to details in the term overview, emailed at the start of each term and encourage your child to do some reading or research in any of the topics mentioned. This allows them to prepare a set of new ideas to share with the class, therefore showing depth of knowledge and engagement.
• Reinforce learning – Watch videos online that explain the Maths concepts being studied or the features of the text form being addressed in class etc. Show your child that they can build on learning from class even without being told they should. Solid foundational knowledge brings ease to their struggles once back in class.