Tooled Up Education

The Power of the Home Learning Environment

Did you know that parents are extremely powerful in shaping children’s early view of learning and can greatly influence their capacity to thrive academically? As parents, we are responsible for planting those early seeds that mean children enjoy learning and embrace challenges. When learning is ‘embedded into everyday life’, it shouldn’t feel onerous or stressful and in fact, should be enjoyable for the whole family. In this video, Dr Weston describes little things we can do at home that can maximise children’s chances of thriving at school.

Dr Christie talks with Professor Johan Korhonen: Math Anxiety and Math Performance

In this interview, Professor Johan Korhonen talks with us about math anxiety and its role on math performance. Find out about why math anxiety may develop in children, what are the early signs of math anxiety, and how it may impact future educational aspirations. Professor Korhonen provides a number of insights into strategies both parents and teachers can implement immediately at home and at school to ease math anxiety in children.

Getting Organised: My Weekly Planner

Once children start secondary school, it might become more challenging for them to keep track of the homework they have due in, prioritise their tasks effectively and remember all the things that they need for their school day. Our planner can help you child to build self-efficacy in these critical organisational skills. Print it out and encourage your child to use the traffic light system to organise their tasks in order of priority. Pin it to a noticeboard or on the fridge – somewhere they’ll see it everyday.

Homework Reflections (for Parents)

As parents, thinking about our own feelings towards homework is a useful exercise. Use this reflective worksheet to assess your attitudes and consider how you can make homework work better for your child.

45 Positive Phrases to Say to Your Child at Homework Time

Talking positively to your children about their homework can really help with the task at hand. Praising them for being motivated or showing a great attitude, offering guidance when they find something tricky and talking to them about what they are doing, will all help to create a calm and positive environment for learning. Here are some phrases you can use if you are stuck for something to say.