Homework guidance by an Amsternanny

EEvery Friday afternoon I help Robine with her homework. She is in group six at the Montessori school in Amsterdam, where she works a lot individually and in small groups. Robine is very eager to learn and would like to practice some extra at home so that she can keep up more easily at school.

During homework guidance, we first go through the week together and discuss how things went at school; what went well and whether Robine encountered certain questions that she wants to practice with. I also briefly repeat with Robine what we covered last time. Then we will work on arithmetic, language and/or reading comprehension.

I encourage her to work calmly and carefully as much as possible, so that she can avoid careless mistakes. I also give her the space to look for the right outcomes herself as much as possible, so that Robine learns to take responsibility for her own work. If she makes a mistake, this is of course no problem, she will try to solve it as independently as possible. When I notice that Robine really can't figure it out, I explain to her in a simple way how she can find an answer. I work a lot with pictures and drawings, so that she can make a good representation of it.

Recently we practiced telling the time together. I then drew the clock and explained how the clock works. I had Robine repeat my explanation and we practiced it a few times. At the end of the hour I always give Robine a little homework. This time she was instructed to go two laps around the clock every day, indicating the time with each shift of the hands. I personally think that repetition works very well. The following week she could tell the time! That was of course great fun, Robine was very proud! And that also gives me a satisfied feeling.

Love, June (Pedagogy student)