To think that teachers need to teach stuff and not me.

[caroline161]

DS has just started at Grammar school. Ridiculous amount and type of homework. For example: Learn about Archimedes principle, explain what you have found. AIBU to email the school and say, " I would appreciate it if you could teach him this instead of me and what the f are you doing all day which means that I have to teach him Archimedes principle"

Sorry I've not read all the posts but as a physics teacher I can tell you 'Archimedes Principle' is tricky, it can be simplified lower down the school but it is also a topic at A-level which some of my students initially struggle with. If you're still trying to get your head around it, there's a good TedEd video here

As for 9 pieces of homework, these won't have all been set on the same day so it might be worth getting into the habit of doing it the night it's set? We sometimes have parents complaining not enough homework is set so you can never please everyone!

You don't need to teach him about Archimedes principle at all. You just need to teach him how to do independent research & learning for himself. TBH at this age, it's something he should already know

It can be a bit of an adjustment to start a new school with a different focus on learning. Not all primary schools do that kind of thing. He probably just needs a bit of encouragement and help g getting started, just be careful not to "scaffold" him too much, as he does need to develop the skills to do this kind of thing without help. But don't panic. All the sneering at least at the beginning of this thread isn't helpful. Children don't magically have all these skills, they pick them up by doing them. They aren't going to know that the Internet, a library and so on can be learning tools if they have never been encouraged to use and think about them in this way. Not all children will have come from schools that have already emphasised independent learning skills. Should a child be excluded from a grammar school place just because they lack this experience? Of course not.

First I would get him sorted in a good place for doing homework, so ideally between meals, when he's well rested, he's had a bit of downtime from school and he can have your undivided attention for a bit. He should have a clear, uncluttered place to work and get himself a glass of water or squash. I think snacks are too messy but if he's hungry a small snack first may help. If he has no uncluttered work space, make it your weekend task to help him set one up and a system for keeping it that way.

Next get him to read the question, properly read it and divide it up into steps. Some children have problems doing this so plenty of practice will help them. As this is a learn about question, that's self directed research. Get him to give you his suggestions of all the ways he might be able to research a topic. It might be he is stuck here, if this hasn't been something he's been used to doing. So then I would make suggestions - we can Google it. We can look on YouTube. We can look in a book, if we have no suitable books we can go to the library. Explain about librarians helping and library catalogues for different topics. See if he can think of anyone he knows or you know to ask. Usually the easiest way is to Google, but even this is a skill sorting out useful results from incorrect or overly confusing ones.

You're not teaching him the material, but you might need to teach him the skill of independent research if it's not something he's used to doing.

And YY a homework system is crucial. It would be lovely if he set one up himself but IME most children at the age of 11 don't have fantastic organisational skills, so they do need a bit of direction here.

Good luck :) we are not in the UK but I also have a son who has just started at a very academic secondary and is finding it a bit of a jump from primary school. A good one in his case as he needs stretching but I think it's helped so much that I put the homework system in place for him and insisted on it from the start. He's clever but not in any way organised, which is totally normal at this age and particularly so for boys apparently.

"he does need to develop the skills to do this kind of thing without help." - does he? - really? Or is it just something that schools demand?

"needs stretching" - how that phrase makes my flesh creep.

Children are lumbered with school where they learn lots of stuff that will never enter their heads again in their subsequent adult lives.

I do not think that the acquisition of bits of paper is worth the toll in damaged mental health that afflicts so many young people in the current rigid Gove-induced system.

Children are lumbered with school where they learn lots of stuff that will never enter their heads again in their subsequent adult lives.

While it may be the case that very few people use Archimedes Principle at work (although engineers might), the skill of independently researching something, and summarising some new information in one's own words is definitely a skill that will be invaluable in adult life.

OP, you're not stupid, and neither is your lovely son. Y7 is a massive transition, but you're both going to be fine.

I've just done a quick google asking for a simplified version for children and it brought up a number of study websites aimed at children. Maybe he just needs you to explain what key words he should put in his search so that he gets more age appropriate results rather than just putting the topic in the search.

Still marvelling at @eddiemairswife confidently stating that Archimedes principle is [Pythagoras' theorem] ... with people like this rushing to make the OP feel thick, and falling in the process, who needs friends on here to give constructive help?!

OP I think this "flipped learning" stuff is nonsense. YANBU.

it contains air which weighs nothing

Ahem. Might want to have a rethink about that bit.

YABU. This is a good way to teach independent thinking and learning. It can help him to take some responsibility for his own learning.

he does need to develop the skills to do this kind of thing without help." - does he? - really? Or is it just something that schools demand?

Well, yes. This is the opposite of rigid learning...it's about research and independent learning. The lack of this kind of homework is why people struggle later in life when they're required to find things out for themselves. Much better than learning by rote and repeating things for exams. It's about the process, not the specifics.

Have you made an appt with form teacher? Does school have a homework club? Teachers need to know hes not making a good transition from primary and needs support. Good luck

This was the simplest example that I could find, a lot of the other examples and explanations do make it sounds really complex. Hope this helps.

You sent him to a grammar school, he will be challenged; this is point of the school. He is supposed to be the cream of the crop.
Did you really not sit down and think about it before he sat the test? Being bright is not good enough for grammar; you have to be able to think for yourself as well.
Would it not be kinder to you and your son to have him coddled in a comprehensive where he can be top, rather than continued confidence beating by being at the bottom in a grammar.
I taught for 12 years in a top 20 grammar school, I attended the number 1 grammar in the country, I now happily teach in a comprehensive, providing appropriate support and stretch and challenge to my students.
My son is very bright, but incredibly lazy so doesn't go to grammar as he would not succeed. Fortunately I am not bothered by the name of a school, unlike some who are completely hung up on being able to say 'my child attends x school' as if it makes them appear to be amazing.

OP I think this "flipped learning" stuff is nonsense. YANBU
Given that "flipped learning" is just the latest buzzword for 'do some prep before a lesson' and is a fairly standard principle, I'm not sure how you, or anyone else, can declare it nonsense tbh.

Some typical prep homeworks I set:

• pre reading of articles from The British Library to build GCSE contextual knowledge about their set text we are studying
• KS3 research project building on skills from primary where they had to find out information about our topic and present it in a format accessible for primary students (so not copy and paste)
• A level students had to listen to some podcasts and watch lectures from universities before attending the next lesson
• students have had to read the next chapter of the book ready to discuss at the start of next lesson

If I wanted to sound down with the buzzwords I could call it flipped learning, or I could call it what it is prep work.

There's a lot to be said for having the skills to read and research and summarise independently, to take information from one source, compare it with other sources and present it differently etc.

Just because some students and parents have decided that they (with their expert experience I'm guessing) don't like it, doesn't mean the principle isn't valid.

Do you know what I have just realised? From what you are saying, this will be taught in class? I thought that it was just up to me to try to explain it to him or for him to teach himself. And so thats what made me a bit my original post came across as rude and I'm sorry for that. It was more of a When you go to see Robbie Williams in concert and he points the Mike at the audience for them to sing along and you think "actually Robbie I've paid £90 To get in, I'd appreciate it if you could sing it" that sort of humour. I didn't mean for so many people to take me the wrong way.

Would it not be kinder to you and your son to have him coddled in a comprehensive where he can be top, rather than continued confidence beating by being at the bottom in a grammar.

What was the point of writing that? This child hasn’t even done a term in this school, so doubt if OP is going to change it now. Perhaps OP thought a school with a good reputation would teach her DS stuff, rather than her having to do it. Well she is older and wiser now. And why are you assuming he is at the bottom? I’m sure other kids will be struggling.

I would imagine the idea is that the teacher gets all the class to research it and when they come back to class, they can discuss it with the vague assumption that the pupils will at least be familiar with the concept. They can discuss it together and the teacher can correct any inaccuracies or fill in any gaps and then they'll do some fun experiment about it and write it up.

Such a load of weird snobbery/reverse snobbery on this thread too :o

@Lulualla
You of course are right, I think I may have written "weight" where I meant to type "volume", slip of the keyboard.
You were dead right to include the concept of "density" which really needs to be understood first, before looking at Archimedes principle.

Do you know what I have just realised? From what you are saying, this will be taught in class?

@caroline161, I cannot believe that you seriously thought that teachers at a Grammar school think all they have top do is to tell kids to go and research stuff and they will not then need to teach it!!! That is MADNESS!

@BertieBotts
You are of course exactly right!!!
about both your last posts!!!!

I don't think there's that much snobbery to be honest, some needlessly unpleasant comments, but not snobbery.

I don't think it's snobby to be surprised that a student/parent in a grammar had that big an issue with a fairly standard research task.

I think there has been a mix up. OP obviously thought all the work/teaching on Archimedes and his principle will be whatever she and her son can Google and understand, which wasn't much.

Ofc,the research is just a starting point and further work/teaching on this will take place in the classroom.

The people sneering at a 12 yo for not getting something is pathetic. You're fucking grownups , I'd expect you to know and understand more than a 12 yo!!

No one knows everything after all,and that's the whole point of going to school...to learn. If it was as easy as watching a video and learning/understanding it all,what's the point of going to school?