91ŃÇÉ« experts available to explain how to prevent learning losses

TORONTO, August 10, 2020 – With four weeks to go before children return to Ontario elementary schools on Tuesday, September 8, parents are encouraged to keep learning alive in their households to help make for a smoother transition back to the classroom.

That’s the advice of two 91ŃÇÉ« educators who say some parents are concerned that their kids will have an achievement gap when they return to school in the fall because of the “summer slide” – a phenomenon where some kids lose about two months of reading and math skills over the summer. This is particularly pronounced in lower-income and at-risk student populations.

One U.S-based also suggests the global COVID-19 pandemic which closed Ontario schools since March, plus the summer break, could leave students suffering from both the summer slide, and the “COVID slide” – a double whammy of knowledge loss. 91ŃÇɫ’s experts say the key to combating this issue is to infuse learning in the everyday lives of kids to help foster their literacy and math development.

is a professor of language and literacy in 91ŃÇɫ’s Faculty of Education. She says building resiliency is paramount if kids are going to bounce back from any COVID or summer slide in academics.

“Parents working to lay a strong foundation for learning at home need to be reminded that all learning happens best when children feel a sense of belonging and well-being, and are engaged in the world around them,” she says. “We need to encourage kids to question, to experiment, to reflect and review, and to evaluate multiple sources of information as they construct knowledge.”

An educator for 37 years, Krasny began her career as an elementary school teacher in Winnipeg and served as Manitoba's Provincial Language Arts Specialist. Currently, she teaches courses for prospective and current teachers including Early and Family Literacy, Adolescent and Children's Literature, Teaching English in the Intermediate Division, and Teaching English in the Intermediate-Senior Divisions.

Krasny can share literacy summer slide and COVID slide tips for parents, including:

• Make it fun. Fingerplays, skipping songs, counting rhymes, chants, camp songs and books with rhyme, rhythm and/or repetition, such as author Bill Martin Jr.’s Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Bill Martin Jr.’s Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, are engaging ways to foster phonemic awareness and word recognition. They also offer predictable sentence patterns that engage kids in writing and illustrating their own songs and stories.
• Understand the early predictors of reading and literacy success. That includes alphabet knowledge, phonemic awareness, word recognition/sight word vocabulary, and word knowledge. While no single approach operates independently from others in building the ability to read and comprehend, phonemic awareness, or the ability to identify and differentiate between sounds in words, is the leading predictor of reading achievement.
• Bring books to life through dramatic play. For example, author Jan Brett’s offers activities and craft ideas including book making and character masks for dramatic play. Her book, The Mitten and the Hat, brings to life a Ukrainian folktale in which one by one, woodland animals make their home in a found mitten. The book teaches sequencing and important comprehension skills when kids use masks or stick puppets for story retelling.
• Play popular games to help with word recognition and knowledge. Kids can benefit from word games like Scrabble, Hangman, word searches and online favourites, Wordscapes and Friends with Words.
• Invent new games. are generally regarded as the 315 most commonly used words in children’s books. Parents can play memory games with their kids by matching these sight words, or help with letter recognition by matching lower-case with upper-case letters.

is an associate professor in 91ŃÇɫ’s Faculty of Education who teaches mathematics education courses. She says her main concern with the summer slide and COVID slide phenomenon is that kids may lose the fundamental math skills – addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

“Research tells us that kids learn these skills gradually over time. It’s like brushing your teeth,” explains Rapke. “Children should do a little bit of fundamental math skills spaced out over time. With classrooms closed for just over five months, some kids haven’t had the opportunity to practice math as often as they should.”

Rapke teaches five math courses at 91ŃÇÉ« and has conducted extensive research on strategies to enhance the learning and teaching of mathematics. This summer, she worked with math coaches at the Toronto District School Board to develop and host a series of to help kids from Grades 1 to 10 practice mental math at home, and give parents the tools to help them.

Rapke can share math summer slide and COVID slide tips for parents, including:

• Practice mental math. Take a math problem (such as 17 subtract 9), display it physically (using anything from Lego pieces to candies) and work with children to develop a strategy to solve the problem. Doing even two or three times a week, for 10 minutes or less, should make a difference.
• Talk about math with kids. Discussing a math problem is key to finding the solution. In classrooms, kids often solve math problems with their peers and compare how they calculated the answer. At home, parent should model active listening and ask questions about what their children have said.
• Play board games and card games. Playing games like Monopoly and Chutes and Ladders are a great way to engage kids in learning, and almost any game can be adapted to focus on math. For example, the card game Go Fish, can be played with a twist so instead of asking for the number 10 card, players can ask for two cards that add up to five plus five.
• Use a recipe to bake. Finding math in everyday activities is key. When baking, parents can have their kids read the recipe and count out the ingredients to gain a better understanding of fractions (such as ½ cup of sugar and 1Âľ of flour).
• Adjust the attitude about math. Parents can set a positive attitude by not saying things like “I don’t like math” or “I’m not a math person.” Parents should make it clear to their children that making mistakes is OK. Celebrate the process of solving a math problem and not just the final answer.

91ŃÇÉ« champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91ŃÇÉ« students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91ŃÇÉ« U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91ŃÇÉ« is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni.

91ŃÇÉ« U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact: Vanessa Thompson, 91ŃÇÉ« Media Relations, 647-654-9452, vthomps@yorku.ca

The post Back to School Prep: 10 tips for parents to make reading and math fun appeared first on News@91ŃÇÉ«.

91ŃÇÉ« expert available to explain how to survive COVID-19 school closures

TORONTO, May 19, 2020 – The fears of some parents may be easing following the Ontario government announcement today that elementary and high schools will continue online learning and won’t reopen this school year, according to , an associate professor in 91ŃÇɫ’s Faculty of Education.

The school closures are a response to the global COVID-19 pandemic that has left Ontario schools closed since March Break.

“The decision to keep schools closed may allow families to live with more certainty, specifically as it relates to their children’s safety,” says Ippolito, who is a father of three elementary school children. “The continuation of teacher-led online learning for the remaining school year will ease a lot of parents’ fears. This announcement shows that the health and safety of our children trumps formal education.”

Ippolito has conducted extensive school-based research involving school transitions and is watching as his eldest son prepares for the transition from middle school to high school this fall. He also develops programs in GTA-based public elementary schools that foster dialogue between families and schools, and within families themselves. At 91ŃÇÉ«, Ippolito teaches all of his classes online, and did so even before the COVID-19 outbreak.

He is available to comment on:

• The best ways to support elementary and high school children in their at-home learning
• How parents can encourage kids to share their questions and observations
• Why parents should meet kids where they are in their learning, instead of where they think they should be
• How online learning is impacting families who are linguistically, culturally and racially diverse
• Why it is important for kids to explore non-school projects and stay in touch with their friends online

91ŃÇÉ« champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91ŃÇÉ« students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91ŃÇÉ« U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91ŃÇÉ« is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni.

91ŃÇÉ« U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact: Vanessa Thompson, 91ŃÇÉ« Media Relations, 647-654-9452, vthomps@yorku.ca

The post How will online learning for the rest of the school year impact families? appeared first on News@91ŃÇÉ«.

91ŃÇÉ« educator available to explain how to encourage learning while stressed

TORONTO, April 15, 2020 – Tomorrow is the one-month anniversary of Ontario's elementary school closures due to March Break and the COVID-19 pandemic, creating high anxiety for parents trying to teach their kids at home while juggling work and childcare.

, an assistant professor in 91ŃÇɫ’s Faculty of Education, says many parents and educators are struggling with the shift to teacher-led online learning, and while we can’t expect parents to take on the role of teachers, we also have to change our expectations of teachers.

Some parents are helping their kids adjust to online learning which began last week, plus managing their household and the stress from working at home, she says. That stress is multiplied for parents who are essential workers, who are living in poverty, who have been laid off from their jobs and are worrying about food insecurity and paying their mounting bills.

“We are asking too much of parents and teachers and we need to pull back on what the expectations are for children learning at home,” said Shah, a former Toronto District School Board teacher who used to teach primary, junior and intermediate classes.

“This is a time of tremendous fear and trauma,” she says. “As best as they can, parents are encouraged to connect with their children, focus on their social and emotional well-being and ask them how they’re doing.”

COVID-19 has changed life as we know it, with self-isolation being the new reality, so our approach to education has to adapt too, she says.

“Learning doesn’t happen because of a perfect, pre-packaged lesson,” says Shah. “Learning is happening everywhere and all the time – in the kitchen when you’re cooking, when you’re going for a walk and in conversation with your children about what’s happening on TV.”

“We as educators need to take the pressure off of parents who feel like they have to teach their children,” says Shah, who now teaches classes for prospective teachers. “We also need to recognize the tremendous work that teachers are doing in this time while navigating their own families, challenges and realities.”

With the new online learning at home, parents need to assess whether it’s supporting or hurting their children. For elementary students who need routines to feel safe and connected to the larger world, formal learning tasks make sense, explains Shah. But if schoolwork becomes overwhelming for kids and is damaging to their social, emotional or academic well-being, parents should feel empowered to let their teachers know, and ask for adjustments to deadlines and workload, she says.

Shah, an education expert on issues of equity and justice, says families living in poverty, many of which are racialized, are especially vulnerable in an environment of online learning.

“The current approach to online learning will exacerbate the inequities that have always existed in schooling systems and will inevitably create new inequities for children,” she says, citing the examples of varying access to a quiet work space, family stress, and lack of WiFi and technology access.

Shah is encouraging educators to focus on relationships (continuing to build deep connections with their students), student-led inquiry (encouraging students to ask questions based on their interests and engage in critical thinking to seek thoughtful answers to their questions), self-reflection (inviting students to reflect on their thoughts and feelings during these times)  and structure (creating routines that help make students feel safe).

She can comment on:

• The best ways to support elementary school children in their at-home learning
• How to encourage kids to ask questions to foster learning opportunities
• Why it’s important for parents to focus more on their kids’ social and emotional well-being and less on education during stressful times
• How online learning has worsened inequities for populations of marginalized and racialized children

91ŃÇÉ« champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91ŃÇÉ« students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91ŃÇÉ« U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91ŃÇÉ« is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni.

91ŃÇÉ« U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact: Vanessa Thompson, 91ŃÇÉ« Media Relations, 647-654-9452, vthomps@yorku.ca

Find out more about how 91ŃÇÉ« is creating positive change in the COVID-19 pandemic .

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