Workspace
Home - Physical Space:
For me, there's no better feeling than when I walk into my office each morning, sit down behind my desk and know that when I touch my keypad my computer comes on, when I reach for my phone, the receiver is there, and everything that I'll need to do my job throughout the day is within arm's reach. I feel a great sense of security knowing that my workspace supports me in my job.
When I talk about children having an appropriate workspace, I am speaking about both your child’s workspace at school as well as their workspace at home. As parents, we need to address all of the important issues that I discuss below to ensure that our children are working in an environment that is safe, clean, comfortable, and well organized.
Unfortunately, when it comes to workspace, many parents do not see the value in making sure that their children are working in an environment that is conducive to learning. This is evidenced by the many visits that I have made to homes in my private practice as an educational counselor. I am often shocked by the workspace in which students are expected to do their homework. As adults, we would refuse to work in such conditions in our offices yet we do very little to assist in creating an environment in our homes that facilitates learning.
Let us focus for a while on the home workspace. The location of your child’s desk should be carefully considered. In most cases, the workspace at home should be located in either a bedroom or an office, not in a gathering area like a kitchen or a living room. This is important because students at all grade levels need to feel as though they are working independently in their own space. It should be in a place that is relatively free from distractions. While many students are able to position their desk so that they are looking outside of a window, for many, this can become a distraction whereby every movement outside takes them away from focusing on their work.
Wherever it is that your child will be doing his/her homework, it is important that it is a space that is well lit and spacious. Lighting is critical in being able to focus on homework for, in some cases, long periods. In my opinion, soft white lighting is ideal because it provides the light needed to focus, yet the intensity does not cause glare. In terms of space, a student should feel as though there is room to breathe. An appropriately sized desk with room for a computer, books, and all of the necessary supplies is critical. Be sure to find a chair that is comfortable and can be adjusted for an individual’s height.
Materials:
At the start of each school year, teachers usually give a list of materials that are required for their classes. Many of these items are obvious things such as a dictionary, a thesaurus, a plentiful supply of paper, pens, pencils, a protractor, a ruler, a computer (in some cases), software, and the list becomes deeper and deeper as the student progresses in age. This list is indicative of the items that your child needs for both school uses as well as for use at home. Take this list seriously! Save the list and look back over it periodically to see that the supplies that your child needs are always available and easily accessible. Again, as adults, when we think about our surroundings in our own offices, we do our best to make sure that we are comfortable and have all of the adequate supplies we need to perform each of our daily tasks. The same should apply to your child. They, like you, will more than likely need a filing cabinet to store their papers, a trash can, a pencil sharpener, a stapler, paper clips, scissors along with all of the other office supplies and some amenities that ad for comfort.
The computer is an entirely different story altogether. I do believe that computers should be placed on the desk and should be available for school use; however, they should be used only in those instances where it is a requirement for the assignment. The computer should be turned off when not in use because some temptations like e-mail, instant messaging, the internet and a host of other applications simply prove irresistible for students whose minds tends to wander.
Distractions:
Videogames, telephone, and television in all but a few rare instances should not be allowed during homework time. I say this because the workspace at home should be a reflection of the work environment at school, and I can assure you that in 99% of the classes around the country, there is not a telephone ringing, a television on, or a videogame being played during class time. This also brings me to the topic of music during study time. Again, in most classrooms, music is not played during the lecture or independent time. This is because for most students, music, whether meditative, classical, or contemporary, serves as a distraction.
Parents must also be aware of distractions that exist from siblings as well as themselves. This will be clearly discussed in a later section when we talk about designating a study time in each household when ALL members of the family are participating.
One must also be careful about distractions such as food and drink. While some students are able to have snacks during their study time, for others it can be a distraction. Foods with caffeine or sugar should be avoided prior to or during study time. If anything, calming snacks and drinks (particularly water) should be served. My daughter for instance, seems better able to focus when she sips on a cup of mild chamomile tea. This works for many students whose mind and body are easily excited and easily distracted.
Along the same lines, a child should not be hungry or feel heavy after a meal during study time. Ideally, after coming home from school, a student should have a light snack, socialize with family and friends for short time, and begin homework time. This is a time that is valued by the entire family where mother, father and siblings all take advantage of doing things for themselves during a time that is distraction free. Most families that I work with choose one of two different times throughout the afternoon as their designated study time. The few hours between the end of school and family dinnertime can be designated as study time, but for most people, because of after school activities, this time proves difficult. The second time that many people designate as study time in their home are the few hours between dinner time and one’s nighttime routine. This is typically a time when the student is focusing on their homework and Mom and Dad are making preparations for the upcoming work day, reading, or simply communicating with each other. The television should remain off during this time, as should any loud background music.
School - Physical Space:
When we talk about the workspace at school, things are very different. There are fewer choices, however, there are things that a parent can do to ensure that their child is approaching the ideal environment. To begin, if your child has a difficult time focusing, it makes perfect sense that he or she should be sitting close to the teacher and that the teacher is made well aware of your son or daughter's tendency to lose focus. When I was teaching, I was acutely aware of the few students who sat close to my desk and always made a point of making eye contact with them, and while lecturing, standing close to them and on occasion even placing my hand on their shoulder. In doing so, that physical touch brings them back to what is being discussed. A parent can also communicate with the teacher the names of other students that have, in the past, been a distraction for their child. I am not suggesting that your son or daughter discontinue socializing with his or her friend, I am suggesting that during class time, they keep a safe distance, and that during cooperative groupings, independent time, or class projects, the students are not paired together.
In many cases, I think it's also appropriate to ask the teacher to periodically inspect your child’s desk to make sure that it is well organized and that all of the materials that are needed are in place. Again, a student's desk should be clean and safe, not rusted or dilapidated. The room itself should be well organized. If a parent has the luxury of interviewing teachers before their child enters a class, one can get a very good sense as to how well organized that teacher is just upon entering the classroom. If the room is cluttered, heavy, and filled with distractions, this may not be the ideal environment for a student who loses focus easily. I'm not suggesting that the room should be bare or boring, but that it should have items that contribute to learning and create a sense of harmony in the classroom.
Overall, the environments in which your child will spend most of his or her waking time throughout the day, the classroom and their desk at home, should have everything that is needed, should be comfortable, should be well equipped, and should be distraction free. I cannot emphasize how important this is to a student trying to learn.
In summary, the following steps should be taken with respect to Workspace:
-
Location, location, location of desk at home is key
- Room should be well lit
- Desk should have plenty of room for school supplies and computer
- Desk should be well equipped with all necessary materials
- Make work area comfortable
- Designate a family study time
- No distractions during study time
- Be selective about snacks during study time
- Communicate with teacher about where your child sits
- Desk at school should be clean and safe
- Teacher and parent should conduct periodic inspections of desk at home and school to keep well organized
- Make sure teacher is well organized
