Science Daily—Kids may roll their eyes when their mothers asks them about their school day, but answering her may actually help them learn. New research from Vanderbilt University reveals that children learn the solution to a problem best when they explain it to their mom.
“We knew that children learn well with their moms or with a peer, but we did not know if that was because they were getting feedback and help,” Bethany Rittle-Johnson, the study’s lead author and assistant professor of psychology at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of education and human development, said. “In this study, we just had the children’s mothers listen, without providing any assistance. We’ve found that by simply listening, a mother helps her child learn.”
Rittle-Johnson believes the new finding can help parents better assist their children with their schoolwork, even when they are not sure of the answer themselves. Although the researchers used children and their mothers in the study, they believe the same results will hold true whether the person is the child’s father, grandparent, or other familiar persons.
“The basic idea is that it is really effective to try to get kids to explain things themselves instead of just telling them the answer,” she said. “Explaining their reasoning, to a parent or perhaps to other people they know, will help them understand the problem and apply what they have learned to other situations. We saw that this simple act of listening by mom made a difference in the quality of the child’s explanations and how well they could solve more difficult problems later on.
According to the passage, a mom had better ________.

A．give a kid some help when he is explaining his problem

B．just listen while a kid is explaining his problem

C．work together with a kid toward the solution to a problem

D．leave a kid alone when he meets a problem at school

If she wants to help a child with his schoolwork, a mom ________.

A．should know the answer to a problem first

B．should pay attention to the child’s feedback.

C．may not know the answer herself

D．should not interrupt the child

Who will be the least help to a kid when he is explaining, according to Rittle-Johnson?

A．The kid’s mom.

B．The kid’s grandmother.

C．A peer.

D．A relative the kid doesn’t know.

Which of the following best gives the main idea of the passage?

A．Children learn better when their mom is hearing their explaining.

B．Children learn better if they find the solution to a problem themselves.

C．Parents should not provide any assistance to their children’s schoolwork.

D．A mom should listen more to their children when they have problems at school.

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