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Before a well anticipated summer vacation, young adults become partisans in a national movement: Final Exams. Obsequious to a week long of grueling study sessions and preparation, college and secondary school students manage to submerge masses of information into their tiny 2 x 2, short-term memories. Yet the hopes and prayers of these ambitious youngsters to receive at least a “B” in the class is, in contrast to a parent’s expectations, very low.
On the other hand, a handful of good and hopeful students just don’t hit the mark, no matter how hard they try. Test preparations, writing papers, or compiling creative projects seem quite difficult for many students, but parents are the ones who amplify oodles of guilt because “you (the parent) can’t do anything.” On the contrary, parents are the best study-buddies a child can have. Conducive strategies for test preparation are not the only pick in the pot, though. Environment, attitude, and organization improve mnemonic capabilities incredibly. And if all this doesn’t add up to a worthy cause, just think of how much quality parenting you’ll be providing, along with a boost in self-esteem.
The tactics indicated below will equip you, the parent, or even you, the student, for active study habits that can be adjusted and restricted to gain a better position in the academic field. And again, this isn’t just about what a person is studying, but how they’re doing it.
Is the student an insider or outsider?
Simplify the situation, by asking the child whether he concentrates in an environment that is secluded and quiet (insider) or an open area where movement is visible (outsider). With certain individuals sounds and movement create distractions, and divert the thought process to wasteful thinking. But for others, secluded areas and still surroundings induce anxiety and panic. Whichever the child inclines towards, you as the parent need to assess the situation and decide whether the environment they study in is conducive. A checklist for body language and distraction signs can also help decipher the ‘insider’ or ‘outsider’ characteristic:
Check off any or all of the following according to your child’s study behavior:
• Student turns his attention towards almost every phone call, person, and sound that surrounds the area.
• Student creates a barrier around his study area, to avoid distractions.
• Student constantly asks others to remain quiet while he reads or writes.
• Student prefers small corners or hidden areas to work on projects or reading/ writing projects.
• One hour has passed by; the child is still staring at the television and has not gone past the first 2 questions or paragraph for his assignment.
• Assignments are completed at a satisfactory or higher level, when student works in a room that is quiet and separated from the rest of the household.
If you have checked 2 or more of the above, the insider has emerged. If you have not seen any of these behaviors or seen the complete opposite to the above scenarios, educate yourself on creating an “outsider” environment.
Parents: Train Yourself For Study Sessions First
Adapt a few strategies in your daily routine that emphasize to the child that
1. She can come to you for help;
2. You have an interest in whether she does well or not in every aspect of life;
3. And you take work and education very seriously.
Strategies For You:
• Establish an area that represents serious business. Use this space for paper work, bills, educational reading, even to clarify punishments and restrictions.
• When it’s time for your child to study, you need to be accessible. Stay home. While the child is working, busy yourself with light tasks. Better yet, allow the lighter load of the day to take place concurrently with her study schedule.
• Set a schedule for yourself and run with it. Be consistent in your manner of work; as a role model, you have to internalize the kind of characteristics you want in your offspring.
• If you don’t know the answer, ask. Whether it’s how to turn off the new iron or tackling a building project, if you’re stuck, be willing to ask for help. You make it evident to the child that not everyone knows everything and that it’s more than okay to ask for assistance.
Environment Is Key
This matter must be addressed without more ado. To make the studying process agile, location is key. Keep in mind the following systematic changes you need to incorporate for a “study atmosphere.”
• Claim a room strictly for educational purposes; or a space that is large enough to conduct projects, computer work, and book work.
• Have a large work surface, such as a table or desk.
• Avoid placing things that are distracting in this room.
• Provide ample lighting.
• Have all necessary supplies available in this room.
• Have adequate seating. Avoid sofa chairs, sofas, and coffee tables as the furniture. Proper desk chairs and posture friendly support should be available.
• Have healthy snacks and drinks available in this room. You need not run to the local department store and purchase a mini-fridge; a simple basket of muffins or a tray of fruits and juice will do fine.
Actively Involve Yourself In The Study Process
As children develop higher levels of independence the parent needs to increase proactive behavior in order to stay in charge. Don’t let the child take over, they’re neither old enough nor prepared. Similarly, if you want to make even a dent of an impact in the academic wellness for your child, take action.
• Start when they’re young! Instill good study habits from a young age. Separate leisure from work. Provide proper work spaces for reading and writing. When it’s time for work, endow with structure: sit down with them and teach, rather than mixing dinner time with learning ABC’s. At the time you’ve allowed leisure activities, do not stress scattered minutes for memorizing 1 + 2 = 3. When you work, allow young children to watch you; do not give into playtime while you work, instead use this opportunity to place a paper and pen into the little one’s hands and direct them to also utilize the time for work.
• Track his exams, assignments, projects and papers. If teachers provide a syllabus, retain a copy for yourself.
• Sit down and generate a workable schedule for her. Make specific time slots for specific academic activities.
• Again separate leisure and study, avoid mixing the two, as it may inhibit kids from taking academics seriously.
• If the child is an insider and prefers to work on assignments alone, grant them the space. Check on them and reassure them of your availability every so often. Refill their snacks as an excuse to ensure he is on track!
• Keep their tummies happy! Offer healthy snacks and drinks before, during and after. Children use a lot of energy even though their sitting in one place. Heavy and oily foods should be avoided, though, since it relaxes the body too much. In order to have quality study time, the mind must be fresh and remain stimulated.
• Be supportive. Avoid admonishing the child for doing a poor job. Select the positive aspects of every outcome.
• If they ask you for help, attend to the problem immediately. If you don’t know the answer, work on finding it together. Don’t be afraid to ask or even to call the teacher for guidance.
Offer Study Tactics
Often students passively pay attention during daily school lectures, but become high-strung the week before finals. Similarly, they procrastinate with papers and projects and turn tense the night before the due date. Eliminate this habit as soon as it becomes apparent to you. For a small number of students this habit increases their probability of doing well, but the majority of kids fail poorly when leaving assignments and studying to the last minute. Here’s what you can offer as an alternative and make use of with them:
1. Weekly study sessions: Review homework and lessons at the end of each week. If your child has not comprehended a certain lesson or concept, you’ll be able to address it at this time rather than learn about it before a final exam. It also revives the learned information and alleviates the stress before a cumulative exam.
2. Final study sessions: To prepare for tests, start a week in advance (at least). Use pop-quizzes and essays to learn concepts.
3. For projects and papers: Divide the entire project into smaller categories and instill a timeline for each. For instance,
Research Period (4 days)
Get supplies (2 days)
Compile written Information (3 days)
Complete Project (4 days)
4. Recommend to the child to complete assignments that are easier, first. This boost’s the child’s confidence because they’ve finished of a certain amount of work quickly and easily. In addition, there is a significant amount of energy and time left to work on the harder tasks, but no further assignments are required to be completed afterward! Therefore the entire focus can be devoted towards studies that require more diligence.
Quick Tips
1. Give a realistic timeline for academic studies. Allow numerous hours for a handful of concepts.
2. Incorporate written study tactics, such as essays and identifying concepts with pictures. This is a visuo-spatial sketchpad technique. Once a person identifies a picture with a concept it becomes easier to access from the memory.
3. Incorporate audio repetition (rote learning) to memorize the sounds of information.
4. Use elaborate rehearsal. By adding information (specific to the subject you’re studying) to a general body of knowledge that one already knows, it allows the information to be retained in the long-term-memory bank.
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