In the face of the increasing school failure rates in our country, families and teaching teams face new challenges, as we are no longer in an era in which “it does not matter whether a student completes school or not”. The enormous gap between skilled work / unskilled work, the devaluation of some paths, and the very fact of being immersed in the information and knowledge society force us to pay close attention to individual educational processes. The latter should not only be done through individual or diagnostic assessments but also by offering students tools to progress and obtain good academic results.
Right now we are witnessing a contradiction: ICTs have made an appearance in the lives of children in Primary and Secondary schools, but evolution in teaching methodologies has not accompanied them thus, we occasionally see how there are teachers who use students’ smartphones for educational purposes, while in most educational centers they still teach and learn with classic methods. That is why, while we cause change to materialize, students must know how to study by internalizing concepts and learning to express them.
A poor academic result does not mean failure at school, nor is it related to a child’s intellectual capacity. It can exceptionally be due to the presence of different learning disorders, but in many cases, it is due to a lack of concentration or not knowing the study techniques. These techniques allow better management of knowledge and at the same time optimize the time dedicated to doing tasks or studying. It is, above all, about “studying better”, a task that can be taken on by the family, but given the difficulties in reconciling work and family life, it must be taken on (sometimes almost exclusively) by the school.
Parents often ask themselves, “ How can we help a 6-year-old child who has just started primary school study ?” “Will we be able to guide a 10-year-old child who is already in fifth grade?” In some way, teachers are responsible for offering basic guidelines, as they are for training children in study techniques, but it is only a matter of guiding (parents and children) because by taking over functions, in some way the autonomy of the protagonists of learning could be inhibited.
It has already been said that by organizing study time well, and knowing how to study, one is already fighting against the feared failure at school, even when it comes to children with special needs ( such as High Abilities ) to whom reinforcements must be offered through other means, but without preventing them from having contact with habit and effort The following are considered pillars on which study techniques are based:
Management and control of environmental factors.
Improving internal factors.
Planning.
Concrete tools.
Control over internal and external factors.
By external (or environmental) factors we mean the place where you study and the environment: the former should be quiet, ventilated, and at room temperature; the furniture will allow you to sit up straight and have your back supported. On the other hand, order and the nearby arrangement of necessary elements are very important. Without forgetting good lighting (preferably natural) from the side opposite the hand that is writing to avoid shadows.
And internal factors do not depend on the organization, ut on personality, capabilities, and the influence of other people. There are stable ones (specific skills, intelligence); and variable ones (motivation, self-concept, concentration).
Some internal factors can also be influenced, especially if you know the student. Transmitting confidence and demand at the same time is a guarantee of success.
A habit is nothing more than a repeated behavior, util it is internalized and assumed. To improve studying and the completion of tasks, it is necessary that scattered but effective behaviors are repeated . I this way, and over time, the effort will be less, and the resistance of the students as well. In addition, knowing how to study, among other things, guarantees that less time is spent doing it, and for children, it is very important, since it allows them to play and dedicate themselves to their hobbies or complementary activities.
Respecting a child’s life is essential when thinking about “how to help an 8-year-old child study.”
How to help a toddler study.
Between the ages of 6 and 10, there are a series of general recommendations:
Always start at the same time.
Do not start later than 7 o’clock to avoid fatigue.
First study, then homework.
Get into the habit of using digital media occasionally for consultations or preparing exam questions.
Consistency by noting down tasks to be completed or completed, key dates, reminders, etc. in the agenda.
How to help a 6 or 77-year-oldchild study.
Efforts will focus on achieving reading comprehension and fluency in basic mathematical calculations at these ages (addition, subtraction, and multiplication); work can be done on retaining a few basic concepts. It is very important to control attention and achieve concentration during the time dedicated to studying, which between the ages of 6 and 7 will not be excessive.
Reinforcements such as simple crossword puzzles and other word games, as well as logic activities,s can be used to improve mathematical competence.
Daily reading is essential to gain expressive fluency and to master spelling naturally.
How to help an 8 or 9-year-old child study.
Starting from the third year of primary school, the content becomes more complex and more time needs to be spent preparing for an exam. In addition, students should learn to start studying 2 or 3 days before, to acquire the habit of preparing in advance (this will benefit them over time).
Division, fractions, animal classification, advanced language concepts… This is the age when, in addition to advancing in reading comprehension, students can learn to make simple diagrams, which will help them retain content and prepare them for underlining, one or two years later. It is very helpful to have complementary resources such as mathematical strips or specific applications. Interested teachers can offer advice, websites of interest, experiments, and collaborative initiatives through the class blog.
How to help a 10-year-old child study.
FFifth-grade children must manage significant amounts of homework, projects, and study. If reading has been worked on in previous years, difficulties in understanding texts have already been eliminated. Children at this age can begin with the underlying technique and must be trained in group work.
It is necessary to avoid overloading children with extracurricular and complementary activities, as it increases the daily time devoted to homework and study. In this way, they will be able to have a family and leisure life outside of “academic matters”.