Does your child know how to study?

[allyrr]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum but I've got a sixteen year old and he is really struggling to find a study style that works for him. He's more than capable but his grades are slipping and he's just not interested.

Does anyone else have the same problem? If so do you have any suggestions/tips for overcoming this problem?

Thanks in advance.

Ally

I have had the same issue with all 3 of mine - bright dc who were never really challenged that much in school, and who therefore never really learned how to work at academic studies / how to revise.
No, I don't have the answer, though, sorry.

No.ds1 is in year 8 and really struggled with revising for recent exams. I really worry for the heavier years ahead. I did a timetable for him and guided him through diff ways to revise but he really struggled.

Revision cards are fine but allow a lot of procrastination. With the challenge of the new specs he needs to be doing exam questions and applying his knowledge-not just copying out/making notes.

When my ds was that age he would pick a topic eg history then he would ask me to check him on it. He would then realise what he wasn't retaining. We made up quick things to help him summarise. I learnt a lot of history!!
Bit by bit he learnt what he needed to do to retain stuff developing his own style.
He had to be ready to agree to me helping him...l just told him l was available but up to him to come to me.

Whatever the actual exam requires then do exactly that. One might need to read up some notes, look up some formulae but that should be minimal compares to actual practice.
A Maths exam requires sitting down in silence, solve some Maths problems with pen and paper. No amount of note reading, highlighting, watching online videos can be substitued for that. The student can start with a short paper, a few topics at a time and build up to a whole paper but it has to be done.
Same as other subjects, if you have to write essays then sit down and write them. If it is an oral exam, find someone and talk to them. If you have to memorise something, learn it, repeat it, write it down, draw it etc.

It is like preparing for a marathon, they might need to a bit of theory, starting with shorter distances. But at some points, they will need to run a marathon. Reading and making notes are the worst method of revision for many subjects.

Some tips here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/2822454-Study-tips-and-websites-for-those-with-children-in-Y11

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Google "Tony Buzan". He did a lot of work studying how we learn and has written several books on such subjects as mind maps, how to memorise facts, how to read texts, when to repeat revision.

Thanks Noble. Don't know how I missed that thread

Thanks for all the tips folks!