It is possible that your child has reached Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO) without knowing how to study correctly. In school, students are usually required to learn the content, but they do not focus on how they should learn it, that is, there is no emphasis on study skills.
It is like starting the house on the roof, since in order to learn correctly it is necessary for students to have a good knowledge and good study technique skills. In this sense, if you have realized that your child does not know how to study correctly, it is important that he learn them. Because if not, you may be studying for a long time without really taking advantage of the time and your efforts may not get the results you want. Knowing how to study shortens study time offering better results.
Next we are going to give you some tips so that you guide your children in the study and that they be able to better internalize the knowledge and what is better, that they learn to study independently, something that will serve them forever, not only for the THAT.
Create good planning
It's a good idea for your children to learn to list daily assignments and due dates for work or test dates. It is a way of planning your work in advance and that later, don't have the stress of doing everything at the last minute and running out of time for it.
Create a calendar
Show your child how to use a large wall calendar and a set of markers to keep track of all tasks. You can assign each class a different colored marker and write all their assignments, activities and appointments on the calendar. Or you can use a calendar on the web and sync it with multiple devices, including your smartphone and laptop.
Or you can also do it in a simple way: use an agenda. Agendas are a great tool to organize daily tasks and know how to organize them in a specific time.
Create a weekly planner
Your child can break down the information on the calendar to make a study plan for each week. Show her how to put her obligations for each week on the big calendar into a weekly planner, making sure she includes time to work on each task a few days before it is due. Or have him print out a weekly list of his calendar on the Internet and always have it in view in his bedroom or study area.
Create a daily checklist
It may seem like an exaggeration, but breaking down the weekly plan into a daily checklist can also go a long way. This to-do list helps your child keep track of his day and see how much progress he is making. It is a good idea for him to list each day's homework in the order in which it should be done and to write down the specific time of each class or appointment.
The studio
Once you have the planning created, the most important part will come: the study. The study consists above all, in knowing how to organize the information, break it down into small parts, underline the most important things, pass it on to a diagram, study and memorize the diagram and then make summaries of the content learned to know if you know everything studied or if you have to reinforce at any specific point
It may seem expensive at first, but as you get into the habit of studying, it will become much easier and you will study faster. You will be able to find the main ideas and separate them from the secondary ones, knowing exactly what is most important to study.
Once your child begins to understand how to study, you can make a plan of things that should not be forgotten before, during and after study:
- The place of study is important. A place without distractions, with good lighting and an ergonomic chair is his thing. It can be at home or in the library.
- Always have the materials on hand so you don't have to look for it in the middle of the study.
- Establish rewarding, for example every two hours of study, 10 minutes of free time.
- Have the study checklist always at hand. Write down all the steps you have to do to study.
- Have a journal to write down what you have in your head and take it out while you study. Writing down everything that is distracting you in your head, when you write them stops them in your mind and when you finish studying, you can address it.