Study Skills ... 
Strengthening at home study skills helps avoid the report card surprise

By Doug Paterson

Of all the subjects taught in classrooms across the country, one of the most important is often overlooked by students, parents, and teachers: how to study.

There are four key areas that can help students improve their study skills: organization and time management, effective note-taking, reading and study strategies, and test-taking techniques.

I recommend the following tips to help students improve their study skills at home. 

Keep a schedule. All students should keep a schedule of classes, assignments, and other key dates. As part of that schedule, they should set aside specific time for studying and project work. Students are less likely to have to scramble to complete a project at the last minute or cram the night before a big test if they have kept up with the work all along.

Take effective notes in class. Most students take notes in classes, but often when they review the notes, they can’t make sense of the content. Students need to develop note-taking skills that include identifying key information and capturing it in a style that makes for effective studying later.

Reading assignments. Poor reading skills or an inability to read for important information makes assignments a burden and undermines overall academic success. If reading skills are weak, it’s important for the student to seek help to improve them; otherwise performance in many subjects will be impacted.

Test-taking strategies. A poor test result could mean that the student doesn’t have a good grasp of the academic material, or it could just mean that the student may not take tests well. Effective test-taking strategies include: leaning how to prioritize material when studying for a test, preparing for a test over a number of days, coping with stress during the test, and managing time during a test so all sections are completed.

One of the most commonly waged battles between parents and children is over study time and homework. Even with the best of intentions, tackling this ongoing dilemma in a positive and constructive way can be a challenge.
I suggest setting positive milestones and markers that are smaller and more frequent than the report card. 

Homework and studying can be a daily opportunity to celebrate successes with your child. Rewards and parent approval give your child a sense of motivation and self esteem, instead of a daily battle of wills.

The following tips are designed to help you work more effectively with your child.

Be a homework manager. Don’t do your child’s homework, but rather provide the structure and tools needed to complete assignments successfully. Often, it’s the lack of planning that makes things seem overwhelming.

Know your child. Develop a work schedule and study environment based on your child’s learning style.

Break long-term assignments into smaller segments. Larger projects will be less overwhelming when viewed as a series of incremental tasks.

Set milestones. Teach your child to set completion dates on a calendar to help stay on track and complete projects on time.

Celebrate success. Celebrations help to give your child a sense of accomplishment and pride.

Approximately 20% to 45% of school-aged children do not reach their full potential because they suffer from low self-esteem. Success helps build self-esteem. Because underachieving students do not experience much success in the classroom, low self-esteem is often the result.

A school-aged child’s self-esteem is cultivated primarily at home. It is important that parents have a complete understanding of what self-esteem is and how to help build positive self-esteem in their child. Self-esteem refers to how you feel about yourself. It includes self-confidence, self-respect, pride in oneself, independence, and self-reliance. A secure home environment that establishes confidence, respect, and an open exchange of ideas, thoughts, and feelings is crucial to building self-esteem. The more positive their self-esteem is before adolescence, the easier it will be for a child to resist negative peer group pressures. Children who constantly put themselves down have low self-esteem, while children who face new experiences with confidence and positive expectations, and shrug off disappointments with an “it will be better next time” attitude, have high self-esteem.

Here are some communication tips to help build or restore your children’s self-esteem.

Have easy-going conversations that are of interest to them. Ask questions that require an in-depth response. Be optimistic. Listen patiently to what they are saying. Listen to how your child feels without making judgments about those feelings. Encourage them to express their true feelings. 

Positive self-esteem not only helps students in the classroom, but also contributes to success later in life. But, it must be established at an early age and strengthened throughout every child’s life.

Parents must strive to build positive self-esteem every day by inspiring their children to set goals, identify and overcome obstacles to success, praise their child every day, say “I love you” and mean it, allow children to be free to succeed and to make mistakes, and compliment their children (but not by comparison to other siblings).
And don’t forget … talking with your child every day about school teaches him or her that education is very important in your family.

Doug Paterson is the director of education at Sylvan Learning Center for Wake Forest, as well as the Raleigh and Knightdale locations. He has also taught in Wake County for six years. He may be reached via phone at 846-1975 or e-mailed at dpaterson@sylvanraleigh.com. For more information about Sylvan Learning Centers, visit <www.educate.com>.