Gone are the traditional methods of studying which required children to cram up their textbooks. Education has seen a significant shift from classroom learning to e-learning. School books online are helpful for quick access while studying. Children now learn through infographics and visuals rather than reading heavy textbooks. Teachers and parents prefer modern teaching techniques and skill-based learning for children that encourage them to learn better and meaningful things.
While online learning is beneficial for children, it may sometimes cause peer pressure and constant competition among children to stay at the top. At times, it results in a negative impact on their studies.
To get rid of this and boost knowledge in your children, read the below-given 7 studying skills that will accelerate learning.
1. Asking Questions
The most crucial skill that a child can develop during the early years of schooling is the art of asking questions. It does not mean that they have to ask random questions just for the sake of it. Motivate your children to ask ‘why’ and ‘how’ things are done. A lot of times, children feel shy to ask their doubts.
You should also encourage them to find out the root cause or reasoning behind concepts. They should be curious enough to find out in-depth about the subject that they are studying.
Asking questions helps in building critical and analytical skills and logical reasoning abilities in children. These skills will not only help them during the school years but also later in life. The habit of asking questions will give them a deeper understanding of the subject and provide real-life learning instead of superficial knowledge. It will also help them develop interests in different areas.
2. Practice self-learning
Another beneficial tip to enhance knowledge in children is self-learning. It allows the students to gain education beyond textbooks. One of the major factors to drive self-learning ability in children is curiosity. It helps them in studying a course subject as well as fun learning.
You must encourage your children to learn beyond classroom education. With the school books online, practicing self-learning has become easier than before. It helps children to broaden their horizons, use their brains, and keep them on their toes. Self-studying allows them to learn at their own pace and encourages time management. They constantly learn about new topics and can correlate them. It boosts their ability to learn new things.
3. Test yourself
After self-learning, encourage your children to practice self-testing. Throughout the school and college years, students have to take numerous tests. The main motive behind taking these tests is to gauge the understanding level of children and how much they have studied. However, while checking the answer sheets, the majority of schools focus more on testing the memorizing ability of the students and not their knowledge. Therefore, you must inculcate the habit of self-testing in your child.
Students learn hundreds of new things each day and come up with their ideas too. It is why they tend to forget or mix up concepts. Therefore, when your children learn something new, you should encourage them to recall it from time to time after a few days and weeks so that the learning stays with them. If they have learned a practical concept, motivate them to try it at home, if possible. Ask your children to explain out loud what they have learned. It will not only help them understand the concepts better but also motivate them to overcome fear or shyness.
4. Making notes
Since learning has become majorly online, children are not in the habit of taking notes while studying. Therefore, the next skill to accelerate learning in children is writing. Making notes is extremely beneficial while studying. It not only keeps children focused but also improves their writing skills. Writing notes also make them understand what part is important and what should be left out while studying. It is fruitful especially, at the time of revision before the exams. Writing things down increases the chances of remembering concepts and formulas for a long time. On the other hand, children who only listen to lectures are more likely to forget them soon.
Motivate your children to write down sentences with important keywords, take down bullet points, make charts, and use highlighters and sticky notes for accelerated studying.
5. Practice Pomodoro Studying Technique
These days, it is very easy for children to get distracted while studying. Over time, it reduces the focusing ability and attention span of students. Even if students are studying for hours, they mostly keep reading the same lines over and over again. Eventually, they retain less knowledge.
Children also get bored instantly. It is difficult for them to sit still and study for hours. It is where the Pomodoro technique becomes a savior. It is one of the best studying strategies that parents should encourage their children to adopt in their studying routine.
This technique is simple. It requires four easy steps. The first step is to write down all the tasks in bullet points that children need to finish, whether it’s studying or completing homework. Next, they have to set up a timer for 25 minutes. In these 25 minutes, the child needs to give full attention to their task. When the timer goes off, ask him to take a break for 5 minutes. After that, set a timer again for 25 minutes and focus. It helps in keeping distractions at bay and encourages the child to learn.
6. Form Study Groups
Asking your children to form study groups with their friends is an excellent idea to catalyze studying. Rather than studying in private, they should learn with their friends. The understanding level of each child is different. What one child cannot understand from the teacher might learn from his friend in simple terms. Studying together allows children to overcome their weaknesses. It helps them brainstorm ideas, get rid of procrastination, and work on their communication skills.
7. Encourage Meta-cognition
Self-awareness is crucial for every child. You should motivate your children to practice meta-cognition. It refers to a deeper level of thinking which means focusing on one’s thinking and reflecting on ideas. Meta-cognition allows children to become self-aware about their thought processes, how they think, learn, understand, study, manage time, and more. It helps children to ponder on their activities, whether it proves to be beneficial or not.
The above-mentioned skills will encourage your children to learn and enhance their reasoning and critical skills.