Key skills for academic success at school

AS a parent you can play a huge role in helping your child achieve academic success.

Academic success is built on a combination of skills: organisation, time management, prioritisation, concentration and motivation.

Here are some tips to help get your child on the right track:

Identify problem areas

Start with simple conversation in which you discover which of these skills your child needs to develop further.

Is your child overwhelmed by assignments? She may have trouble organising time.

Does your child have difficulty completing her work? She may get distracted too easily.

Is your child simply not interested in school? She may need help getting motivated.

Ask him or her about favourite subjects, classes he/she dreads and whether he or she is satisfied with his or her latest progress report.

Organisation

• Whether it’s keeping track of research materials or remembering to bring home a lunch box, children need to be organised to succeed in school.

• Make a checklist of things your child needs to bring to and from school every day. Put a copy by the door at home and one in his backpack. Try to check with him each day to see if he remembered the items on the list.

• Find out how your child keeps track of his homework and how he organises his notebooks. Then work together to develop a system he will want to use.

• Shop with your child for tools that will help him stay organised, such as binders, folders or an assignment book.

Time Management

Learning to schedule enough time to complete an assignment may be difficult for your student. Even when students have a week to do a project, many won’t start until the night before it’s due. Learning to organise time into productive blocks takes practice and experience.

• Track assignments on a monthly calendar. Work backward from the due date of larger assignments and break them into nightly tasks.

• Help your child record how much time she spends on homework each week so he or she can figure out how to divide this time into manageable chunks.

• If evenings aren’t enough, help your child find other times for schoolwork, such as early mornings, study halls or weekends.

Prioritisation

Sometimes children fall behind in school and fail to hand in assignments because they simply don’t know where to begin. Prioritising tasks is a skill your child will need throughout life, so it’s never too soon to get started.

• Ask your child to write down all the things he needs to do, including non-school-related activities.

• Help him to label each task from 1 to 3, with 1 being most important.

Concentration

It is important that your child works on schoolwork in an area with limited distractions and interruptions.

• Turn off access to email and games when your child works on the computer.

• Declare the phone and TV off-limits during homework time.

• Find space that fits the assignment. If your child is working on a science project, he or she may need lots of space; if she’s studying for a language test, she will need a well-lit desk.

• Help your child concentrate during homework time by separating her from her siblings.

Motivation

Most children say they want to do well in school, yet many still fail to complete the level of work necessary to succeed academically.

The reason is often lack of motivation. Tapping into your child’s interests is a great way to get him geared to do well in school.

• Link school lessons to your child’s life. If he’s learning percentages, ask him to figure out the price of a discounted item next time you shop.

• Link your child’s interests to academics. If he’s passionate about music, give him books about musicians and show how music and foreign languages are connected.

• Give your child control and choices. With guidance, let him determine his study hours, organising system or school project topics.

• Encourage your child to share his expertise. Regularly ask him about what he’s learning in school.

• Congratulate your child, encourage him and celebrate all his successes.

Often what holds children back from trying is the fear of failure or the memory of a time they didn’t do well.

You can help break this cycle by celebrating your child’s successes, no matter how small, and by giving him opportunities to succeed academically.

(Source: http://www.greatschools. org)