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How do you help your children develop study habits?


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It would depend upon the age of the child.  

 

The most important thing is that he or she is placed in classes that are challenging enough to require studying.  Practicing study skills on material that is already mastered or mastered during class time will end up convincing your child that studying is a waste of time.

 

That said...setting aside a time for homework, providing instruction and scaffolding for active studying and breaking down large tasks into manageable chunks, that sort of thing.

 

It's a process.

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Set time aside each school day for study hall. My district assumes 10 minutes x grade level. During study hall one completes homework, uses ones planner, and studies anything that needs studied.

 

I taught the study skills at home that were not taught at school or figured out by the child.

 

If there is not enough to fill.the time, skill practice that the school omits is done. In fifth that may be dictionary usage, cursive penmanship, essays, and reading at the child's actual instructional level rather than grade level.Child may also choose enrichment.

 

Note study hall may not be productive if the child has not had exercise or is forced to sit.

Edited by Heigh Ho
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It would depend upon the age of the child.  

 

The most important thing is that he or she is placed in classes that are challenging enough to require studying.  

 

 

Ah - that would be lovely  but we don't have a say in having our child placed in more challenging classes unless he/she has been tested as being gifted!!

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Set time aside each school day for study hall. My district assumes 10 minutes x grade level. During study hall one completes homework, uses ones planner, and studies anything that needs studied.

 

I taught the study skills at home that were not taught at school or figured out by the child.

 

If there is not enough to fill.the time, skill practice that the school omits is done. In fifth that may be dictionary usage, cursive penmanship, essays, and reading at the child's actual instructional level rather than grade level.Child may also choose enrichment.

 

Note study hall may not be productive if the child has not had exercise or is forced to sit.

 

We don't have study hall at school until high school (in our school district).  But that would make perfect sense to get them started doing that when they are younger.  

 

How did you determine which study skills to teach at home?  

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Study hall is at home. Call It whatever you want.

 

 

To determine study skills to teach at home, look at what child knows. Teach what he doesn't know that is useful for what he is studying. For ex,.in.spelling, I taught spell the word backward. I have a visual child who learns nothing from say the word, then write the word ten times, put the list in alphabetical order etc.

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Ah - that would be lovely  but we don't have a say in having our child placed in more challenging classes unless he/she has been tested as being gifted!!

 

Is there anything that your child needs to actually study (or practice) outside of class time in order to be successful in school?  Spelling words?  Math facts?  Writing skills?  If so, then you can develop a routine around those things.  But it needs to be something where the child can see the direct relationship between the time studying and improvement in school performance, so afterschooling ancient history when the class is doing American isn't going to work.  

 

Also, be sure that your child understands that studying is not the same thing as doing homework.  Studying is something that goes beyond what the teacher assigns.  I say this because my COLLEGE STUDENT apparently still did not know this as of this past semester (he does now, after a three week long lecture discussion over winter break).  Anyway, the sooner a kid learns this important difference, the better!

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Also, be sure that your child understands that studying is not the same thing as doing homework.  Studying is something that goes beyond what the teacher assigns.  I say this because my COLLEGE STUDENT apparently still did not know this as of this past semester (he does now, after a three week long lecture discussion over winter break).  Anyway, the sooner a kid learns this important difference, the better!

 

 

Wholeheartedly agree! 

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I can't say I'm an expert at this, but for us a lot of the value comes after the exam / project when we discuss what could have led to a better outcome.

 

I think study is very individual, like housework or real-life project work.  There are so many ways to get the job done.

 

I have two 10yo 5th graders.  The eldest is naturally organized and conscientious enough to put in extra effort to do well in school.  Yes, I built up her stamina by sitting with her every evening when she was little, but for her part she was open to it.  Now I give her guidance when she has a tough test coming up, but I fully expect her to study "enough" without being pushed.

 

My youngest (by 3 months) is a whole nother story.  She has always had more of a need to play and do her own thing.  She does not develop habits like most people.  (Repeating an action x times doesn't do it for her.)  Luckily, she is very bright and remembers most of what is tested on anyway; but as for giving her something more challenging at home to build those skills, forget it.  I have tried.  She just walks away.  Sometimes she "needs" to go to the bathroom and takes a fun book in there and camps out.  Whatever.  So I have to decide - is this a hill to die on?  No it is not - not at 10yo (or younger).  Maybe when she "finds her thing" and sets personal goals, she will be willing to work steadily toward those goals.  Right now she is still flitting from one interest to another as each thing loses its novelty.

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I can't say I'm an expert at this, but for us a lot of the value comes after the exam / project when we discuss what could have led to a better outcome.

 

I think study is very individual, like housework or real-life project work.  There are so many ways to get the job done.

 

I have two 10yo 5th graders.  The eldest is naturally organized and conscientious enough to put in extra effort to do well in school.  Yes, I built up her stamina by sitting with her every evening when she was little, but for her part she was open to it.  Now I give her guidance when she has a tough test coming up, but I fully expect her to study "enough" without being pushed.

 

My youngest (by 3 months) is a whole nother story.  She has always had more of a need to play and do her own thing.  She does not develop habits like most people.  (Repeating an action x times doesn't do it for her.)  Luckily, she is very bright and remembers most of what is tested on anyway; but as for giving her something more challenging at home to build those skills, forget it.  I have tried.  She just walks away.  Sometimes she "needs" to go to the bathroom and takes a fun book in there and camps out.  Whatever.  So I have to decide - is this a hill to die on?  No it is not - not at 10yo (or younger).  Maybe when she "finds her thing" and sets personal goals, she will be willing to work steadily toward those goals.  Right now she is still flitting from one interest to another as each thing loses its novelty.

 

I'm far from being an expert as well - and I struggle with mentoring a son so very unlike me in so many ways! LOL!!  There are indeed many ways to get the job done and I need to think outside the box a bit more, hence this thread and wanting to peek in on other methods and tips... but one thing that is non negotiable (at least to my husband and I) is wanting to develop a culture of discussion on how to improve and bouncing ideas off one another.   

 

My son sounds somewhat like your youngest.   He is very bright in many ways but just wants to do his own thing.  He will rush through things to be able to draw and do his own projects.... which isn't a bad thing per se - but I'd love if he could realize the benefit of putting his full attention to what is asked of him and THEN playing afterwards! :D   

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I love this thread & don't think this question is asked enough & incorporated into a child's overall education! While you can endlessly garner posters' specific ideas & even find more on Google, I think global skills (applicable to any discipline) are excellent starting points. In my opinion, that boils down to task analysis & time management.

 

Breaking down an assignment into manageable chunks is the first step. Then, it'd be laying out a timeline for accomplishing each aspect of the task. ('Backwards planning' or 'back mapping' are the current educational buzzwords for this phenomenon.) Leading the way as a parent is initially necessary but then acting more as a guide would be appropriate later down the line.

 

So, if your child has a paper to write, begin by breaking down the steps required to produce a quality product. Then continue with a brainstorming session or harvest the needed information/ research. Organize the information--using graphic organizers, highlighters, annotation, etc. Craft a rough draft. Take a break--1-2 days (& build this into the timeline) to give the child some cognitive space to Intellectually digest his/her progress. Flesh out the rough draft's ideas & continually refer to the directions ('Am I fully addressing all requirements?'). Take another short break & return to the task, with refinement in mind. Have an audience read the final paper & provide input. Revise one last time, if necessary.

 

I believe study skills aquisition is a process, one that requires a lot of guided practice. Frustration tolerance comes with that as does learning from mistakes. My daughter takes piano & has homework in between lessons. She--like most 7 year olds--doesn't always want to practice daily. However, she will get worried/upset/nervous, etc. come lesson day if the assigned tasks are not complete. So, we've spoken frankly about that 'yucky' feeling & how to a) put it into perspective & b) prevent it in the future. This week, we broke up the practice into (quasi-) daily chunks & she went to today's lesson feeling relaxed & proud. We celebrated that success & will catalogue it for those times when she falls short (which may happen next week--because she's a kid & it's bound to happen). It's a process of 'successive approximations' & so both child & parent understanding this lifts a load.

 

I don't know if this long-winded response helps but it certainly did me--as it brought back on my radar the necessity of continually re-visiting & refining these educational lifeskills.

Edited by Earthmerlin
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I also think regular chores help.  Not that I'm actually implementing this concept, but it seems logical to me.  If, for example, a 10yo is responsible for keeping a certain room presentable, that is a continuous exercise in task analysis, prioritizing, planning, and time management.  It is self-reinforcing.

 

I also think a sport where the child wants to improve can develop relevant skills.  The improving athlete takes input on how skills are developed, makes a plan/schedule, gathers the needed materials, and goes through multiple iterations to get a better and better result.  This could also apply to crafts, arts, and some other kinds of pastimes.  But it doesn't work as well if it isn't the kid's own interest.

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I also think regular chores help. Not that I'm actually implementing this concept, but it seems logical to me. If, for example, a 10yo is responsible for keeping a certain room presentable, that is a continuous exercise in task analysis, prioritizing, planning, and time management. It is self-reinforcing.

 

I also think a sport where the child wants to improve can develop relevant skills. The improving athlete takes input on how skills are developed, makes a plan/schedule, gathers the needed materials, and goes through multiple iterations to get a better and better result. This could also apply to crafts, arts, and some other kinds of pastimes. But it doesn't work as well if it isn't the kid's own interest.

I completely agree!

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My kids could not develop study habits during their years in school because the material was so easy that it did not require studying. Any "studying" I would have asked them to do would have been pointless busy work and would have reinforced the idea that studying is a waste of time.

Both my kids acquired study habits when they encountered classwork that was difficult enough not to be retained and mastered immediately after in class exposure - when they took college classes during high school.

 

I have not found it possible to teach studying "dry", before the actual need arises. I doubt that making a student go through the motions of making flash cards and notes etc for stuff they already know is an effective way.

 

 

Edited by regentrude
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Flashcards have never worked for us. Too much time to make. I was never taught that technique in school..what we were taught was to read, listen, observe, and ask questions for understanding. We were also taught to make an exam..that helped clarify what the main ideas and details were and encouraged extensions. Foreign language was use it...like spelling, We learned by writing or speaking our new vocab and conjugations in sentences. Being a military brat, I attended seven different schools for k12. Not one was a memorize and spit back type of school. It was all knowing and understanding. My children's school was similar, until the nclb dumb down began. That's when the flashcards for science and math terms in lieu of teaching techniques that required higher order thinking began. Also.the chanting of the times tables began, with such things as the nines finger trick, in lieu of the previous technkques that built understanding.

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