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My Struggle with Learning
I made good grades in high school and graduate school. My college GPA was average. While trying to achieve success in school, I used rote learning. Rote learning is the memorization of information based on repetition.
With every study session, utilizing repetition felt like I was beating information into my brain. Finally my brain said, “Okay, I have it memorized.”
Studying was not a fun event for me. There had to be a better way.
The Solution
When I became pregnant, I didn’t want my sons to have the same experience as myself. Therefore, I started doing research on learning techniques and memory tricks.
I found that you can remember information quicker through your body and location. There are also brain tricks to learn Bible verses or speeches quickly.
Additionally, I learned that babies’ brains soak up information at a faster rate during the ages of 0-3.
My son uses memory tricks in his studies. For example, if I give my oldest son a list of 20 spelling words, in 20 minutes he will be ready to take the test.
Because I incorporated my research about babies brains, oth my sons learned the alphabet, phonics, numbers 1-10, colors, and shapes by 20 months.
Below are frequently asked question
How Can I Study In a Smart Way
There are many smart ways to study. My favorite way is to use the Pomodoro Technique.
Our brains start to lose optimal focus after 25 minutes. Therefore, in order to have optimal concentration, try to break tasks into 25 minutes of focused blocks of time.
This is also called the Pomodoro Technique and will help your child focus on the task at hand.
After 25 minutes has ended, have your child take a break. After the break, they can come back to the task for another 25 minutes.
How Can I Memorize Anything Quickly?
One of the best ways to memorize information quickly is to use memory tricks. I previously mentioned that while in school, I use rote learning to study and memorize information.
Rote learning is boring and it takes longer to learn new material. Additionally, it does not use your child’s creativity and imagination.Many times, children forget the information once they take the test.
A more effective way to remember information is with memory tricks. We use various memory tricks to learn vocabulary, definitions, the periodic table, poems, Bible verses, facts, lists, etc.
An example of a memory trick you probably used in school was “Please Excuse My Dear Aunty Sally” for order of operations in math class.
Using memory tricks is a more effective and fun way for your child to remember information 2 or 3 times faster.
Children will begin to like studying even when they dislike the topic they are learning about.
How To Get Better At Reading Comprehension
There are a variety of methods children can use to get better at reading comprehension. I will tell you three steps to introduce to your child today!
The first step is to do a Picture Walk.
Before your child starts reading, have them should flip through the book and look at the pictures, captions, bold words, charts, diagrams, headings, and questions in the back.
This will give them a feel for what the book is about. Their brain will be ready to receive the information they are getting from the book.
The second step is to read carefully.
This means reading slowly, making notes in the margins, and doing some highlighting. They don’t have to do a lot of highlighting.
The third step is (instead of doing a lot of highlighting) to have your child practice active recall.
After reading the book, they should look away and see if they recall the main ideas in the text. This ensures they know the information in the book in various environments like the bus, at home, or in school.
They will also do better on tests and have a better understanding of what they are reading.
How To Get Better Grades in Math
The secret is Interleaving.
Interleaving is the practice of mixing various problems, questions, or concepts within a topic your child is trying to learn. This is more effective than practicing one type of question or problem repeatedly.
So, I will use multiplication as an example.
Imagine a child has just learned the multiplication tables. Once they learn it, have them do a mixture of practice problems with three multiplication, two addition, and three subtraction problems.
When they take a test or when they have various math problems, they will know WHEN to use the operations. This creates mastery because not only will your child know how to do one mathematical operation, they will know WHEN to do it.
This will help them do better on word problems as well.
Many times, this is difficult for kids in school because in text books, they teach kids one concept at a time. However, at home you can give them practice problems of various concepts within a subject, whether it is math, science, art, language arts, etc.
How To Stop a Child From Procrastinating
One way to stop procrastination is to make a plan by creating a procrastination prevention chart!
Hear me out.
You will create two columns on paper. One column will be labeled Distractions.
The other column will be labeled Solutions.
On the Distractions side, write behaviors that cause your child to procrastinate like “Smart Phone.”
On the Solution side, write how to prevent the Distraction like “Put smart phone in another room while studying.”
Let’s keep going.
In another row write….
Distractions = “Noise in Home”
Solution = “Wear Noise Cancelling Headphones to Block Noise”
In another row write…
Distractions = “Sibling talks to me while studying”
Solution = “Create Do Not Disturb Sign for Door”
This is a way for your child to preplan solutions to distractions while they are studying. It will help them focus more while studying and become an independent problem solver.
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