For centuries, humans have strived for success. Modern society has become highly achievement-oriented and nowadays there is more focus on children to be successful. For students, success generally implies academic success which is one of the pillars on which the future successes of their lives stand. How can we help to better develop students’ academic achievement?
A study by Dr. Bharat H. Mimrot, Head of Department of Psychology (NKSPT Arts, Science, and Communication College, Badnapur, India) shows the nature of family and home life has significant influence on the academic success of students with respect both formal and informal learning. Home life and home literacy environments are also identified and related to the development of phonological awareness, and reading and writing ability in early childhood. To be successful at school, children also need to learn at home.
The home environment helps to develop better academic achievement. Without a warm, happy and peaceful home atmosphere it is difficult for students to succeed at school. The ability of parents to plan, organize and manage time benefits children in every area of life. Create a good home environment that supports successful academic life, but doesn’t put too much pressure on children. Encourage, don’t push.
One way parents can contribute to the education of their children is through encouragement, provision of learning facilities & materials, and active assistance among other strategies. By tuning in to your child’s preferred learning style, you may also help him learn more. All children need to have experiences that call every learning style into play so that they can succeed in school and beyond. But when we help our kids learn in the way that’s most natural for them, they’re more likely to develop the confidence needed to master every learning style.
There are four primary learning styles: auditory, kinesthetic, tactual, and visual. Here’s how you can recognize and support each type of learner:
Auditory learners gain new information best by hearing it.
Signs that your child is a listener: quickly remembers the words to stories and songs; follows directions easily; and repeats overheard phrases and comments.
Ways to help her learn:
- The more you talk, the more information she’ll gather
- Enjoy listening to stories
- Songs and rhymes are a great way to teach new things
Kinesthetic learners like to get physically involved in learning, using their bodies to investigate new places and concepts.
Signs that your child’s a mover: gleefully zooms down the slide over and over again; pretends to be characters from a favorite book, mimicking the story’s actions; and always brings his toys to life, moving them about, and revels in active games.
Ways to help him learn:
- Acts out stories, will help him understand and remember favorite books
- Teach new information by creating movement games
- Role-play scenarios you’ve created to help him learn or remember new lessons
Tactual learners need to feel and touch things to understand how they work.
Signs that your child’s a toucher: drawn to objects with interesting shapes and textures, and loves to play with blocks; needs to actually feel abstract ideas, such as touching an ice cube to understand how cold “really cold” is, and has trouble following directions to unfamiliar tasks.
Ways to help her learn:
- Introduce new tasks or materials, then let them try
- Give materials with interesting textures that are sturdy enough to stand up to intensive handling
- Offer a variety of puzzles and table games
- Make shapes and letters with their finger in sand or flour
Visual learners pick up information best by seeing new material.
Signs that your child’s a watcher: mesmerized by photos, illustrations, and television shows or videos; remembers how to do things he’s seen others doing; and quick to recognize shapes, colors, and letters.
Ways to help him learn:
- Share picture books with plenty of engaging graphics
- Show educational television shows and videos
- Demonstrate how to do new tasks or use materials not tried before
- Sort and match by creating murals or collages
- Make a chart with photos to show daily routines or household chores
Every child has a distinct “learning style,” or way of observing her surroundings and gaining new information. While everyone learns individually in a variety of ways, we all–children and adults–do it best when using particular senses and ways of exploring the world.
Sources: http://www.parenting.com/article/whats-your-childs-learning-style-21354384; http://www.ijip.in/Archive/v4i1/18.01.084.20160401.pdf
Writer: Aulia Nurdini
Editor: Todd Cordy
