How Do I Create Better Study Habits for My Teenager?
A lot of parents want to have Einstein as their kid. They forget that Einstein had educational struggles as a teenager as well. His Dad had to move a lot, and Einstein had trouble fitting into his classes. The reason he went on to become a world-famous scientist was because he stayed humble and persevered.
Study skills for teenagers start with a strong foundation of personal character.
Understand Learning Styles
Not every person has the same learning style. What worked for you may not work for your teenager.
Thomas Edison’s Mom saw that Edison was having trouble in public school. She took him out and trained him at home. He went on to become the genius who gave us the light bulb and phonograph.
Stay flexible, and do not assume that what the experts think about your kid is true. Your approach could mean all the difference between your child succeeding or failing in their education.
There are several good places where you can learn more about learning styles. Often, what hurts people is that teachers with a visual learning style ignore the needs of children with physical and solitary learning styles.
This leaves these children struggling to succeed in their studies. If your child has a physical or solitary learning style, alternative methods of education should be considered for them.
Understand Personality Differences
Freudian psychology emphasizes environment. We are the product of the culture and social factors around us.
Jungian psychology emphasizes the individual. We are the product of who we naturally are mentally.
Both approaches are helpful.
However, it is dangerous if only one method is employed in training your child.
The psychological philosophy that dominates in the public school system is Freudian. Freudian educators view children as blank slates that they write facts into.
The children then regurgitate the facts on tests.
What this method of education does not do is teach the children to discover and analyze the facts for themselves. Helping your child learn is really teaching them how to learn.
Each major personality group has a different way they like to assimilate information. Public schools are usually staffed by extroverted sensing people. These teachers emphasize environmental improvement at the expense of internal development. This can leave different brain type students stressed out and under performing.
To figure out what brain type your child has, have them take a quality assessment test like the one published for free by Dr. Dario Nardi of UCLA. Once you have their brain code, you can research about it to discover learning methods that will work better for them. A list of good study habits will vary based on the child’s mental processing style.
Practical Advice
Have your child prioritize what really needs to get done.
Although outings with friends and computer games are really fun, they are not what really needs to get done. Some kids know this naturally, most do not. When your child is at home, make sure that they are prioritizing their big homework in the subjects that really matter.
Ask them how classes are going.
If it is not working for them, get help now rather than later.
Priorities are usually the STEM and language composition fields. Whether or not your child masters STEM will largely determine their success in college and beyond.
Subjects to have them focus on include math, English, science, and grammar. If you are bad at these subjects, get help from tutors or friends who are.
Your child’s educational prospects are usually based on personal discipline and mastery of the major subjects taught in school.
Do not try to get your kid overly involved in extracurricular activities if they are flunking the core subjects. This will stress them out. If the kid has a full plate doing STEM and English, they are doing well.
Teen study habits begin with parental encouragement and discipline. Doing too much of either is bad.
Conclusion
School really should not be that hard. The U.S. public school system often makes it hard by not accommodating physical and solitary learning styles. Try to know what your child needs, and help them thrive. Your college graduate of the future will thank you for caring enough to help.
Originally posted 2017-04-16 19:22:35.