We are approaching exam season and parents look tenser than the wards following up with them every minute, watching their movements and ensuring that they are always with their books. To every student waiting to write their exams, parents are demon incarnates breathing on their neck with the words ‘Study, Marks, Grade’. As a Parent, I can understand the stress and thought process of the parents but children also deserve better.

Parents can turn out to be Fantastico for their wards if they understand psychology a bit and also the art of coping with problems that surface in the process of Learning.

Children reaching the secondary level have to contend with the fact that whatever they have learnt till then was without thinking about the subject. As the grade progresses, learning gets associated with thinking and the need to think to learn arises.

In secondary education, the expectation is focused on individual thinking under the guidance of the teachers. Grasp of the content is left to one’s own thinking process and capability. If thinking drives learning then it is important to learn how to think but unfortunately none of the schools teach our children how to think.

Children need help at this juncture. Troubleshooting problems is a seven step process and diligent following of these steps can make you a Fantastico in the child’s eyes.

Work with the child to identify the exact nature of the problem. Sit and plan to define the result expected and what would be measured as success. This step is important for the child to aim based on his/her capabilities. Unfortunately, success in student world is a common term attributed to a seat in the premium colleges and course of study on Merit. So fixing a success measure tuned to the child helps him in performing better. Involving the child in the process gives him/her the confidence to approach it with the right spirit and also enjoy the activity.

The next step would be collect relevant information based on facts, teaching and priorities and to devise a workable action plan. Action plan should define the time period, method of action and reason for action clearly. Execute the plan followed by an exhaustive review on the result and learning and iterate through the process till success is achieved as a result.

Another common issue is boredom. Boredom acts as a route to avoid learning. It sets in after a period of time by monotony. We call the time period of active learning as Concentration Span of an individual. When the concentration span is exerted beyond its limit, it stops information from committing the information from short Term Memory to Long Term Memory.

Know that Short term Memory is temporary memory, lost after a period of time and results in lapses of recollecting information. Long term memory is vital to recollect the restoration point in learning continuity thread. So if your child answers you after study and does not perform well in the examination, you know what the reason is.  The solution is to estimate the concentration span and limit studies according to the concentration span of the child.

The best way to commit short term memory to long term memory and recall is by reviewing the lessons learnt twice. It would be better to make the child do a quick scan of the lesson, and do a bit slower process of keywords and section notes of the lesson again followed by a thorough study of the lesson once again.

Teach the children to make notes that are simple, short and to the point. Notes are an important factor in learning, let the child choose which suits him/her better. There are different methods in taking notes such as

• Serial notes that uses bullets, headings and sub headings,
• Mind maps breaking downwards from main point towards key sections,
• Keywords index employing headers and linked words and
• Brainstorming used for revising the subject in groups.

It takes a little bit more care, assurance and confidence building in the child to sail through this competitive world of studies and exams without stress and strain.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.