The Matrix Game Plan for supporting students study
Helping students with their study: The Matrix Game Plan for supportive parents and guardians
Look at it this way:
Second level is a bridge to third level and beyond – make a plan and enjoy the journey.
Smarter study isn’t necessarily longer study. Get smart – at home as well as school. Students spend nearly twice as much time under your roof as they do under the school one.
Get them to think of school as a fountain head where they go to fill up and enhance the educational, sporting, social, spiritual and pastoral elements of their lives. (Like a giant sponge of infinite capacity which has an amazing ability to soak up an enormous variety of learning and life elements which can be squeezed out later and applied as required not only at school but in their wider world as well).
All successful people have made mistakes
What sets the really successful people apart from the rest of us is:
- Understanding the need to change and
- The speed at which he or she can make those changes.
How to be of greatest help
In school:
Engage with school yourself.
Help students to believe that there’s nothing in school that they’re not able for – given a bit of help.
Encourage them to use all the school facilities, especially the study facilities to the max!
Encourage them to ask questions. Their understanding is KEY.
Encourage good friends and friendships.
(This encourages good positivity, productivity and a host of other good things as well as reducing stress).
Their school journals contain a mass of important information and help. Encourage them to use it, not just for the timetable.
At home
Establish good study practices at home.
Be a positive household. There is a lot of negativity around these days. It’s not always easy to escape but learn to minimise it in your home. e.g. If you’re one want s to dump a day’s issues on you – fine. Listen and then tell them that you understand but then say, for example: “OK, that’s no problem. What do you think is the solution?” and work through it with them. Write down ideas together. Discuss and move on. Work towards your solution and minimize the issue.
The environment
Their study environment both at school and at home prepares them for the educational road ahead, as does practicing exam questions.
Wherever they study – is it clean, warm and welcoming? Is it quiet enough?
Could the workspace be prone to distractions like T.V. or interruptions by other family members?
Change a few things! Make it cheerful and organised. Not dull and uninspiring.
Help them to own and respect their workspace.
Does he/she have all the resources they need? i.e. pens, paper, highlighters, books, the internet, a wallplanner? Ask them now and again, to remind them that you care.
Keep to a healthy diet and make sure they have enough sleep.
Make a fuss of them for any success, however small; and remember that high achievers need praise too.
If marks gained are less than those which were hoped for or expected, tell them the truth – that it’s not failure – it’s feedback!
Encourage them to make their study/ work colourful.
Colourful information is much easier to input, store and retrieve.
Use mind maps and acronyms for the same reasons.
Ensure that they understand the difference between “homework” and “study”.
All the above information was part of a talk given to parents in St Davids School by Malcolm Rowe of Matrix Training.
Malcolm can be contacted at: malcolmmatrix@hotmail.com