There are several components that will help a student to be successful in his/her own learning. As a parent, there are several things that you can do at home to help the process.

Background Knowledge

Assessing background knowledge before processing new material will help your student relate to the information and make it more meaningful. Here are some ways that you can do this at home

• Ask Questions!!!
• Discuss the topic
• Have them write down some things that they think that they know about the topic
• Have them draw a picture about the topic

Purpose Setting

Knowing the purpose of an assignment makes it easier to focus on the important details. Once the purpose has been set, whether by the teacher or through written directions, make sure that your student understands this purpose. When the student has finished the assignment, go back to those directions or questions and make sure that everything has been addresses. It can be harder to determine a purpose if the assignment is to simply read a text. Here are some suggestions on what can be done to make the purpose of reading more clear:

• Scan the headings and subheadings
• Change these to questions and look for the answers in the text.
• Pre-read the introduction and the summary
• These give a basis for what the author believes is important.
• Look for any review questions in the text
• Answer these questions during the reading process to ensure understanding of the material being presented.

Metacognition

Successful learners are able to judge their own understanding. They are aware of their own comprehension of the content and know what to do in order to enhance their understanding. Helping a student incorporate all of the tips on this page will allow them to take charge of thier own learning. Once they are able recognize when they need help and know how to use the strategies that help them best, then they have become metacognitive.

Active Involvement

Successful learners are actively involved in their learning process. This is the "hard work" of learning. Here are some suggestions on how a student can actively learn at home:

• Take notes when doing any reading of text. This makes the student think about the important information within the text. This also makes them more prepared for any discussion over the material.
• Transform the information into a format that will allow them to internalize the material. Pictures and Diagrams are good examples.
• Have them write down questions that they have while they are reading. When they go back to class, they won’t have to remember what they found confusing or difficult to understand.

Practice and Study

Repetition is the key to remembering information. That is why Practice and Study are important factors to learning. Here are some ways that you can help this be more successful at home.

• Create them a place and time for homework and studying. This needs to be an area where there are limited disruptions.
• 12 Minute Study - Information tends to last longer when reviewed in frequent brief intervals. Students should do a 12 minute study at least once a day for every subject.
• Questioning - Question your student on the material using their notes or text.

Please review the other sections on this website to get more specific strategies pertaining to your students learning.