Teach your child to find a place where he will not be distracted by the TV. If he studies at a desk with a computer – the computer should be switched off. No telephone calls are to take place during the time allocated for studying. Help him to organize himself before even starting to study – get all the necessary books and stationery ready. A healthy snack before study time is always a good idea. Concentration span changes according to age – young children struggle to concentrate for more than 30 minutes, therefore it is necessary to take regular breaks. Most important of all teach your child to be interested in the material he has to master. A positive attitude is half the battle won!

Not every one learns in the same way. We get visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners. Visual learners learn more effectively with the aid of charts, maps, brainstorming and the use of colour. Auditory learners must hear the information, therefore it is good for them to read the material out loud to themselves. Kinesthetic learners have to experience the work in order to understand and remember it.

How do you know what kind of learner your child is?

Visual Learners are often

• Good at spelling
• Need quiet study time
• They need time to think about the material before they understand it
• They like colours and fashion
• They dream in color
• Like and understand charts.

Auditory Learners

• Like to read out loud to themselves
• Not afraid to speak in class
• Like oral reports
• They are good at explaining things to others
• They remember names
• Often notice sound effects in movies
• Enjoy music
• They are good at grammar and other languages
• They read slowly
• They follow spoken instructions well
• They struggle to keep quiet for long periods of time
• They enjoy acting.

Kinesthetic Learners

• They are often good at sport
• They also struggle to sit still for long periods of time
• They are not good at spelling
• They do not have the best handwriting
• They love role playing
• Like loud music
• Like science labs and experiments
• They are fidgety
• They like to build models.

If you recognize your child in any of these descriptions, it would be good to teach him to learn accordingly – using the senses that resonates with him.

There are different memorizing techniques that you can try with your child:

* Repetition – going over the material again and again until they remember.
* Associations – associate an image or experience with a fact.
* Summarize the work – try to condense the work in such a way that a phrase will unlock a series of facts.
* Acronyms – they work good for lists.
* Rhythm and music – using the body and hearing simultaneously.

Once your child has prepared for a test it is up to you as a parent to help him to feel confident about his ability to recall what he has learned. A confident child is less likely to make careless mistakes due to nervousness.

The guidance counsellor will have a record of previously done interest questionaires and intelligence questionaires completed by your child.  This will be reviewed with you to marry your child’s interests with his abilities.

Other people who might be consulted in this process are:  subject teachers at the school, some parents in certain positions, knowledgable friends, lecturers at the local university in a particular field of interest, placement organizations, training providers, role models or successful people in the field of interest.

When the decision is being made it is important to keep in mind the child’s academic or practical strengths – seeing that this would normally be where his interest would also be centered.  The subjects chosen should not just be the easiest subjects, but rather those that pose a challenge to the child.  It is important the chosen subject would be a building block in his future career path.  This subject should be enjoyable for the student to study and not bore him to tears or cause excessive procrastination.  The combination of the subjects selected should still be manageable to master at exam time.  Lastly it is very important that the choice at the end of the day can be owned by the child and not be seen as forced down by the parents or teachers.  A sense of ownership leads to a sense of responsibility.

There are three groups of subjects:

• Compulsory :  These subjects cover essential information, knowledge and skills that we all require.  They do differ from country to country, but mostly include:  English, Maths and Science.
• Other subjects you have to study, but no exams are set on the information :  For example:  Career education, Citizenship, Information and Communication Technology, Physical Education, Religious Studies, Sex and Relationship Education, Work-related Learning.  In a manner of speaking, these subjects are therefore also compulsory.
• Optional : These are the subjects students make their choices between.  They vary from school to school, but have to include at least 4 of the following: (Their names may differ)  Arts,  Engineering, Health and Social Care,  Leisure and Tourism, Skills for Working Life and Life Skills, Manufacturing, Social Sciences.

As mentioned before,  this can be a very daunting task for parent and child.  Help build your child’s self-confidence by working together to find the right subjects that will be challenging, but also within his range of abilities in order to provide a sense of achievement.