Posted on 01/23/2017
Each child is an individual, to be sure. As such, each one learns a little differently, but at the same time, there are some common threads in effective learning that most educators realize. As a parent, you are your child’s best support system, so it’s helpful for you to know a little bit about the learning process too. In Part 1, we looked at how kids progress through the three stages of learning — and how you can compensate for whatever part or parts are lacking in the classroom.
As we looked at the third stage, Rhetoric, we mentioned how important audience can be in motivating kids to learn. Why is audience so effective? It includes two major motivations for learning: pleasure and application.
Interest and Enthusiasm Matter
Sometimes in all the assignment lists and endless studying, the best of us can lose sight of one of the greatest motivations for learning: pleasure. If you, as a parent, find school work a drudgery, your child will probably follow suit. But if you see it as a challenge or an opportunity to learn or master something new, in all likelihood, your child will too. Science and the arts can naturally lend toward this because of their natural leaning toward discovery and emotion. But even the tough subjects can provide the dopamine response, once the light finally comes on.
Now maybe your child finds little to no pleasure in learning history facts or writing complete sentences, and you can’t do much to change that. But can you find a way to incorporate what he or she does enjoy and help attach some positive emotions to what would otherwise be a drudgery? For an extrovert, maybe you can plan a movie night that connects to whatever your child is studying in history, complete with themed snacks! Or while your child works on math, you could bring in a favorite beverage or snack.
Real Life Application Offers Motivation
If your child is always asking why a subject is important, it may not just be a ploy to get out of work; it’s a natural question that can demonstrate a desire for real-world motivation. While sometimes you may have to say, “Just do the work,” once in a while, consider taking the extra effort to research a few possible real-life scenarios where the skills or information would matter. Depending on your child’s learning style, it may also help him or her make the logical connections that help the information “stick.”
If your child is currently interested in a particular field of study, hobby, or career, and you can make a connection to the academic discipline at hand, it doesn’t matter if your child really pursues that field — you’ll win him or her over for now by providing real-life motivation that ties back into that whole pleasure deal. As you learn more about the learning process, you’ll not only help your child thrive in school, but you’ll also provide him or her with a great start to life-long learning and success.
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