LEARNING TO LEARN

Your child has been learning from the moment he was delivered into this world. But there are always new things to learn. And, better ways to actually do the learning. Our ThinkTutoring teachers keep abreast of developments in the field. They are aware of the statistics: As many as 40% of college freshmen are taking at least one remedial course. And, according to recent research , the earlier you can develop a “yearning for learning,” the better your child’s chances for future scholastic success.

If your child has experienced some difficulty acquiring new knowledge, there are things you, and we, can do to facilitate the learning experience. For example, study groups have been around for a long time. If your child has not yet formed one, why not suggest that possibility to him? Find a few others in his class and make arrangements for study dates, particularly when big exams are coming up.

Each member of the study group, of course, is expected to contribute and to fulfill commitments. Those commitments might include being on time, bringing the necessary materials, having read the material assigned, et cetera. Commitment also means working to make the material meaningful—for himself and for the group. The more relevance it has, the easier it is for students to recall and retrieve that information when necessary.

GOT TEN SECONDS?

One of the ways your child can intensify the learning experience—whether she is working alone or as part of a study group—is to ask questions. Some questions, of course, can be answered immediately. Others--especially those dependent on internalizing and then analyzing deep knowledge—make take much longer. As a “questioner,” your child should be aware of the nature of questions…and the kinds of answers they elicit. There’s a caution author Norman Mailer issues: “There’s this faculty in the human mind that hates any question that take more than ten seconds to answer.”

The automatic-response question will probably yield an answer that does not dig deeply into the material. Quick questions usually yield quick answers, which have some value. The more complex questions, of course, elicit more sophisticated replies.

Help your child understand the art, as well as the science, of questioning. There are questions that logical people answer directly. For example, ask a fact-prone individual, “How do you get to heaven?” and you are likely to get an answer that basically says, “Do good deeds.”

But, ask someone with a more creative bent and you are likely to get answers like these to that very same question:

    “You have to take the God elevator.”

    “You need God magic for that.”

    “You go to hell and take a left.”

Know, as we do at Think Tutoring, that well-posed questions are integral to the learning process.  Have your child start asking questions and learning to learn at Think Tutoring by calling 973-593-0050.