Poor Performance–What’s Really Wrong? By: Anthony Pellegrino

Once a student learns the art and skill of study, he will discover what top students have known: knowing how to study results in studying smarter, not harder! Look for the following signs which will indicate how well your child knows how to study.

Look for “tenacity” in his school work. Does he preserve, hang-in there until he understands his assignment and completes it or does he give up easily? Coupled with tenacity, how is his “self-discipline”? Does he make himself study or do you have to scold him into doing his school and homework?

Spend a few minutes and discuss his “attitude” towards school. What is his attitude towards the subjects he has and the teachers teaching them? Does he see any value or purpose in attending school? Is he frequently truant?

Does he like reading? Does he read well or poorly? Discuss what he is doing to improve his reading ability. Without the ability to read well, he will not enjoy school and will inadvertently do poorly. Does he know why he is reading an assignment? Can he picture vividly what he reads?

Ask him if he understands the vocabulary in his schoolwork. Does he keep a list of words to master? Does he own and use the dictionary regularly? Listen to his choice of words when he speaks. Does he try to improve his speaking ability or limit his vocabulary to simple expressions?

Has your child learned how to associate ideas with other ideas for easier and quick recall? Emphasize learning rather than remembering. Memory is short-lived and all the repetition will not help. But if he understands what he is doing he will not forget it

In the classroom, does he ask questions or sit passively waiting for the class to end? Before leaving the classroom does he make sure he understands the homework assignment and relate to how it fits into the day’s class work. Does he review his assignment before he goes to school in the morning?

Discuss with him his techniques for taking tests. Does he know how to prepare for tests? For example, does he think that a True-False Test is taken the same as an essay one? Does he understand the subtle differences between a True-False Test, a Multiple-Choice Test and a Sentence Completion or Fill-in Test? Knowing can make a difference in his grade.

Notice his organizational skills. Does he have his work organized, or does he spend half his time searching for pencils, paper and school books? Does he have a set place for studying with little distraction?

How are his timemanagement skills? Does he know how to pace himself allotting sufficient time to each.of his studies according to their complexity and to his difficulties with each subject? Does he time himself to check whether he is overdoing some subjects at the expense of others?

The above are just a few of the techniques that “smart” students have acquired. They mastered the art and skill of studying. Someone took the time to teach them. As a result these students work smarter, not harder.

Whether it is learning how to golf, play a musical instrument, or how to study in school, unless we learn the art and skill involved in each activity we will never master it. Make sure your child has learned how to study. Visit or call his teachers and ask them if they have taught your child the art and skill of studying. Knowing how to study will change him from a struggling student into a winner in school and in life.