We all recognize it without a doubt. Children who are at the end of primary or secondary education and who have to do a lot of homework and learn. The transition from primary to seventh grade is a big one when it comes to learning and doing homework. Every child deals with this in his or her own way, of course, but smarter learning is nice for every child. No matter how easily you learn, if by learning smarter you have more time for other things, that's always nice. For every child. And especially the children who have more difficulty with learning, benefit from simple aids to make learning easier. In this blog you will find more tips not only to learn to learn, but also to make learning easier.
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As an expert by experience, I can tell you that we have seen 'all' variants in house with regard to learning. Our son does not learn so easily, has difficulty concentrating and finds other things more important. Learning smarter had certainly been a godsend for him in high school. Of course we have made efforts to help him with this. By giving tips on the best way to learn, by quizzes and other things like that. However, all that did not go well. He is now at the MBO and learning is going a bit better for him because there is more practical learning from school. Only now is he being motivated to learn in a way that suits him well. If we had known then what we know now, we could probably have helped him even better with smarter learning.
Our daughter, on the other hand, learns a bit easier. But she also clearly spends more time on it, that's a fact 😉 . Despite the fact that she is eager to learn and starts her homework without grumbling, I also think it is important for her that she learns well how to learn best. Fortunately, she already receives good tools for this from school, but smarter learning can also be applied at home. For example, she was triggered by a student in her class to learn in a different way by using some extra tools such as flash cards. There is much more to get your child started!
The tools below for smarter learning come from the Puberbijles webshop.
With the following tips that she is currently also applying, she can now finish her homework and her learning work faster.
You do not need tools for all the tips below. Some tips also simply arise from experience and have to do with a different way of learning so that you make smarter use of your time and the situation.
Let me start with the flashcards. These flash cards (also called flash cards) fit perfectly into the methodology of smarter learning. By using these cards, learning becomes more concrete, active and varied. As a result, your child can learn faster, repeat more easily (and more often), and learn for a shorter time.
Lotte uses these flash cards wholeheartedly. She especially loves using the flashcards for languages, for example to learn words and sentences. But you can use flash cards much more widely to learn smarter. Now, for example, she puts the sentences for French on one side of the flash card in Dutch and on the other side in French. This way she can test herself well (not only smarter learning for your child, but also for you, haha).
But of course the learning starts with writing on the flash cards. It is now generally known and proven that learning is better if you write it down. So the first step you take with the flash cards is a very important one. Now you might think that you can also put the words together in your notebook. That's right, but it's a lot harder to test yourself like that.
Another advantage of the flash cards that makes learning smarter:you can make stacks of the flash cards. Did you get the flash card answer right? Then he goes to stack A. If you don't know the answer, then to stack B. Stack B can then teach your child more often and if the answer is correct, this can also go to stack A. This way you learn a lot more effectively . You don't have to keep repeating everything you already know.
As I mentioned above, writing the flash cards is an important first step in smarter learning. Of course, that writing does not always have to be on a flash card. Writing summaries is also important and the flash cards may not be suitable for that. Then you just use a script.
What works well is to teach your child not to write everything out. Lotte started by copying almost everything from the book in the beginning. That's not completely pointless, but it doesn't have much to do with smarter learning either, because it takes a lot of time. I also taught her how best to make her summaries. With bullets, with arrows, being concrete, short sentences and clearly put on paper. So no pieces of text under each other, but work point by point and with white space in between.
In any case, the fact remains that writing down what you need to learn is smarter than making a summary of it on your PC. Typing works differently than writing down, also for memorizing!
Smarter learning actually starts with making a plan. And let's face it, a lot of kids don't know how to plan yet. Girls generally have it easier than boys, but learning to learn and learn to plan is certainly important for teens and adolescents. If they know how to plan their homework, they also know exactly what to do and when. This brings peace of mind and ensures that you learn the right subjects at the right times.
Lotte always starts with her creations. She doesn't even call it homework. Homework is for her learning work, and in addition you have craft work. Such as, for example, your assignments for mathematics, or the essay you have to write for Dutch or something. You don't have to think about everything that's done anymore. You can cross that off and nothing is as nice as checking it off, right?
Basically, the maxim with her is that she tries to make her work on the same day that she finishes it. Now that doesn't always work, because sometimes they are projects that she has been working on for longer. Those will then still be on the schedule, but the 'small' manufacturing work is only in her agenda or on master's and she does not transfer it to the planning for smarter learning.
She receives a fairly clear A3 planning from school that is printed out. Just a simple schedule that can be completed for a few weeks. This is also printed twice. On the first, she can complete all her tests (tests and written tests) so that she has a clear overview of the tests per week. In the second overview she sets herself the planning she has one day in the field of learning. This also gives a clear picture of the work that she has to do. By the way, she only puts the courses on here, because the material itself is in Magister.
Big advantage:the schedule hangs against a cupboard at her desk. This way she can see at any time what still needs to be done.
Our experience only shows that not every school guides its students well with smarter learning. If your child could use some help, the planning agenda below is a very nice tool to learn smarter.
With the planning agenda of Puberbijles your child can make the same kind of planning. The great thing about this planning agenda is that there is a very simple and effective explanation on the first pages. In addition, it is not an agenda with fixed weeks in it. Your child can therefore indicate the weeks and days themselves, so that this planning agenda can always be used. Even if you start halfway through the year. Your child can enter the deadlines in this agenda, such as tests and delivery of presentations, but also the planning of the learning work in the form of a daily learning plan. A good and clear stick behind the door.
Watching television while studying? I am not in favor of that. It gives too much distraction and always leads to them spending longer on their homework and learning. That in itself wouldn't matter, but it has nothing to do with smarter learning. On top of that, at the end of the day, your child may feel like they've only been doing homework. It feels like they are extremely busy, when they are just very inactive learning.
In recent years we have discovered that music can do no harm while learning. In fact, it makes learning more enjoyable and effective. It depends a bit on your child, but our children seem to be able to concentrate better with music on while learning. So I will never say in advance that your child should not listen to music and that smarter learning should be done in silence. For many children, music is a very welcome addition. But not for every child. So check whether it has a positive or negative influence on your child's learning.
Getting started with a highlighter in your books? We may have done that in the past, but that is no longer possible today. All textbooks that our children use today must be returned in good condition at the end of the school year. But a highlighter can help with fine and smart learning. If you make notes in your notebook, highlighters are of course still an option.
However, there is also a nice replacement for the highlighter to use in your books. The markers. These are semi-transparent, thin lines in all kinds of different colors and different lengths. You can see them above next to the planning agenda in fluorescent colors. Those colors alone are interesting, haha. But take a look below at how useful you can use them for learning and that they are really smarter than highlighters.
Our children all learn to take notes in their notebooks, because well… they are not allowed to add anything in the book. I totally get it. But it is of course much easier to sometimes add something to a piece of text in your book. For example, a supplement from the teacher. If you write that in your notebook, you will have to go back later to find where that comment belonged.
Have you ever heard of smart semi-transparent notepads? It's a bit like the markers above, but without the color. The notes are larger and plain white translucent. You can easily write on it and add a whole text or drawing to your book. Handy!
Writing, summarizing, adding notes, highlighting, flashcards. They are all methods to make learning easier and more effective. Creating mind maps is certainly one of those that should not be forgotten in these tips to learn smarter. By making a mind map, your child not only learns the material better, it also learns to discover the connections between certain parts of the material. And if these connections are clear, then the fabric will definitely stick better.
Of course, they also have to learn how to make mind maps, but once familiar with this learning method, I am sure that your child will benefit from it!
Besides the fact that the above tools are very useful for smarter learning, it may also be nice for your child to get started using a certain learning method. I will go into more detail about that in another blog. In any case, I hope that with the above tips you can help your child further in his or her learning process at school.
All products that I have described above as smart learning tools come from Puberbijles. Be sure to look further there if you want to help your child learn to learn.
