Buying primary school textbooks here in Singapore isn’t just part of the back to school routine. It is part of your ongoing investment in your child’s education. As with every investment, you want to be sure that you are getting a high return.
Now that might seem like a strange way to look at it, but the fact remains, you are paying out good money to educate your child. Taking a keen interest in your child’s school performance makes for a good start. You want to be sure that they put the books to good use.
Ask them to roleplay as the teacher
“Hi sweetie, what did you learn in school today?” Nothing. Now, how would you feel if your child told you that they learned a big fat nothing after an entire day in school? Concerned, angry, disappointed, and furious come to mind. It’s a reality some parents must contend with – don’t let that happen to you.
Encouraging your child to assume the role of the teacher and walk you through what they’ve learned makes for a fun learning experience. For starters, the child will be thrilled to flaunt their newly acquired knowledge. Secondly, it’ll help you identify the areas with spotty understanding, and you can help them bridge the gaps.
With a little coaching and encouragement, you can turn these after school session into a powerful learning tool. Teaching is a powerful way to ingrain information and gauge your understanding. It’s an integral part of the Feynman Technique, used by award-winning ng physicist, Richard Feynman.
One of his many philosophies was that you only have complete subject mastery if you can teach it to an 8th grader.
Quiz them regularly
Most schools employ passive learning and rote learning, which is associated with a lowered retention rate. You might not change the school’s learning method, but you can change the way your child learns. Steering them towards active learning can pay off in bucketload while skyrocketing their retention.
For instance, have them read a chapter in a book then summarise it in their own words. You can then create a series of questions and have a Q&A session. The key here is to make these sessions fun and exciting. If done right, this approach will improve your child’s subject mastery. As an added benefit, it will ease any exam anxiety.
Be sure to address any splotchy areas that you identify during the learning session. Regular quizzes are an incredible way to improve retention as it employs active learning strategies. You can even incorporate other learning tools such as mnemonics and flashcard, to help them with the tricky subjects.
Parents go to great lengths to procure all the necessary textbooks for their kids, sometimes at high costs. It is only fair that you ensure your child puts these books to good use. You want to be sure that they not only read them but also understand the content thoroughly.
While that might call for additional commitment from, it results in a win-win situation. You are sure that your child is getting a quality education while letting you spend quality time with them.