The cherished desire of any parent is a child who enthusiastically absorbs new knowledge. But healthy motivation is essential. How to proceed? We asked a specialist.
How to motivate your child to study? - Create a safe space
Adults and children are stopped by their own failures, and successes inspire. In Soviet and post-Soviet schools, anxiety, guilt, and shame were often literally embedded in the learning process. A person who is pathologically afraid to make a mistake, to receive a bad grade is initially demotivated.
How to deal with this fear? First of all, praise. Moreover, for the smallest step towards the goal. Learn to see progress where it is not yet fully visible.
Set short term goals. Learn a song in English or new dance moves. Self-belief is an essential element of motivation.
Comparing oneself not with others, but with oneself is another "safety rule" for a young student. Praise if he made fewer mistakes today than last week or added new words to his vocabulary. Such praise (“refueling” with positive emotions) is especially important for younger children, for older children it also works.
The so-called “small steps” method works very well. If the teacher sees that some topic is too tough for the student, he breaks it into parts and praises it step by step for completing it. For example, if it is difficult to memorize an English song, you can start with the first verse and so on. In this case, it is important to properly praise the baby. Construction: "You are smart!" today it is recognized by many psychologists and methodologists as untenable. “Clever and clever people” grow up with an “excellent student's complex” and are terribly afraid of making mistakes. Praise after class should not be directed at the person, but at the actions that the child performs. : "You study so hard!" or "You did your best today!"
Play - time, and study - half an hour
A student learns new knowledge only when information comes in gradually. Long lessons, especially when it’s not about the school curriculum, but about extra classes, are not effective. Children start to lose concentration and become distracted. And motivation evaporates with every minute beyond the "set" time.
How much time is "supposed"? Research has been conducted to answer this question. For example, Marty Lobdell, professor of psychology in Los Angeles and founder of Study Less, Study Smart, believes that everyone has their own threshold of attention depending on temperament. And yet there are some average numbers to look at. Average norm of concentration of attention in children of primary school age: 25-30 minutes. And then the baby ceases to productively perceive information. And forcing him to concentrate is useless. You can be guided by the same numbers when sending the child to do his homework. Don't forget to take breaks!
Developing Interest in Learning - Modern Methods
At school, standard presentation schemes are usually used to explain the material. But all students are different, and everyone needs different approaches to assimilate knowledge. So, modern babies are literally born with a tablet in a cradle. There was even such a thing as Digital natives or “Digital generation”. Thanks to the universal digitalization, the pace of information assimilation among children today is many times higher than among adults. And this can be used for good.
Modern online schools have great opportunities for gamification of the educational process . But this is acquiring knowledge in the most familiar, playful way. The so-called “process motivation” is the strongest. Little students live by the game. Its effect is akin to oatmeal for breakfast: it strengthens the nervous system and develops brain activity. That's why one of the best ways to motivate is through play.
"Why do I need it?"
How to motivate an to study older child ? Here are the advice of psychologists based on the "achievement of personal goals." Teenagers already have established interests that they can grab onto by offering to do something. A fan of superhero comics may find it interesting to learn English in order to read their favorite collections in the original. And a young Star Wars fan will want to watch (and understand!) The saga without translation. Here, by the way, it makes sense to find him a teacher - a native speaker. He will undoubtedly be more competent if he has the “correct cultural code”.
By the way, the “motivational visualization” method works with the “grown-up contingent”. Do you have experience with mood boards? Help your teenager to do this and things will boil!
With this approach, it is important to avoid “burnout”. When a teenager is passionate about a new business, there is always a temptation to study voraciously. However, psychologists advise to "break" any work into parts and "absorb" information in small portions. It is this approach that protects against possible burnout.
By the way, do you know how manipulation differs from motivation? In the first case, what the teenager is doing is necessary for you, and in the second - for him. To motivate correctly, you must first determine - is this not your ambition? Perhaps it was you who in your youth dreamed of becoming a star of a rock band and now you "stimulate the process" of your child. Adolescents instantly calculate manipulations, attempts to artificially interest them and perceive them with hostility. Having made such a mistake, you will permanently discourage interest in classes.
How to motivate your child to study? Find the right teacher for him
The ability to choose teachers, at least in the field of additional education, is a great boon for modern parents. Is it necessary to explain that a significant percentage of the success of the entire educational process depends on the teacher's “charisma”. The modern teacher repeatedly asks himself the question: "How to motivate a child to learn?" And he looks for answers to it, adjusting the curriculum, adjusting it to the needs and temperament of the student.
Interesting life hack!
Works especially well with preschoolers and elementary school students who are still practicing quiet hours. The researchers concluded that sleeping after class helps to consolidate what has been learned ... Immersion in the kingdom of Morpheus promotes the formation of neural connections in the brain and helps to consolidate new information. And this means that the afternoon lesson on the eve of sleep can better be deposited in the head.
In the evening hours, this rule does not work: the baby is tired during the day, wants to sleep, is capricious - is “not in the resource”.
The world is changing rapidly. In the conditions of the “new reality”, motivation to study takes on new dimensions. And then it will only get more interesting!
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