A veces parents are very concerned that our children get good grades, that they give them options to go as far as they want in this life. But at present the educational system does not always help them in their development, but is based on memorizing data that, perhaps, they will not need again. It is not efficient learning, since it is a system that is based on the measurement of totally ephemeral results.
We have the doubt that if we cannot trust their academic results, how can we really know if their way of studying is really efficient.
What is efficient learning?
Efficient learning It is the one that helps us to develop one or more skills in the shortest possible time, without it being forgotten.
In short, it is one that is based on:
- The attention and interest.
- The memory.
- The rate of learning of each student.
- Motivation, goal achievement, and understanding as routine.
- Relations of matter with the outside world and therefore with its development in the future.
- Use of the discussion to verify that it has indeed been learned and understood efficiently.
How can I check if my child is learning efficiently?
You will not be able to tell if your child will retain his new skills with a conventional test. Efficient learning is based on the use of discussion to check learning. In other words, to check if they have acquired the knowledge, you will have to discuss them with your child.
This type of exercise, it will also help you develop your critical thinking. You can form an opinion based on the information you have collected. This mechanism will help you a lot in your development on a personal level. Your academic result is not the only thing that should matter to us.
That is why it is important that we take an interest in their way of learning and if it is efficient or not. PFor personal development, our son needs time off. To play, to discover and have fun, to think, in short, to be a child and live.
This becomes very difficult with the type of educational system we have, loaded with assignments and exams that score fundamentally memory values. To increase this personal development time, learning must be as efficient as possible. You have to try to find out if your child is doing it this way, to help or advise him if he can do better, without involving as much effort as you imagine.
Tips for efficient learning
We must not forget that efficiency is a characteristic of an industrial apprenticeship, more than the traditional school. You have to adapt one system a bit to the other, so that we really get results. It means that the curricula are proposed by the school, the possibility of changing them is not in your hands. What can be changed is the way of learning.
In commenting on the foundations of efficient learning, we have seen that interest and motivation are fundamental. It is important that you motivate your child to study, even if he does not like or is not good at the subjects. If that is the problem of their low performance, it will be necessary to look for alternative ways of motivation.
Another important point is respect the individual development of each child. The biggest mistake is to pressure them, this creates stress that impairs learning. It is counterproductive to punish them for having poor grades if our son has made an effort and his ability did not arrive at that moment. Always look for positive reinforcement.
Memory is a fundamental point and a basic pillar of the traditional system. For your child to develop it efficiently, propose memory games, it is a matter of neuroplasticity. The more used you are to memorizing things, either by auditory, visual or reasoning (making concept maps for example), the easier it will be for you perform this task. Your brain will be more used to doing that particular exercise.
The way you have to check if your child really learns efficiently is to evaluate their knowledge. Try to link the learning in school with real life and with his own interests. Understanding and reasoning through that knowledge will make it harder for you to forget. By debating with your child, you will contribute points of view that are not raised. He will discover things with you and learn for school and for life.