Supporting Your Child's Learning
Please see the sections below for information on how families can help to support your children's learning at home.
Study Hacks
From the Sidelines have put together a series of podcasts, infographics and information videos to help families support their children with their studies. All study hacks can be found at the following links:
At the links above you can find more information on the following topics:
Designated Study Space - How you can create the perfect study space for your child at home.
Silent Focus - Our brain is not as efficient at multitasking as we think it is!
Distractions - Mobile phones and notifications are now part of our everyday life, but they have become the killer of focus and attention, especially when trying to concentrate or study.
Rest and Sleep - Making sure that your child gets adequate rest and sleep every night is essential for not only a healthy lifestyle, but it also plays a major part in the learning process.
Equipment Ready - One of the things that can cause an interruption to your child’s study flow, is not having everything they need when they begin their period of study.
The Pomodoro Technique - The brain can only focus deeply and concentrate for a short period of time before it becomes fatigued. Therefore, the longer a child studies without a break, the more inefficient they become.
Retrieval Practice - Retrieval Practice is a powerful study tool that is important in the act of revision. It helps strengthen memory by pulling information out of your head rather than cramming information in.
Flashcards - Flashcards are the easiest and most effective way to recall information so that it sticks in your long-term memory. Let’s look at how to create them, use them & organise them in the best way possible…
Brain Dump / Blurting - A ‘brain dump’ or ‘blurting’ is when you give your child a blank piece of paper and a pen and then ask them to ‘dump’ or ‘blurt’ everything they can remember about a specific topic
Look, Cover, Write, Check - This is a technique that works in a similar way to a ‘brain dump’ or ‘blurting’, but this time, it doesn’t have to be something your child learned in the past.
Habit Stacking - Getting into good study habits at home can be difficult to establish and even harder to maintain; the secret is in our everyday habits. The trick is to attach a new routine that they want to become a habit to an existing habit. This is what we call ‘Habit Stacking’.
Productivity - Productivity is a loaded word, and sometimes, it might feel like we’re never productive enough. But all we really need is good time management, uninterrupted focus and motivation!
False Sense of Familiarity - When we recognise something as familiar, our brain makes us think that we know more about the topic than we really do. Familiarity can be the enemy of real learning… but it doesn't have to be this way!
Desirable Difficulties - By getting your child to make learning harder for themselves, they are creating exactly the right conditions in which to remember something. We call this a ‘desirable difficulty’.
Distributed Practice - One of the most interesting, but least well known facts about how our brains remember information, is that as human beings we forget 90% of what we have been taught within the first 7 days, unless we go back and do something with that information to enable us to remember it.
Study Planner - Let us introduce you to the humble study planner, a great tool to help learners feel more responsible for their studies and prioritise appropriately!
Motivation & Rewards - It's hard to stay motivated when there's nothing to look forward to. Have you tried scheduling little rewards and treats throughout your child's study sessions? It's time to step up to your new role: study buddy!
Night Before An Exam - We would never expect an athlete to train right before their game or match and neither should a student before an exam!
Breakfast, Hunger & Set Meal Times - Ever wonder about the impact of nutrition on academic performance? Dive into the crucial role that food plays during exam periods and revision!
You Can’t Fool Your Body - Think about a time when you’ve needed to get to sleep but you can’t. Lying there actively thinking about needing to get to sleep is actually one of the worst things you can probably do. Unfortunately, if we’re not tired and our body is not used to going to sleep at that time of night, then there’s very little you can do.
Stress Can Be Good - At various points throughout the year, you may often see your child grappling with stress and anxiety. While it's natural for us as parents to want our children to be calm and relaxed during their learning, it's important to understand that some signs of stress can actually be beneficial.
Hydration and Concentration - A recent study into the link between keeping hydrated and children’s performance in school and college, found that drinking just 300ml of water can boost your child’s attention by up to 25%.
Energy Drinks - Although energy drinks might sound like a good idea to children as a huge influx of energy right before an exam or an important study session, all they do is cause your child to have what we call an ‘energy crash’ when the effects of the drink wear off and their body begins to normalise again. If this is in the middle of, or towards the end of their exam, then this is absolutely not what your child needs.
Movement and Exercise - Integrating exercise into your child's study routine doesn't have to be complicated. Encourage them to engage in physical activities they enjoy, such as sports or even a simple daily walk. It's important to strike a balance, ensuring they have enough time for both focused studying and physical activity.
Chaucer Wider Reading
Please see the links below for wider reading resources for students, linked to what they have been learning each half-term!