Teach Kids To Love Learning
Kids today are more overwhelmed and under-supported than ever before with technology continually demanding their attention and increasing stress on the education system. Jolene Ogle discovers help is at hand.
When I was at school almost 20-years-ago, it was a completely different world. I had a teacher who liked to send us outside to hug trees if we talked too much (which I often did) and a teacher who would flick us on the back of the head if we pronounced our Indonesian incorrectly. Homework wasn’t important and we certainly didn’t get in trouble if it wasn’t handed in because the teacher probably forgot they had assigned it anyway.
Today, kids are facing an increasing amount of pressure to perform and when it comes to homework, many of us parents struggle to help. We learnt differently and technology certainly wasn’t a large part of our curriculum so we are often left feeling a bit clueless.
Kip McGrath Education Centre Director Rita Krause says it’s a common problem for parents but tutoring is helping bridge the gap between modern and traditional teaching – and providing confidence for both students and their parents. Rita says the added bonus of one less battle after school is also making tutoring an attractive option for parents.
“Tutoring helps boost confidence and skills so getting your kids to do their homework means one less fight,” she says. “Not every parent grew up with technology like kids do today and parents certainly learnt differently back when they were at school. This is making it hard for parents to translate that into effective help for their kids.
At Kip McGrath, we team students with a single tutor who can help them fill in learning gaps so that students are able to independently cope with classwork and homework. They grow in confidence as they experience success and benefit through incidental learning as they listen and observe others being tutored.”
Rita said tutoring allows students to learn at their own pace and work on their weaknesses in a group environment where they can also feel safe and comfortable.
“A tutoring environment eliminates the pressure of the classroom. There is no feeling of being perceived as ‘dumb’. Everyone is here because they want to learn and that alone helps them feel more confident,” she says.
“Kids can feel supported and in control of their learning and that makes a huge difference to their love of learning. We offer to tutor primary and high school students in an 80-minute session that mixes technology with good old-fashioned pen and paper.”
Rita said students can enter tutoring at any point in their school lives.
“We provide services for kids from prep to grade ten,” she said. “Often it’s the earlier, the better; sometimes it’s not until high school that extra support is needed. Depending on the child’s needs, we combine online learning systems which the student can do independently with the one-on-one support of a trained tutor. A huge part of our technique is mixing a reward system with plenty of praise and support from teaching staff and other students – plus lots of pats with our resident dog, Bonnie.”
Rita shares her top tips to help build your children’s passion for learning:
Reward success – Everything from a high-five to stickers will help encourage your child to want to succeed. Rewarding and acknowledging their achievements will build confidence and reinforce their new skill.
Praise – Along with rewards, praise is a great way to encourage your child to learn. They will want to achieve more and learn more when they know they are on the right path.
Tap into their passions – Does your child love singing and dancing? Maybe you can learn a new song that reinforces a new subject or maybe your child is passionate about nature? You can take learning outside and use sticks and flowers to help with maths. Do they love Lego or cars? Use those to help with maths equations.
Get a support team – Working with a trained tutor is a great way to build your child’s confidence and help them grow a love of learning. Once they feel comfortable and supported, it makes it easier to take on new lessons and learning. A tutor can help focus in on particular weaknesses and help build those up to strengths. A great tutor works in with the student’s teacher to provide a well-rounded support team.
