How To Enforce Study Time
Written By: Rebecca
The academic load in schools today is large and in some cases, overwhelming. The intense studying and outside reading once reserved for college campuses has trickled down into high schools where parents must help their teenagers structure their time to get all homework and studying completed in a given day.
The hardest of these tasks is to enforce study time. After all, there is no worksheet or problems to show they did the reading and studying at the end of the day. To enforce study time, consider the following:
Study with your child. While it takes a great deal of time out of your day, the best way for your child to learn material may be to work with you. Help her study by having her summarize main points and work on the guiding questions found in most text books together. Sit down together and take turns reading out loud or work through examples. You might realize a passion for science and social studies you never knew you had, plus your child will see exactly how much you value her education and her.
Ask questions. At the very least, you should ask your child questions while she studies or at the end of the study session. Flip open her book and find the questions for the assigned chapter. Go through them and see if her answers are suitable. Skim a few pages and ask for a summary or major point.
Make it routine. The best thing to do to help young adults is establish a routine. Children of all ages respond to structure and routine, so make it a habit to study at the counter every evening while you fix dinner. Or make it “quiet time” for certain hours each day while everyone in the family studies, read the paper or catches up on professional materials. This shows quiet support of studying and provides a supportive environment.
Monitor. Keep an eye on your studying student. Many young people prefer to study with friends or in their room, but both of these may provide too many distractions. Collect cell phones before study time to limit incoming calls and keep the computer turned off until all reading is complete. Occasionally stop by your child to see that progress is being made and that everyone, including a possible friend, is on track.
Follow up. If your student studied Thursday evening for a test on Friday, go back through major points together on Friday morning. Skimming material is not as effective as reading it carefully and practicing problems within it, so reading alone may not be the answer. Help her remember important points by quizzing her over breakfast or before she goes to bed at night.
Encourage. Simply encouraging studying is far better than forcing it. You can’t force learning and trying will most likely make your teenager rebel. Encourage quality study by participating or demonstrating your support. Sending your child off to study while you loudly watch her favorite program or chat on the phone with friends will be viewed as unfair and rude. So at the very least, find yourself something quiet to do while your child studies. Then, everyone can enjoy watching the show together.
