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Success in learning is keyed to long-term recall
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Dear Dr. Fournier: Whenever I
ask my daughter about her final exams, she says,
"Don’t worry – I have it under control." She
always feels like she is ready for exams. She
does OK on tests but final exams are often a
disaster.
The school has said she might have memory problems and that I should have her tested. But she can remember everything else – even things from when she was a baby. It doesn’t make sense. |
The Assessment: Learning for long-term recall requires more than just a good memory. It also requires learning with context and meaning for our lives. Think of the clues your daughter uses for her long-term memory. She might remember a trip to the zoo because her little sister got lost; she might remember a distant relative because of a different accent or funny expressions. When children recall seemingly minute details from early in their lives, invariable there is a special meaning to them.
Unfortunately, that is not how children learn in school. Children read information in books, take notes from lectures, and listen to facts in videos. Many children take this knowledge in the order it is given without knowing how to personalize it and make it meaningful in their lives. This type of recall with no personal attachment will work for little bits of information needed for tomorrow’s test. However, once students write the information on the test paper, they often place it out of their minds, and therefore lose the long-term attachment they need for final exams – and for life.
The children who do well on chapter tests but "freeze" on final exams might not have memory problems at all. These children do not fail exams because of a lack of ability to recall, but because of the quantity required for recall. In preparing for final exams, they must abandon their short-term recall techniques and learn the information all over again because the first time lacked any context or meaning.
What To Do: A parent’s job is not to teach schoolwork but to monitor. Monitoring means that you check to make sure your child is carrying out her responsibility as she should.
When your daughter says she has exams "under control," she believes that is an honest answer. But she loses control because she does not know how to learn differently than she did for the individual tests. No one has taught her techniques to help her take ownership of knowledge – that is, to take the dry facts from school and make them meaningful for her life. She simply falls back on short-term recall, waiting until the week before finals to begin to memorize instead of starting sooner so she can learn.
Do not expect your child, on her own, to change study habits before finals. Outline a
new process with her to help with long-term recall. As you monitor, insist on seeing her efforts.
Get your child a calendar for May and have her prepare a Ready-For-Exams Program. Insist on having the plan completed before taking action. Have your child decide and record the following:
The dates and times for each exam.
A date to ask each teacher what material will be covered and what format will be used for the exam. (Your child must show you a written list and should keep the information for reference.)
A date to show you all notes, old tests, quizzes and other materials needed to study for each exam. (You might want your child to set up file folders for each subject to keep the material handy for review.)
A date to have a mock exam ready for each subject. (This puts your child truly in control of the exams by personalizing use of the knowledge she must learn.)
A date to show the mock exams to each teacher and ask them to make sure the questions are on target. Have each teacher initial these mock exams.
A date to take each mock exam and correct it from notes.
Time to learn what she missed on the mock exams. She should plan to complete learning two days before each exam. She can only review material the night before each exam.
A date to celebrate the end of exams and to do – not buy – something special with the family.
Each time we ask our children, "are you ready for exams?" we assume they know how to analyze the task ahead. It is in this assumption that many children find failure for lack of being taught the life skill of planning.
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Keeping a child's focus on finals as summer beckons
May 10, 2007 12:00 PM Filed in: Skill Sets
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Dear Dr. Fournier: My son
knows we expect him to do his homework in the
afternoon so that we do not have late nights.
This has worked, but now he wants to go out and
play after school. As the days have gotten longer
his attention span has gotten shorter. This
happened last year, and we ended up fighting.
This year he will have final exams for the first time and I do not want to be fighting. We have planned many activities for him this summer, so he knows he is going to have fun. He just needs to work a little harder until school is out. How can I get this across to him without yelling? |
The Assessment: At this time every year, the irresistible force – the expectation of summer fun – meets the immovable object – final exams – and the result is that "something’s gotta give." What we often give up is what we desire most – a calm family atmosphere.
Just when school is most demanding, the days grow longer, giving children more daylight for fun. Add to that the desire to participate in outdoor activities and the special springtime events, and preparing for final exams can become the last thing on a child’s mind.
Although parents want their children to anticipate the fun of vacation, children often cannot stop with mere anticipation – they often want it now, and summer hysteria sets in.
What To Do: At this time every year, the irresistible force – the expectation of summer fun – meets the immovable object – final exams – and the result is that "something’s gotta give." What we often give up is what we desire most – a calm family atmosphere.
Just when school is most demanding, the days grow longer, giving children more daylight for fun. Add to that the desire to participate in outdoor activities and the special springtime events, and preparing for final exams can become the last thing on a child’s mind.
Although parents want their children to anticipate the fun of vacation, children often cannot stop with mere anticipation – they often want it now, and summer hysteria sets in.
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How to bring sanity to the world of final exams
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Dear Dr. Fournier: Final exams are always a battle at my home. My eighth grade daughter studies every night past midnight, and I worry that she doesn’t get enough rest. My sixth grade son says he can’t study because the teacher has not told him what is on the test. My ninth grade son doesn’t think his finals should disrupt his life and studies only when his social calendar allows time. How can I bring sanity back into my house? |
The Assessment: One of my yearly rituals is to write a column this time of year, answering questions from parents who want to know how to best help their children prepare for final exams. Unlike other holiday traditions, this is one ritual I would like to do away with – or at least move to the beginning of the semester. Parents could avoid these questions by working with their children from first day of school.
Because of procrastination, this last-minute madness continues as each semester winds down. Parenting is a full-time job, and as our children get older, it becomes harder for a parent to help each child. On top of that, we have obligations to our employers, elderly parents or disabled children (I could list a hundred more) that fill our daily routines. Add to all of that the shopping, parties and decorating that come with December, and it’s not surprising that I receive so many letters this time of year. I sympathize with the struggles parents endure, but we must make a decision regarding what is important in our children’s lives.
While your children manifest different symptoms, they actually face a similar issue – final exam preparation – and resolve it in their own unique ways. Your children may demonstrate excessiveness, passiveness or avoidance in their exam preparation, but the real problem begins with their perspective of learning. This is one of the most prevalent issues facing our educational institutions.
There is a major misconception held by teachers, parents and students alike, that the goal of school is simple memorization and regurgitation. An education like this doesn’t teach students to think creatively. A degree from this learning system isn’t worth the paper it is written on in today’s global workplace.
What To Do: Like most students, your children don’t understand the difference between “studying” and “learning.” Can you solve your dilemma this semester? No, but you can make a decision for next semester that will change the rest of their lives. The solution is so simple, but I can’t get parents to take me up on it. There should be one rule in your home that must be obeyed without exception – Studying is not allowed!
Here are the rules:
When your children come home from school each day, they are not to do their homework – they are to learn it. This radical change of perspective allows them to understand and “own” knowledge, as opposed to merely memorizing it.
Homework is not complete until students prove that they would be able to make a good grade on a surprise quiz the next day. They can do this by giving you a lecture (without notes) or writing a mock test to be taken two hours after they finish.
Every test, quiz or homework grade should be on the refrigerator, next to a list of what they missed. They will learn this material later in the week or on the weekend.
This is very simple, yet too many parents will not make their children understand that studying is for those that want to be passively schooled. Learning is the first step toward receiving an education – a requirement for someone who wants to have an independent, significant life and who wants to become a leader.
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