Preparing for Exams |
Preparing for final exams can cause a lot of anxiety among high school students, and although your child needs to take charge of their own studying, there are ways parents can help them prepare. To begin with, we can make sure our children understand the importance of being well prepared and organized, through this, we can alleviate many of the pressures associated with finals - the right kind of preparation will help your child go into the exam feeling ready and in control.
If your child has a lot of apprehension about exams and you aren't quite sure how to help, an excellent solution is to see if your teen is interested in participating in an exam prep workshop with their peers. An organized workshop will help your teen learn some great study tips, get extra help, or simply find out what not to do for exams; of course, one of the best parts is it's also an opportunity to spend time with people their own age.
Debbie Eden is a former high school teacher and facilitates a teen Exam Prep Workshop in her community. She believes one of the most important factors to remember when preparing for finals is to recognize that adults all have their own learning style, and that it's no different for teens. It's important for parents to try to be aware of what helps your teen learn, for example, if they retain information better by taking breaks from studying to shoot hoops for a while or by studying in a social setting with friends, then make those choices available to them. "Many parents take it for granted that their children know how to organize and study information - when in actual fact they don't, we (at the Exam Prep Workshop) can provide teens with lots of generic study tips and tricks that they can apply in their own way", she says.
Depending on the needs and learning style of your son or daughter, there are a number of things we can do as parents to help them get ready for writing an exam. For instance, offering your teen with a comfortable place to study will go a long way in helping them organize the information they need to learn. Provide a quiet, organized and comfortable space in your home for learning, (most often youngsters prefer their bedroom) always keep the television off, but do allow your teen to play background music if they find it helpful. It's also important to cut down on frequent interruptions by limiting unnecessary phone calls and visits from friends during study times, and make sure your home is stocked up with lots of high-energy drinks and nutritious snacks to help keep concentration skills at their sharpest.
When your children are studying for finals, take some time to catch up on your own household finances, paperwork or reading. Knowing that everyone else in the house is settled into the books will provide a good atmosphere for learning and reduce distractions. If your teen finds it too difficult or noisy to study at home, suggest other alternatives such as a quiet park, café, a friend's house, or the local library. your area.
