education
start to see themselves as someone
who ‘just isn’t good at maths’ then
they won’t improve even when they’re
developmentally ready to. Keep positive
and make sure they see that everyone
has things they start slowly at and then
later improve with.
Check with teachers
I have several students who are bright,
thoughtful and hard-working, but they
don’t get good grades because they
haven’t got the hang of tests yet. I always
encourage these parents to talk to all
their kids’ teachers and find out which
things the kid is really struggling with,
since test results won’t show that clearly.
For a kid who’s falling
behind, it’s important
to figure out the root
of the problem and
take some time to
tackle it head on.
Pre-teach the basics
Feeling out of your depth is dispiriting.
Find out what’s coming next in your kid’s
toughest class and help them out with
the basics. Then they’re prepared and
able to pay attention to the harder parts
of the topic when it’s covered in class.
study the ones they’re less keen
on. For example, if your child loves
maths but hates studying Chinese,
encourage them to read about maths
in Chinese or play the strategic game
of Go, about which there’s far more
written in Chinese than English. With
kids, enthusiasm is about 90 per
cent of the battle – once they find
something they’re interested in, they’ll
teach themselves!
Adapt to their learning style
Children learn in different ways, but not
every subject works well in each style.
If you have a kinaesthetic learner who
is finding their academic subjects hard,
find a way to supplement the teaching
with activities at home which suit their
needs. Take a look at the tips here [link:
https://www.playtimes.com.hk/blog/
learning-styles] for ideas on how to help
your child learn well.
Self-consciousness
When kids are aware that they’re
weak in a subject, they often hide
their embarrassment behind a
mask of disinterest. Worse, their
self-consciousness can trigger bad
behaviour, which makes them fall even
further behind. Try a couple of these
techniques in combination in order to
help these kids catch up:
Not everything can be your kid’s
favourite subject, and it’s natural for
them to work harder at the ones they’re
interested in. However, exam systems
like DSE and IB mean that students
need to continue with a large number
of subjects until they leave school. They
can’t let those less-interesting ones
fall by the wayside. Ways to deal with
unenthusiastic learners: Help out
Even if your kid has reached an age
when you’d expect them to work
independently, don’t force it if you
sense they’re self-conscious about their
weakness. They might act as though
they don’t need you, but then they’ll
silently flounder and fail to do their work
well. Instead, take turns doing maths
problems and writing sentences, or one
of you can dictate and the other one
writes. Then as your child grows more
confident that you’ll be there to help,
you can reduce the assistance you give
and wait for them to ask for it.
Cross-curricular engagement
Find a way to bring your child’s
favourite topic into play when they Reward effort
Because kids who are falling behind
rarely get positive attention for their
Lack of Enthusiasm
ability, they seek negative attention
instead. Bad behaviour in front of peers
or as a response to help from adults is
common. However, you can turn this
around by making sure that the bad
behaviour is not the only thing which
gets your attention. Praise your kid’s
effort and point out the things they’re
doing well!
Sense of success
In my classes, I often get sent the kids
who hate writing, and who spend an
hour labouring over a paragraph with
little success. To get these kids to
improve, I hunt for the aspect of writing
they’re great at – idea generation,
character creation, descriptive details,
etc. Whatever it is, that kid is our go-to
person for it in the class. If anyone is
struggling for a plot twist in a story,
ask Jayden, or if they need adjectives
for their setting, ask Anna. Soon, the
confidence is shining out of these kids
and they’re willing to ask for help as
well as give it.
Quick-fix issues
Lack of basics
Often, kids stop making progress in
a subject because they’re missing a
foundational skill. Ask their teacher or a
tutor to suggest some work on the key
skills that your kid might need in order
to progress.
Overstressed
In Hong Kong, this can’t always be
helped. However, make sure to take
advantage of lower-stress periods
such as school holidays to dedicate
some focused time to a weak skill. This
doesn’t need to be as punishing as it
sounds – a kid struggling with maths
could do a robotics course in summer,
or a child falling behind in English can
take a holiday reading challenge. Kids
can make excellent progress when they
have a little more room to breathe!
Willow Hewitt is the Head of English for
i-Learner Education Centre. She has
been teaching in Hong Kong for several
years. www.i-learner.edu.hk/
Spring 2019
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