How to simplify education? Here are 4 ways to tackle school-related stress.
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There is no doubt that school can often present great challenges to students of all ages and inflict on them significant amounts of stress. The expectations can be high, tasks hard to solve, and certain things happen to be more difficult to understand than others. However, if both parents and their children learn how to approach such issues properly, the learning process can become a lot more pleasant for everyone.
Here some of the most important tips on overcoming school-related obstacles and reducing stress.
Exchanging notes
Knowing how to recognize the most relevant information when studying or reading is an extremely important skill, one that can also be strengthened with practice and useful advice. That is why a child should start learning how to do that as early as possible. Students should be encouraged to exchange notes with their peers and discuss a given lesson and their tasks so that they can realize that often there are multiple ways of approaching a problem. Also, their peers can sometimes happen to understand a specific topic of focus or study more clearly and therefore be remarkably helpful in the learning process. This is usually accomplished through organizing study groups.
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There is, however, another convenient way to get to peer-support, and that would be through online learning platforms. Good platforms like Thinkswap and other can immensely simplify studying, since students of various ages have access to systematized notes created by their peers, such as reliable WACE notes. Not only does that help a student to get the information they might have missed in class, but also to better see what pieces of information require the most focus. In order to be able to use other students’ notes, one must also contribute and share one’s own, another great thing about this form of online assistance in studying.
Proper motivation and setting goals
What certainly introduces a significant element of satisfaction into learning is knowing how to maintain motivation. If you have younger children who are just learning the meaning of responsibility and honest work, show them that school and studying don’t have to be dry and dull at all. You just have to figure out how to inspire yourself to keep going on. First of all, setting specific along the way is a great move—when a student knows they have overcome many obstacles and succeeded in so many things they have set their mind on, it boosts the feeling of achievement, pride and inspires them to keep working on themselves.
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Also, besides goals, little rewards for those achievements are quite welcome. For instance, if your child has received excellent feedback on something he or she has worked really hard on, compliment the effort invested and go out and do something enjoyable together, like having a nice dinner or going to a local amusement park. But bear in mind the child should understand why working hard is important in the first place, what is really achieved through it, and that it is not just another means of getting a reward for something. Nurture internal motivation mostly, not the external.
Stable work routine
Establishing a schedule that a student can follow can be immensely useful in managing great amounts of school obligations. Since there is a stable schedule in schools, organizing the rest of the day is made a lot easier. Jotting down everything that has to be done on a piece of paper and determining a specific time for that task solves to a great extent the ever-lurking issue of time management. Schedules allow one to get into a work routine, develop a sense of order, keep the mind active, and keep track of how much has already been done. Another advantage is that they help determine where there is room for leisure time, entertainment, and other non-school-related activities.
Adequate lifestyle
Studying doesn’t go without some other important things. For instance, one should not neglect sleep because of their responsibilities, as not only does sleep deprivation affect concentration, it also harms one’s health. Besides getting enough sleep every night, proper hydration and nutrition are also relevant: aim for a diet with lots of vegetables, fruit, and other nutrient-rich foods. Physical activity and regular socialization mustn’t be ignored, as they contribute immensely to maintaining physical and mental health and can act as great stress reducers.
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Though some things apply to everyone, each student is different. The exact way to tackle these responsibilities varies due to those individual differences, so bear that in mind when you’re helping your child or yourself on the journey called education.