At the halfway mark in the semester or changeover in quarter, students are receiving their first progress reports. For some, grades may fall below expectations, sparking concerns about academic performance. Before hiring tutors to remediate a perceived lack of understanding, I’d recommend reflecting and analyzing the course to more effectively pinpoint the issue and determine an appropriate resolution.
Is concentration an issue?
Maintaining focus is an already difficult task, which can be further complicated by other factors.
Student and parent can discuss questions like:
- What time of day is the class where the student is more academically challenged? Is the student fatigued or post-lunch, which can be a more difficult time to maintain focus?
- Is the student engaged during class, or distracted, hindering their ability to learn the information?
- Is the student confident in their ability to comprehend the subject being taught?
Does the student’s learning style match the format of the class?
Teachers naturally teach according to how they themselves learn. Thus, for a teacher who is strongest at oral comprehension, may facilitate a predominantly discussion based course, where visual learners and experiential learners may have to put forth greater effort—and vice versa. In order to determine how to work with the teacher, families can discuss questions which include:
- Does the teacher’s instructional style match the student’s preferred way of learning?
- Is the student willing to seek the teacher’s assistance? Why or why not?
- What are all the resources available through the class to improve their performance, like textbooks, teacher recommended online resources, friends, teacher-led tutoring before, during or afterschool?
- What are the formats of the assignments? Is the format how a student would naturally demonstrate their understanding of a concept?
Often, teachers weight homework, tests, and class participation at different percentages within the overall grade. Knowing the grading policy, students and families can strategize how to focus their efforts for the greatest impact.
- What is the grading policy as stated in the class syllabus?
- Does the teacher average grades between two quarters, or is the term grade cumulative over the semester?
- Where is a student missing the most points? Why?
- Are tests weighted as a greater percentage of the overall grade?
- Does the teacher offer test corrections for additional points? Or drop the lowest test grade?
Are students challenged when taking tests?
Often, students will share that they know the course material when completing homework, but the teacher’s test questions differ from homework assignments, thus they perform less than expected on tests. Some students experience test anxiety, affecting their concentration. Understanding a student’s experience taking tests, as well as the preparation process before a test, families can best modify efforts to merit more expected grades:
- What is the format of the tests? Online? On paper? Multiple choice? Written responses? Timed?
- How does a student prepare for a test?
- Does the teacher provide a study guide? If yes, how does the student use the study guide?
- How does a student manage their review alongside the homework assignments for other classes, as well as extracurricular commitments?
Does the student understand the concepts being presented?
Given the COVID-disrupted learning at key developmental years, many students are now recognizing gaps in their comprehension. After an investigation to define the exact challenge, families can determine if a tutor or other academic support is necessary to remediate comprehension:
- Does the teacher return tests with the questions so students can assess areas for improvement?
- Has the student asked the teacher what concepts to review?
- Are there any assignments the student did not complete? Why?
The learning process is complicated. Understanding the reasons for academic struggles, families can devise more thoughtful interventions. Then, students can be empowered with awareness about their learning needs, developing sustainable study habits to improve academic performance before the end of the semester, as well as for long term success.
Creative Marbles was founded by teachers who appreciate helping students (re)discover their aptitude, first in the academic classroom, now as part of the complex college admissions process. For more information, please contact us
