11 Effective Learning Techniques for Teenagers

Nowadays a child has too many distractions in the form of media, social networks, and video games. It is quite challenging for parents to keep the child focused on studies. But, there are a few approaches that can make learning interesting. Keeping your child engaged to the learning process can be a challenge, with the distractions that are all around. If it isn’t the television, it’s the iPad. Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter, and you, as a parent might be wondering about creative ways to help your child learn. Read on to find out learning techniques that are quite effective.

Effective Learning Techniques For Older Children

When your child has grown into a tween or a teen, his learning methods, too, will change drastically. Here, we round up some tips that can be tried at home.

1. Learning Style: Each child has his own unique learning style.
   1. Learning styles can be broadly categorized as aural (auditory-musical-visual), visual, kinaesthetic, verbal, logical, social or solitary learners
   2. Your child will have a combination of styles with one dominant learning style.
   3. So finding your child's dominant learning style can help you choose the suitable aids, tools or methods for learning
   4. For example, if he is an aural learner, he can learn and remember complex terminology by coming up with a tune and singing a song that uses those terms and recording the song. It will be easier for him to recollect the concept later
2. Technology: There are numerous apps and websites available that provide abundant information.
   1. Using 3D apps, educational videos, drawings, models as learning aid for visual learners could be effective. e.g 3D heart app shows the function of the heart with blood flowing through the heart chambers, which even a child in primary class can understand quite well.
   2. Avoid using videos when your child is less than 7 years of age, even if they are educational.
   3. Young children need stimulation in all parts of the brain but video games or videos only stimulate the brain region that controls visual and movement because of which the other regions responsible for learning, thinking, behavior and emotion could become underdeveloped.
   4. The little ones just get carried away with colors, sound, and visual effects and the purpose of learning gets lost.
3. Mnemonics: Use mnemonics to create mental imagery in order to make it easy to recollect the hard terminologies in science and math.
   1. If your child is a visual and kinaesthetic learner, you can use a wide range of mnemonics where ever possible
   2. For e.g., to explain the imperial system of volume conversion, you can use a pictorial representation with a BIG G (gallon) that will have 4 Qs (4 quarts in a gallon) and each Q will have 2 Ps (2 pints in a quart) and each P will have 2 Cs ( 2 cups in a pint). The pictorial representation will look like 4 faces encircled in a G. Your child might then find it easy to calculate the total no of cups in a quart or no of pints in 2 Gallons or any volume conversion
4. Real-life Evidence: Ask your child to look out for at least 3 evidence in a real-life scenario where a concept that he has learned, can be applied.
   1. For e.g., if your child is learning about reverse osmosis, let him find out where this process is used
   2. The real-life connection would make learning even more meaningful
5. Creating Models: Encourage your child to be an inventor or a solution provider.
   1. After learning a concept, he can think of some problems or difficulties he faces in his daily life
   2. Encourage him to come up with a solution to the problem by making a model. For e.g., a solution to avoid carrying a heavy load of books to school, feeding the pet on time, solution for reaching the top-most shelf without having to climb on a chair or stool
   3. The solution can be in the form of a physical model, a drawing, a presentation, iMovie or a video
   4. Ask your child questions about the model till you are convinced with the solution
6. Hands-on Learning: Nothing can beat hands-on experience.
   1. Encourage your child to experiment (if applicable). During the experiment, teach him to follow a process in order - OBSERVE, ANALYSE, COMPARE, PREDICT, EXPLORE/EXPERIMENT, COLLECT DATA, RECORD, INTERPRET DATA, CONCLUDE
   2. Do not feed him with the results. Encourage him to come up with his own conclusions
   3. The result may be an unexpected one due to the error in execution but it can be corrected later
   4. Before learning the outcome, let him learn to analyze and relate what he has already learned, and justify his conclusion
7. Project-based Learning: Children can take up a project in any subject to gain in-depth knowledge.
   1. For e.g., if your child is learning about the data interpretation or trend analysis, he can be given a certain amount of imaginary money and asked to buy a few numbers of company shares (imaginary). Ask him to record the fluctuations in the share prices. After a month or 2, let the child prepare a trend and analyze the reason for the fluctuations
   2. A simpler project could be one where your child can start recording the flight ticket prices over a period and try to analyze the reasons for fluctuation in prices
   3. Another example is to find out how pure the water that he drinks, is. He can take different samples, and conduct different tests on the samples
8. Blogging: Create a blog for your child and ask her to write a post every day. A post can be a story, an argument, an opinion, research essay or even a reflection on his own learning process
9. "I wonder" Diary: Encourage your child to ask questions, by using an “I wonder” diary.
   1. Your child can record questions he has - like why do dogs chase their tail? How should I react if the abductor is stronger than me? How will it be to be in a communist country?
   2. Encourage your child to ask why and how questions and to write what he already knows about that topic or what he thinks the answer is
   3. He can then read a book or a website, or discuss the question with an adult to find answers
   4. Let him then write down what he has understood about the subject
   5. Teach your child how to take notes and what format to use. This will be of great help when he does his own research
10. Games: What can be more fun than playing games?
    1. Use strategy games or board games or even pack of playing cards to learn math
    2. For e.g., the concept of probability in math can be learned using playing cards. Write down a list of probability questions such as the probability of picking a black card, probability of picking a face card, probability of picking a red number card, probability of picking an even number, etc. Depending upon the probability value, give points
    3. For e.g., if the probability is impossible to give 0 points, the probability value is less than 1/2, give 10 points, for 1/2 give 20 and for more than 1/2 give 40 and for certain i.e probability of 1, give 50. Now let the players take turns to pick cards from the pack and record the probability for each question and write down the points for each card. After a few turns, check the total points to find the winner
11. Travel: Every time you take a vacation, ensure your child learns something new
    1. Your child can take pictures, talk to local people to know about their culture or traditions
    2. After the trip, he can reflect on the knowledge by writing in a vacation journal or in his own blog

Teaching your child essential skills such as planning, organizing, strategizing and executing is important right from his early school years. Use these techniques to make learning fun for your child!

Did you find these tips on learning techniques for your child, useful? Share your feedback with us in the comments section!