It’s a source of frustration for everyone–the student, the teacher, the parent. When you sit with your child trying to help him or her with the homework, and he or she gets so frustrated that he or she just can’t do it, you simply want to give up and immediately choose to believe that your child is stunted and stilted in intellectual growth. Don’t feel bad; it’s okay to be frustrated. There are some things you can do, though, to help a child “get it.”
Whether you’re a teacher or parent, knowing the student’s individuality matters. Typically, learning is an overlapping process. When you learn one thing, you automatically learn something else if it’s all connected. Think very basic here–such as 2+2. Once you learn 2+2, 2+3 would automatically make sense. Just add another. Simple as that. That’s the essence of learning. Each thing you learn leads you to another concept automatically.
Use that concept of learning along with the individuality and uniqueness of your child. Memorization helps with this as well. If your child enjoys video games, try to figure out how to equate a certain video game with the study material–case in point, maybe something like “Dante’s Inferno” the video game for the XBOX 360 as a lead-in for studying the actual book entitled The Divine Comedy, of which the video game is loosely based off. It’s utilizing imagery as a means to memorization. If you equate some of the material with something your child knows and loves, he or she will better understand the material and memorize it. Another method, surprisingly enough, are films–such as the many versions of “Hamlet” or “Romeo and Juliet” by Shakespeare. Maybe you want to teach the art of creative writing to a student by showing him or her the film “Finding Forrester,” a story about an author who helps a kid learn how to write.
Imagery is important. Use it. It’ll help your children “get it.”