How to help your child set academic goals for the new year ahead
Many people kick off the new year by setting new goals, and that can extend to the classroom for students at all levels.
Lorelei Burgess, the director of Oxford Learning, says this is a great time of year for families of school-age children to set academic goals.
“It’s an opportunity to reset and sort of reflect on what went well at the beginning of the year and make a plan for the remainder of the year,” she said during an interview with CTV Morning Live Atlantic.
Burgess says students often set “get better grades” as a goal, but there are many steps involved to make that possible.
She suggests breaking the goal down into smaller pieces.
“Whether that’s study habits or homework, how you’re approaching school, how you’re doing in the classroom -- really look at those ways that students can break that down and naturally achieve that, those better grades.”
She says it’s also important for students and parents to set realistic goals together so everyone is on the same page.
“You can really help them break those down into realistic goals. Because oftentimes kids are setting goals that are not necessarily achievable where they are right now. So you want to make sure that those are clear, that they are achievable so that they can experience success and that it’s measurable.”
Burgess has broken goal setting down into four manageable chunks.
SLEEP
Burgess says sleep is “really important” for students as it helps with problem-solving and thinking skills.
“Really, proper sleep leads to greater academic success and oftentimes teens, in particular, are staying up late, maybe not getting enough sleep, but that’s really something that’s important and can help improve marks, improve mood, attitude and ability to focus and pay attention.”
HOMEWORK
Burgess suggests if students have no designated homework time that they set a time every day, whether homework is assigned or not, to focus on schoolwork.
“Even if it’s reviewing your notes,” she says. “That way kids can go back they can look through; if there’s something that’s unclear they can then speak to their teacher the next day.”
IN-CLASS SKILLS
Burgess says potential goals to set in class include listening better, paying closer attention to teachers and taking better notes.
STUDY SKILLS
Burgess says students should also look at how they study and how they use that time.
“Do you need better organizational skills? Should you grab a planner or use an app? What is going to be the most effective for that student?”
Burgess also has advice for students who will be studying for exams this winter.
She says students and their parents should start preparing now since leaving things until the last minute “is never a good idea.”
“Create a plan,” says Burgess. “Really focus on the concepts and the areas that they struggled with throughout the semester, those are the areas you want to give more support to so that they can make sure that they know what they need to for that exam.”
And if families feel overwhelmed, Burgess says they should reach out for help.
“Get some outside assistance, because oftentimes it’s difficult to help our own kids. They often listen much better to others’ advice than they do their parents, so looking for some outside resources is definitely beneficial.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Police investigating shooting outside of Drake's Bridle Path mansion: source
Toronto police are investigating a shooting that took place outside of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion early Tuesday morning, a source tells CP24.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Highlights from the 2024 Met Gala exhibit: Sleeping Beauty would wake up for these gowns
Sure, she was a royal princess and all. But there’s no way Sleeping Beauty — either before or after her nap — ever had quite the fabulous wardrobe that’s been assembled at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Stormy Daniels is expected to appear at Trump's hush money trial on Tuesday
Donald Trump returns to the hush money trial Tuesday facing a threat of jail time for additional gag order violations as prosecutors gear up to summon big-name witnesses including porn actor Stormy Daniels.