Low marks due to lack of motivation and focus are a concern that necessitates every parent’s attention.
But what do you do when you know your child has actually tried to put in the work, but their marks still don’t reflect this effort?
It’s all kinds of frustrating for you as an empathetic bystander but even more damaging to your child’s confidence and self-motivation to pursue better marks.
Most parents and teachers tell students they just need to study harder to achieve better marks. Practice more. Read more. Do everything more, challenge yourself. Memorise all the information you can to give the best answers during assessments.
But that’s about all they’re doing—making it HARDER for themselves. It doesn’t matter if your child is unmotivated or wants to succeed — if they don’t know how to convert the information they learn into what examiners want to see, they will not get full marks.
In this article, we look at ways to help students adapt to different learning environments for the best academic results.
Simon’s journey from low marks to an 80% in HSC
When we met Simon, he struggled with assessments. He wanted to do well but was disorganised and easily distracted when tired.
But Simon wasn’t lazy. He just couldn’t work out how to stay focused on an assignment long enough to create a sustained response. And that meant he didn’t get the marks.
We assessed Simon’s ability to hold information and discovered he absorbed information much faster through rapid-fire conversations that ‘fractaled out’ like a firework rather than following a specific chronology.
We helped Simon develop a set of study strategies to help him break down tasks into chunks that held his attention so he could complete more in every study session.
It was a huge breakthrough for Simon. He rose 20 ranks in English (his most ‘loathed’ subject) and went from barely passing at the bottom third of his cohort to achieving 80% across all his HSC subjects and getting straight into his dream course at university.
Cognitive adaptor for a stable learning connection
Being equipped with specific learning skills and strategies was a breakthrough for Simon. He had all the academic potential; he just needed a way to remove the ‘blockages’ that were holding him back.
At Kalibrate-Ed, we help students ‘unclog’ their learning channels through a specific set of skills and techniques based on their unique learning profile (ULP). We call this a ‘cognitive adaptor’.
Think of the cognitive adaptor as your child’s connector to get all the information they need to absorb and process from any source. Whether it’s from their favourite teacher or their least favoured subject, they’ll be able to adjust their learning style with a cognitive adaptor. It also helps students who procrastinate and are distracted close the gap between them and studying so they stay engaged and focused.
If you want to know more about how the teenage mind works, we’ve invited a world-renowned neuroscientist to share ‘7 ½ Lessons on the Teenage Brain’ this Wednesday, 25th September. We’ll share techniques in improving your child’s marks, while fostering brain health and overall wellbeing.
We’ve also invited Australia’s leading experts in ATAR calculations and career coaching to share practical tips to help your child find the best future opportunities after high school.
The session will come with a recording, links to exclusive resources and a 15-minute Planning Call to create your child’s unique study plan for the coming weeks.
You can get access to all that here: https://studyresources.com.au/your-choice-of-university
