How To Help Weak Students In Studies

What image do we strike when we hear or read the term ‘weak students’? the students who don’t get A+ grade, the students who are careless, idle, naughty or the most dangerous mentally unhealthy. We often come to a quick generalization or judgment without trying to know the root cause of the problem. And when people don’t make efforts to know the reason for the weakness of a child, how it can be expected that its solution will be searched.

The stigmatized term ‘weak student’ refers to various possibilities. Human development is a result of nature and nurture both that is heredity and environment both play a vital role in the development of a child. So when we say the child is weak it is possible that he\she might have biologically lesser IQ or the environment in which he\she is living in do not provides him or her enough opportunities for cognitive (mental) development.

Here are some tips on how one can mentor and help Weak Students in Studies.

Solutions For How To Help Weak Students In Studies

1. Try To Find The Reason

It is important to find out the reason why the child is not performing up to the mark. The child may not be physically fit e.g. weak eyes are the common problem. It is found sometimes that children don’t open up about their physical discomfort. It is therefore advised that teachers or parents should maintain a rapport where students can feel free to discuss their problems.

IQ tests should be conducted on such students. Sometimes home atmosphere also adversely affects a child’s performance. Interest, way of teaching and infrastructural barriers can also be the reason for poor performance. Hence one should find out the reason.

2. Be Sympathetic

Teachers and parents should be sympathetic to weak students. They should not be labeled as weak, dumb or duffer. Weak students are also a soft target of bullies hence they should be protected from such behavior. Their dignity should be maintained.

3. Provide Opportunities For Mental Activities

Students should be provided with ample opportunities for learning. The learning should be activity-based where the child is actively participating in the teaching-learning process. Learning should start from concrete and go to an abstract concept for better understanding.

4. Pay Emphasis On Physical Development

“A healthy body has a healthy mind” is an old saying and it is scientifically proven that a physically fit person can concentrate better on cognitive activities. Hence the physical health of students should be maintained. There should be a regular time for exercise.

5. Don’t Ignore Emotional Health

A student can also perform badly when he/she is not in a stable emotional state. Emotional health can be disturbed due to family reasons or peer pressure such as bullying. The teachers must ensure the emotional health of the child is good. Schools should essentially include yoga and recreation activities for emotional wellness. The teacher should also support the child rather than targeting him/her or calling him stupid, dumb, etc.

6. Encourage And Motivate

Weak students should be encouraged to perform better. They must be given tasks into chunks. The duration of the task should be kept small. And after they successfully complete the task they must be encouraged and motivated. So that they take interest in learning activities.

7. Identify The Learning Style Of The Student

There are individual differences among students. Not every child learns in the same way. Some children are audio learners, some are visual learners and some are kinesthetic learners i.e. they learn by doing or experimenting. The teacher or parents must understand the learning style of the student. And should plan the teaching-learning activities accordingly.

8. Repetition And Revision

For weak students its necessary to repeat and revise what is learned so as to retain it into memory. Mentors must provide them enough worksheets covering all the necessary topics. Immediate regular tests must be conducted to check the retention ability of the student.

9. Individual Teaching

Mostly it has been observed that weak students found difficulty in understanding lessons because his/her previous concepts are poor. Personal teaching can help in such a manner. It’s very obvious that good students learn fast. So, educators usually focus more on such students in the class. Yet, one must care for the weak as well. In addition, they must be provided personal guidance from the tutors.

10. Monitor Grades

Urge your child to talk to you about school and assignments. Express a solid interest in your child’s projects and assignments with the goal that you can catch new problems before they begin. Obviously, if your child is doing great in school, monitoring your child’s work will allow you to praise your child and make them feel superior about their prosperity.

Also Read: How Students Can Achieve Good Marks In Exams

Remember, no student is naturally weak and no student is naturally genius. However, some students take time to learn or to do certain tasks, which doesn’t mean they are weak. Every student is born unique with different capacities and capabilities. So we as a parent/guardian/teacher should not underestimate the strengths of any student.