Strategies for
improving students' academic performance:
Taking measures to improve
academic performance and outcome starts with improving the behaviours of
students in classroom. Although it
can seem challenging, teachers play large'
roles in creating an environment that encourages leaning, improve students,
behaviour and create better academic performance at every level of education.
Teachers can accomplish amazing feats when the appropriate strategies are
implemented to improve the behaviour in the classroom. Iwuamadi (2012)
identifies and explains the following strategies for improving students'
academic performance:
(a) Setting a
goal: to motivate the students for improved academic performance, the teacher
should give the students assignment on a regular basis. The teacher should also
acknowledge their success if they successfully complete their assignment. It is
a motivating factor and the students will try to accomplish each task once they
become habituated with the process. The students also identifies in which
subject they are finding interest and in which area they are lagging.
(b) Scheduling
the study time: to improve a student's academic performance, it is
important to first of all help the students to set a daily study schedule. The teacher can do this by speaking with the
students and their parents to determine the time of the day they are more
focused and plan the study time accordingly. A comfortable place with no
distraction is ideal for a student to learn their lessons.
(c) Home
Tutor: Sometimes a student needs special attention
in a subject. A school teacher can not always provide that necessary guidance.
In such a situation, the student moves to a private tutor. But, private tutor is expensive and often
parents fail to finance it.
(d) Offering
support benefits belief to the student: students are
more likely to succeed academically when they feel the teacher is supportive,
cares about students' success and honestly assessing their weakness and
strengths. When the students are getting honest responses and help to improve
their weak areas, it is easier to maintain motivation. Improving the behaviour
of students in the classroom is part of a, teacher's job. By taking measures to
support students, offering different teaching strategies and focusing on
vigorous educational standards, teachers are keeping the class motivated and
encouraging better academic performance. In support of the above views, Longe
(2013) also explains other strategies for improving students' academic
performance as follows:
Create
an emotionally safe classrooms: Emotionally safe classroom settings encourages
respectful interactions where children feel they can express themselves without
fear. Failure is a normal part of the learning curve and does not mean that a
child who experiences it is actually a failure. Children who feel that they are
in an emotionally free classroom feel free to explore, debate, practice and
solve problems. It allows them to easily harness higher- order thinking skills.
Create an
intellectually safe classroom: Begin each class
with an activity that 95% of the class can complete on their own. Activities
like this get the lesson started with every one on board; feeling confident and
ready to participate.
Cultivate the appropriate intermediate steps: when
it comes to project- based learning, building an appropriate' intermediate
steps can help manage the learning process with the extra guidance students may
need. As opposed to assigning the project with a week's deadline and cutting
the students lose from there; a teacher may decide to create a few steps to do
together so that everyone is on board.
For example, interviewing an adult may seem intermediating at
first, but if the brainstorming and
other critical pieces are researched and together as steps, tic and make
tackling this project a lot more manageable and enjoyable for the students.
Create
a culture of explanation instead of culture of the right answer: to improve students' academic
performance, the teacher should always create a challenge that can be solved in
three differences ways and encourage students to find all the threes solutions.
This practice helps engage students to think critically and thoughtful observe
different approaches to arrive at solutions.
Teach self awareness
about knowledge: Encourage
students to honestly self- reflect about their understanding before moving onto
the next lesson. For example, try creating a form assessment for each lesson
with 3-5 questions to gauge students understanding. The question can reflect
what' was taught and also incorporate another component.
Market your projects: Make sure
students understand exactly why they are participating in a learning
activity or engaging in a specific concept, this will help in building trust in
their learning environment. Engaging
in tasks that help students grow
in their lives, job and relations increase participation and ownership of the
learning process.
Give
specific feedback often: Giving specific feedback is
supportive and helpful
in the student
learning process. Providing
specific feedback grounded with evidence enables students to make informed
decisions on how to refine the work. They also get a clear understanding of
where they stand with their teachers, fostering confidence and safety in their
learning environment.
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