Those who read well learn better! Which competencies help children with homeschooling and with independent learning at home.
What helps students to master learning in lockdown? The fifth evaluation of the Corona additional survey within the framework of the National Education Panel (NEPS) deals with this question. Surveys of 1,452 parents during the lockdown in spring 2020 and competence tests and surveys from 2018 provide data on the basis of which the importance of reading competence, the interest in the learning content, and the willingness to make an effort in learning were analyzed.
Those who read well also learn better at home
The evaluations of the parent surveys show that the children with high reading skills and willingness to make exertion got along better with learning at home – the interest in the learning content, on the other hand, plays a lesser role in the motivation to study during school closings. Distance teaching can also offer an opportunity to promote self-regulated learning. To do this, teachers must increasingly use methods that allow individual feedback, especially A Level chemistry tutor, says Prof. Dr. Cordula Artelt, Head of the National Education Panel.
Motivation to study at home
Two thirds of the parents (67%) had problems motivating their children to learn in distance learning, about half of them (35%) found this to be rather or very difficult. There is a clear difference between the sexes: parents stated significantly more often for boys that they were more difficult to motivate to study at home than for girls. This is what the parents of 14-year-old eighth grade students report during the first phase of homeschooling in spring 2020.
If you combine this assessment of the parents with the results of competence tests that the same students completed a year and a half earlier as part of the National Educational Panel Study, it becomes clear that those who read well are more easily motivated to learn at home and are better able to cope with the unfamiliar learning situation.
Written work instructions slow down the motivation to learn
This may be due to the fact that reading text in school books, as well as instructions and work instructions, is particularly important when studying at home, the authors of the report conclude. In contrast to regular face-to-face teaching, in many cases teachers cannot verbally explain the subject matter and tasks. The ability to understand written texts is therefore a central competence for all school subjects – not just for English lessons. That has consequences.
Main author Dr. Kathrin Lockl, head of the “Competencies” department at the Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (LIfBi): “We suspect that pupils with poor reading skills often have difficulties understanding and are less able to understand certain tasks. Such rather discouraging experiences could then contribute to the fact that students are less motivated to do their tasks.”
Distance teaching offers opportunities
But distance learning can also help children develop their skills. Prof. Dr. Cordula Artelt, Head of the National Education Panel and Director of the LIfBi: “In order for children to be motivated, they need realistic goals and feedback. You have to experience yourself as competent and autonomous. Actually, learning at a distance is wonderfully suitable for promoting self-regulated learning, but there has to be a good mix of independent and guided phases. “
If distance learning is only understood as the transmission of tasks, there is a risk that children will receive too little feedback and that those who already have motivational difficulties will be left behind. The previous evaluations of the additional survey by the National Education Panel suggest that this was often the case in the first lockdown.
Education researcher Artelt therefore strongly recommends teachers to incorporate individual elements into distance learning in the future, for example through personal consultation hours, video conferences or interactive tasks. There are also many learning apps that children can use to learn math or foreign languages in a playful way.
It is also clear that parents cannot replace this didactic and pedagogical support. What parents need from schools, on the other hand, is not only the ability to plan homeschooling, but also transparency about what is expected in distance learning and what the children should achieve during this time.
What types of tutoring are there?
The right teaching method is crucial for successful tutoring: Not everyone is suitable for every child. A lot is now also available online.
When looking for a good tutor or a professional tutoring institute, parents should also keep an eye on the teaching methods offered in each case. Because not every form of teaching is equally suitable for every child. When selecting, parents should consider the subject, learning progress and learning behavior of their child in order to find out which method is the right one.
Usually a distinction is made between individual and group lessons. Personal one-to-one tuition is the most individual, but also the most exhausting of the teaching methods. The tutor fully concentrates on the child. Breaks must be planned so that concentration does not deteriorate too much during the course of the lesson. One-to-one tuition is particularly popular in challenging learning phases, for example to prepare for an important exam.
Learn online with a tutor
Due to the Corona regulation, group tuition in institutes is currently not possible, but online group courses are often still offered. Online tutoring with professional tutors is particularly flexible. In the case of one-to-one lessons, the content can be tailored to the current needs of the children.
Students and tutors can exchange ideas directly via Skype and webcam and work on tasks together via an electronic board. The youngsters should opt for this form if there is still a need for explanation in one or more subjects and if the kids like to work very efficiently and purposefully.
Immediate help with homework and before exams
Among the teaching methods, the homework help is a special offer for quick help in difficult learning situations. With this you can get help spontaneously with a problem that z. B. occurs unexpectedly while studying for the next math work. Such offers can be used once or twice and are particularly suitable for children who otherwise have no learning difficulties and only occasionally need support with certain topics. Sometimes, instead of traditional tutoring, targeted support can also be useful.
Regardless of whether it is personal or digital: it is important that teachers and students understand each other. In addition to an efficient teaching method, it is important that the child feels comfortable so that the tutoring achieves the desired effect.
