18 questions about school and learning

When does early school enrolment make sense?

For a gifted child who is bored in kindergarten and therefore shows little interest in lessons, starting school early can be a positive thing. Such children may find it difficult to sit still or follow standardised routines, but they are strong in other areas. Schools should accept the individuality of the child and act accordingly. Three to four years ago, the trend was clearly in the direction of «the earlier a child goes to school, the better». Now a countermovement is emerging. Disappointments at the beginning of a child's school career can be negative, especially for children who start school early. After all, children who receive poor grades early on lose their self-confidence and interest in school and the school curriculum more quickly. I recommend that parents ask themselves the following two questions. Firstly: What does my child want and does he or she feel ready? Secondly, how well can the teachers deal with my child's individual needs?
Margrit Stamm, educational scientist
(A longer text on the topic: When is a child ready for kindergarten? By Margrit Stamm)

How does a child learn to learn?

All children need to learn, but not all children need to learn in the same way. Even at an early age, there are different types of learners: One pupil may remember words just by reading them, another may have to look at them again and again, another may learn best when speaking or being quizzed by another person. It can be helpful to find out the preferred way of learning and to rely on it, especially in difficult situations. In principle, however, there is no such thing as a pure learning type. The more sensory and activity channels are addressed, the more effective learning will be.

Lutz Jäncke, Professor of Neuropsychology, University of Zurich

How can parents positively influence their child's success at school?
have a positive influence?

Whether a child is successful depends on many factors: on the characteristics that the child itself brings with it, on the environment that we provide and on role models. Child development itself cannot be accelerated. Instead, it is important to recognise what a child can cope with and in which situations it is overwhelmed and needs support. Society assumes an outdated model of development that says that the child can be controlled from the outside. However, development is an extremely complex process that is controlled by the child in close interaction with the environment. Development is a mixture of what the child brings to the table and what the environment provides. There are many studies that show that parental influence on a successful school career is rather small.
Oskar Jenni, titular professor, paediatrician and head of the Department of Developmental Paediatrics at the Children's Hospital Zurich

How does learning succeed?

The basic principle is that learning must have a positive connotation. Learning success and motivation are mutually dependent and at some point lead to an upward spiral. A pleasant learning environment, motivating support from parents, teachers or friends with plenty of praise and constructive criticism, as well as breaks and rewards are all helpful. Things that are learnt under duress and pressure are not remembered. A good, respectful and understanding relationship with parents and teachers is more than half the battle.
Lutz Jäncke, neuropsychologist

How should a child prepare for exams?

The material should be seen and read (aloud!), heard and preferably also put into a context of action and meaning by making your own notes or - even better - reciting and explaining it to others. In other words, you should not just read the vocabulary over and over again, but say it out loud to yourself. Also important: learning requires repetition . Without constant practice, even content that you have already memorised will disappear from your memory. What is in your short-term memory must be repeated on average four times until it is memorised. The intervals should become longer and longer - i.e. initially repeat daily, then every two to three days. Pupils should also not endlessly plough through one and the same subject area, but alternate between them. Shorter learning units and more frequent ones make more sense.
Lutz Jäncke, neuropsychologist
(More on the topic by Lutz Jäncke: How do children learn? Is memorisation important? And what are the real benefits of (early) support?)

How much should parents support their child with homework?

Some parents help the child to finish faster. But this doesn't teach them to stick with something. Other parents help in order to make a good impression on the teacher. However, the teacher then doesn't know what the child has actually understood. It makes more sense to talk to the teacher if problems persist. Under no circumstances should parents sit next to the child the whole time. This gives the child the feeling: «I can't do it alone.» If the child is not yet able to do the homework independently, parents can ask what homework is due and the child can decide where to start. Parents can of course offer help with specific questions. However, the initiative must come from the child. Many children like to do their homework where their mum, dad or siblings are. This is often the kitchen or living room table.
Liselotte Braun, STEP course leader

Should children be rewarded with money for good grades?

Handing out money for good grades is nonsense . Because by only rewarding what is measurable - in this case good grades - parents are setting the wrong incentives. The child learns that a grade is worth the effort. There is no money for other achievements, such as helping classmates with their homework. The child therefore automatically categorises helping with homework as less important. In addition, gifts of money quickly lose their effect. This is because the reward only works if the parents keep giving out money. If they stop, the effect fizzles out. The child thinks: Now it's no longer worth it. The problem is that they don't learn with money because they are really interested, but only for the reward. And yet the joy of the subject matter itself should be awakened.
Etienne Bütikofer, Head of the Office for Educational Issues and headteacher in Kernenried BE

«Handing out money for good grades is nonsense. Parents are setting the wrong incentives.»

Etienne Bütikofer, Head of the Education Office

I don't like my child's teacher. What should I do?

Children are very sensitive to their parents' emotions. If they sense fear or dislike of kindergarten or school on the part of their mother and/or father, it can be much more difficult for them to engage with the teacher, but also with the other children and what the school has to offer. If parents and teachers have a trusting relationship, communication is more open and solutions can be found more quickly and easily in the event of difficulties. If the educational ideas of parents and teachers differ, the question should first be asked: Who has the problem? It is helpful to put your own sensitivities aside and say to yourself: The teacher is doing things differently, but not worse, and my child can cope with it. A teacher cannot take into account the educational ideas of 20 parents. He or she is also responsible for a large group of children and has to ensure orderly processes within this framework. You realise that this is not easy when you are in charge of a children's birthday party. You quickly break out in a sweat and probably insist that certain rules are followed. Sometimes it's good to realise that.
Fabian Grolimund and Stefanie Rietzler, psychologists and learning coaches
(Read more: Four questions about loyalty conflicts between parents, child and teacher. Interview with Stefanie Rietzler and Fabian Grolimund)

Do public schools provide better support?

You can't say that. Public schools simply do the same thing a little differently. They attract pupils with small classes and individualised support, a comprehensive daily structure and often bilingualism. They can also reject children. Public schools can't do that.
Carl Bossard, grammar school teacher

How much should parents support their child in the transition to secondary school?

Let me ask you the counter-question: Does every child belong at grammar school? No. Not every child has to go to grammar school, because not every child is suitable for grammar school. Around 30 per cent of the grammar school pupils we have tested do not have the necessary intelligence. The Swiss school-leaving certificate quota stipulates that no more than 20 per cent of all children should go to grammar school - which would be the most intelligent 20 per cent of each age group. If we orientate ourselves on them, the minimum IQ for grammar school should be 112 points. However, our studies show that up to 45 per cent of Swiss grammar school pupils do not have this IQ. This means that children from well-off families who can afford expensive exam preparation and extra tuition make it into long-term grammar school, but do not necessarily belong there in terms of intelligence. However, there are also intelligent children in socially disadvantaged families - but they stand alone without the necessary support. Their potential should be utilised more.
Elsbeth Stern, Professor of Empirical Teaching and Learning Research at ETH Zurich

What makes a good teacher?

Good teachers set clear goals, trust the children to achieve these goals and support them favourably. They create structured learning environments, plan phases of deliberate practice, give feedback that promotes learning and build an intensive teacher-student relationship.

Carl Bossard, secondary school teacher

How important is intrinsic motivation for learning?

The distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic is too simple for me. Of course we need inner motivation. Equally important, however, are (teaching) staff who formulate expectations - and thus create certainty of expectations -, who trust us with the task and support us and give us feedback.
Carl Bossard, secondary school teacher

What can parents do if their child is being bullied?

Children spend half of their time at school. Whether they feel comfortable and accepted in the classroom is largely determined by how they feel and what value they ascribe to themselves as people. Clichés and recipes such as «Let them talk!» don't work with children. The need to belong is part of our existence. A child cannot simply stifle this with superficial slogans. As bullying is agroup phenomenon, it should also be resolved within the group. The school is therefore the point of contact. Your child's teachers, the school management, the school social worker, the school psychologist and the school administration can support you. Prepare the conversation well. Describe what you want from the school and ask what the school will do. Have the first discussion without your child. Involve other people if the situation does not improve.
Fabian Grolimund, psychologist, author and parent coach
(You can also read our comprehensive online dossier on bullying)

«Children spend half of their
time at school. Whether they feel comfortable in class largely determines how they feel.»

Fabian Grolimund, parent coach

My child is tired of school. What can we do?

Symptoms of school fatigue become apparent from the age of around eight at the latest. In primary school, fears of and in school play a greater role than in adolescence, when school fatigue is particularly common as a lack of interest in school. School fatigue means not really being present, going into inner emigration during lessons. School fatigue and, as a result, disenchantment with school are always dependent on the teachers and the subject. There are many reasons for this: stress, pressure and depression as well as the fear of not being able to cope with the pressure to perform. But stress in the family, a poor classroom climate and bullying can also be causes. Parents should react as quickly as possible and not exacerbate their child's disaffection with school, especially if they secretly think school is stupid, don't like the teacher or think the lessons themselves are boring. Parents should also try to understand the child's motive or motives. Children who are tired of school need help. In principle, they are also looking for the role of pupil, want to belong to the class and feel accepted and recognised by the teacher. Parents should therefore seek dialogue with their child's teacher.
Karlheinz Thimm, social pedagogue and professor of social work at the Protestant University of Applied Sciences Berlin, specialising in child and youth welfare and methods in social work

What do I do if my child skips school?

First and foremost: stay calm, but don't leave the child alone. And keep in mind that 98 per cent of teenagers don't have any major problems during puberty. And don't forget that in addition to rules, teenagers also need praise and affection as well as genuine interest. Common rituals in the family (being together, having dinner together, playing sports, film and game nights) are important. But arguments are also part of it. Young people have a right to argue and to make wrong decisions. If parents still don't know what to do, the parents' helpline, Pro Juventute, school social workers and youth workers can help.
Margrit Stamm, educationalist

How do I explain to my child that good grades and a good school-leaving certificate are important?

Don't say: «You're learning for life.» There is a great risk that the child will then ask «for yours or mine?». If you don't have a qualification in your pocket after compulsory schooling, you have a problem. Without a valid school-leaving certificate, it is difficult or even impossible to find an apprenticeship. And without an apprenticeship, it will be difficult in the professional world in the long term. And grades are important because good grades get you further in life. If the child only gets Bs, even the best education is useless. However, it is important how you talk about it and what is the right measure for the child. How much can they achieve? And when have their possibilities been exhausted? The goal must be to get through and finish school - not to write all sixes.
Philipp Ramming, child and adolescent psychologist

What can parents do if their child is underperforming at school?

Difficult situations are part of human maturity. We all experience this. Crises are often also turning points in a person's life. In the case of schoolchildren in an emergency situation at school, it is important that parents stand by their child's side as level-headed «advocates» without looking for external culprits. A joint analysis of the reasons, weighing up the measures and one or two clever countermeasures such as quiet and concentrated learning or a temporary reduction in leisure activities can help. It hardly works with pressure. Every tunnel has an exit, and at the end the light always shines again.
Carl Bossard, secondary school teacher

Can school performance really be measured with grades?

Teachers have many tasks to master, including contradictory and conflicting ones such as individualising and socialising, showing empathy and confronting at the same time. They have to distinguish between parental demands and children's potential. This is their demanding everyday life and task. These contradictory tasks include the pedagogical and the sociological. The school must support children in their development and educate them - and at the same time it must also select them. The start should be as equal as possible for everyone, but the paths and results are not. Decisions are based on learning performance and specific knowledge and skills. Napoleon enthused to his soldiers that every private carried the marshal's baton in his knapsack. Only performance counted, he proclaimed. Neither origin nor money would count, neither denomination nor party affiliation. That should still apply today. Learning achievement is therefore the only socially neutral criterion and thus the democratic yardstick. And how is learning achievement measured? With words? With grades? That is a matter of debate. We know one thing: Words are often more open to interpretation than bare figures. And we know something else: Every system is as good as the people in charge of it. This also applies to grades.
Carl Bossard, secondary school teacher

100 questions and answers on education, family and school

Read more questions and answers from our big dossier here.

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• 19 Fragen zum Thema Elternsein und Paarleben
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Eine Einzelausgabe mit allen 100 Fragen und Antworten gesammelt können Sie hier bestellen.