«I'm here if you have a question»
Annyett: «It wasn't easy for Aline to start learning at school. Also because I had had completely different experiences with her brother. Rafael learns in a similar way to me, so I was able to learn with him as if I had to learn something myself. If Rafael had a week to learn fifteen words, he managed it by repeating them over and over again. That didn't work for Aline. She learns better in chunks, practising five words on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, for example. Rafael now organises his learning completely on his own. If he needs help with maths, he books a few extra lessons with the neighbours' son and I only find out about it when I have to transfer the money.»
Aline: «Sport, German, English, NMG - I always look forward to them. I generally enjoy school, but I find learning easier in some subjects than in others. For example, I like English much better than French.»
Annyett: «Aline and I just didn't find each other when we were learning. I had my ideas about how she should approach it, she couldn't understand my ideas - which didn't work for her. It was quite a fight, we often got into each other's hair. I then decided that things couldn't go on like this. I wanted to change something to make learning easier for Aline. Intrinsic motivation was and is very important to me. She has realised that very different factors can play a role here. Whether a teacher enjoys the material itself and teaching it, for example, or which materials are used.»
Aline: «I don't have a fixed place to study. I like to do my homework at the desk in my room or at the dining table. I usually make sure that Annyett is nearby so that I can ask her if I don't understand something. Sometimes we also sit together at the dining table, Mummy works and I study. That's really nice.»
Easier learning - that's how we do it
Read more articles from the Good Learning dossier and the other two stories here.
- «She likes going to school - that helps a lot with learning»
- «Full, relaxed and not too tired - that's the best way to learn»
Annyett: «I try to motivate my children to think for themselves and work things out for themselves, so I'm very reluctant to interfere. At the same time, I signalise: I'm there if you need help, you just have to tell me what you want me to help with. Aline could achieve more with a little more effort. But I try to accept that. I succeed because Aline is still doing well at school. I like to work with rewards to create additional learning incentives. Rafael and Aline have a certain amount of daily media time. If they are particularly motivated to practise something over and above their schoolwork, such as learning vocabulary, they can earn a few extra minutes. Sometimes that works well and sometimes not at all.»
