This time of year, for many students, means final exams.
I remember the first time I heard about final exams. I guess I was in high school. I was incredulous. They really expected to test us on everything from the whole semester?
I had trouble cramming for the regular tests; how was I ever going to be ready for these???
One way that has worked for my son (and a few hundred firefighters I helped through the academy) is to incorporate movement.
Lots of ADD Students are kinesthetic learners; they learn best when it’s hands on or there is some sort of body movement going on. (Note: if you want to find out what learning style you have, take my simple quiz, here. And by the way, some of the questions were required by the site I used; no one is collecting any of the information on the quiz.)
For my son Andy, who liked to practice his slap shots in the basement, I would write key words or concepts in big letters on pieces of paper and post them around his “net”.
For the firefighters, who had to run laps everyday, I posted them around the academy on the walls.
While most ADD Students are not good at auditory learning, you might try having them make a recording of what they need to study and then listen to it while they do some sort of physical activity that they enjoy.
Wouldn’t it be great if they could make a Wii game out of homework?
Other things to try including having them just pace around the room while they study, or just putting the books and the notebooks a few feet away from each other.
One smart girl that I used to work with made up songs about things she needed to remember. Add a few dance steps and you’ve got a winning homework strategy.
Studying on a treadmill, a stationary bike, or even quizzing them while you toss a ball back and forth can all be effective study aids.
How can you incorporate movement into homework?