How to get the best out of StudyChamp

“Research has shown that pre-testing improves post-test results more than spending the same amount of time studying.” (Richland, Kornell and Kao)

Children’s emotional state and mental stability have a profound impact on their ability to do well in any given test. If children are in high-stress environments, it disrupts their brains’ ability to learn and to retrieve information.

StudyChamp provides resources that will not only help your child prepare for tests and exams, but will also reduce stress in assessment situations. 

With so many resources available to choose from, it is important to use these resources in such a way that your child benefits from it. Below a few frequently asked questions:

1.     Should my child complete the test or worksheet in one sitting?

This depends on the length of the test and your child’s age. Generally, kids in Grades 4 to 6 cannot actively concentrate for longer than 40 minutes. If necessary, use two sessions to complete the test or worksheet. 

2.     The worksheets have many questions per concept, should my child complete all the questions?

Worksheets cover a specific concept, especially in Maths. If your child is confident with a specific concept, he or she definitely doesn’t have to complete all the questions. Rather move on to a concept he or she doesn’t feel confident with.

3.     What about the “application of knowledge” and “problem solving” questions? My child complains that these are too hard.

These questions are meant to be hard! Not all children will be able to answer these questions without help. This is where you should use the memo. Sometimes it is more beneficial to orally discuss the questions with your child and use the memo to guide their thinking. With practice, your child will gain confidence and become more adept at answering these questions in tests.

4.     Should my child study from the summaries available?

This is a personal preference. StudyChamp summaries can be used as a guideline to help your child make their own summaries. It is also a useful tool as final revision before writing a test. Remember that our summaries usually include a little more information on a topic than is generally given in the textbooks.

5.     I don’t have a printer. How can I use the study resources?

You can access and download the resources on any device (smart phone, tablet, computer). Your child can read the questions on the device and answer on scrap paper.

Sources:

Richland, L.E., Kornell, N., & Kao, S.L. (2009). The pretesting effect: Do unsuccessful retrieval 

attempts enhance learning? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 15(3), 243-257