Why Consistency is Key at School – and How to Help a Struggling Child

The past couple of years have been incredibly difficult for our kids – especially the inconsistency with their education. They’ve endured two years of going in and out of lockdowns, distance learning that is spotty at best, and at home learning that really doesn’t feel like they’re learning much of anything.  

We’ve had parents come to us asking, “Can you help my struggling child?” And the answer is yes! If your child needs help getting back into the swing of things at school, A Team Tuition’s highly trained team of tutors are ready to assist. 

Why is consistency so important to a child’s education?

Consistency is vital to a child’s learning – consistency in the way concepts are presented to them, in the way teachers respond to behaviour, and in the way students are rewarded for both academic successes and behavioural successes. This doesn’t mean that there isn’t flexibility in adapting teaching methods to the various ways individual children learn, but rather consistency in providing controlled spaces and controlled planning to help with children’s learning. When a child clearly understands their routines and expectations, they feel confident in their ability to succeed. The more consistent teachers can be, the less intervention is needed and the more successful the child will be in their academic career.  

What has been the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our children’s education?

Since 2020, the year the pandemic began, there have been several studies conducted on how the upheaval caused by the closures of schools and various lockdowns have affected students and how strategies could be put in place to mitigate any future interruptions. It’s still too early to gauge the precise effects. However, it’s likely that for many students, the impact will be wide-reaching and long-lasting.  

According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, by November 2020, the average student had lost about 54% of a year’s contact time with their teachers. Researchers determined that time lost could be converted into a fraction of a year of learning lost. Evidence obtained from before and after the pandemic has suggested that interruptions in contact with teachers leads to learning losses larger than the time lost.  

Researchers are also discovering that learners are forgetting skills they acquired even before the pandemic shut everything down. So, a ‘forgetting ratio’ of 2.0 was used. This means that for every month of contact lost, 2 months of learning is lost. So, if 54% of a school year has been lost, then just over a year’s learning will have been lost.  

The effects on children in the long term could be devastating to their futures. This doesn’t even take into account the lack of social activity and human interaction that was lost as a result of the school closures, at such crucial points in a child’s development.  

How can we help if our children are struggling?

If your child is struggling, there is something you can do to help. A Team Tuition can introduce your child to a tutor who will help work on gaps in their knowledge or anything they might be finding difficult to grasp.  

At A team Tuition, our tutors follow a different approach – they develop a unique tutoring plan designed around your child’s needs. This personalised plan provides help in the areas your child needs most. With tutoring support, your child can get back on track. It’s simple, it’s effective, and it will help.  

To book a tutor with A Team Tuition’s friendly, knowledgeable tutors,
contact us today!