<p>My S18 attends a school with few assessments and, therefore, very little feedback. His standardized test scores "exceed the standard", which really means nothing when his occasional middle school test yielded mediocre results. He's headed into HS in the fall and while I was hoping his 2 older, academically successful and industrious sibs would offer an instructive view of things, I'm coming to realize that his study skills are woefully inadequate. Any ideas, books, pointers? He lacks organizational skills and, quite frankly, learning endurance. Only positives: likes to read and is actually interested in learning. Biggest challenge: feels he's worked "very hard" on a task when he's accomplished very little (that's the endurance piece). ANY thoughts, opinions, books suggestions re:study skills welcome!</p>
<p>Honestly, in my opinion, I think he’ll just have to learn for himself in high school next year. Lots of kids like him, who are smart and curious, but lazy, sort of “get their crap together” around that time anyways (like me). My parent didn’t try to raise me to have a better work ethic, but if he had, it wouldn’t have worked.</p>
<p>But, you’re probably not the kind of person to just let someone learn for themselves if they resist, so I’d recommend having his older siblings casually talk to him about it. Someone he might listen to and won’t come across as pushy. Better yet, recommend that he takes a look on this forum. That’s part of what motivated me; realizing the competition. I bet he’s smart enough to figure out the “how” (organizational and study skills) himself; he just needs a reason. </p>
<p>A lot of middle schoolers going into high school have terrible study skills, honestly. Once you get thrown into high school, most kids are going to figure out what it takes to remain academically competitive. I agree with the above poster, I really would just let him figure things out for himself. Make sure he’s aiming high, and once he realizes that he does need to work hard for his goal, hopefully he’ll be willing to put in the effort. Setting up some rewards, ie, letting him go out with friends every weekend if he studies a certain amount or does well on certain tests, might also be good if you want to stay more involved. </p>