10 Ways to Help A Child Survive Academic Failure

At the end of every academic session, immediately after the promotional examinations, it is common for schools to organize graduation party and award ceremony to recognize students achievements.

And, this is the season when some parents becomes very excited and eager to flaunt the achievements of their brilliant children. You'll find hundreds of pictures of these children almost everywhere from facebook profile picture to instagram, to WhatsApp, BBM, and so on. Parents wants to show off their kids receiving awards and tell the world how much they've made mum and dad proud. Infact, some parents will go to the extent of sharing the testimonies in Church.

However, we have another set of parents who won't have any picture to show nor a reason to celebrate their kids. Reason? Their children didn't win any award. The child didn’t receive any accolades or recognition simply because he/she is an average student or sadly one of the pupils who would have to repeat class.

[Photo credit: EAphotoMedia]

Interestingly, there are more parents in this category. If you happen to be in the first category, congratulations! Remember to celebrate with moderation and thank God for his mercies. Then, it is very important you partner with your child to improve his/her performance or at least maintain it. On the other hand, if your child didn’t win any award and/or is mandated to repeat a class, I have a couple of ideas to share:

1.] Be Objective.
Note that this is the result for a session and not for a life time. It's a one year dash in the race of life. It's not a life time assessment. So, don't take the issue too serious than you should.

2.] Observe and Analyze.
A Students’ report card is a report of several activities. Most report cards focuses on two major area of performance namely, academics and skills/character. Don't focus only on the academics. The section on character and others are equally important. Take time to read the teacher's comments and recommendations. If you child has a major achievement in other areas aside academics, don't hesitate to celebrate him/her.

3.] Listen To Your Child.
Talk with the child. Ask what he or she thinks about the result. Thereafter seek joint problem-solving opportunities to improve the result. Remember to compose yourself very well before the discussion. As you discuss with your child, remember to watch out for what’s said and what’s not said.

4.] Get Teacher's Feedback.
Talk with the class/subject teacher(s). Get his/her views on the issue. Know his/her perspective on the child’s performance. Seek counsel on what to do to improve your child's overall academic performance.

5.] Get Your Facts Right.
Even till now, there's no conclusive research evidence on the benefit of children repeating a class. Therefore, if your child was asked to repeat a class, investigate that decision and ask the right questions. Will the child improve if he repeats the class? What support does the school have to manage his emotions or ego if he has to repeat? What support can you give as a parent?

6.] Develop An Action Plan.
Study the report card and determine what corrective actions to take. Remember it’s not YOUR Plan so ensure the child is involved in the development of the plan. Don’t rush him/her to develop the plan. Take it gradually. The plan should answer the basic question: What you intend to do to improve? Please ensure YOU (the parent) aren't the one doing everything. The child has a critical role to play. Remember the plan will include, what he needs to stop doing, what he needs to start doing, what he needs to reduce and what he needs to increase. As a parent, have it at the back of your mind that you also have roles to perform. You may consider teaching the child yourself during the holiday, getting a lesson teacher or even changing the school (if need be).

7.] Don't Overreact.
Manage your emotional state. Don't compare the child with others. Don't make his poor academic performance the subject of abuse or feedback. If at all you have to, be very careful what benefits or privileges you deny him of. How you handle this is very important. It can end up being a motivating or demotivating factor for your child.

8.] Be Hopeful and Inspire Hope.
Understand that every child deserves a second chance, and your child is not an exception. As parents, you're not permitted to give up on your child. You must be hopeful for a better future and give the child hope as well.

9.] Get To Work.
A good plan is not good enough until you act on it and achieve results. Start implementing the plans you've drawn out without further delay. You don’t have to wait until the end of the holiday before putting your plans to work. Start now! Keep track of your progress at interval (i.e. daily, weekly or monthly depending on what suits you).

10. Be Patient.
Don't expect sudden change. Progress requires time and consistency. If the change you expect don't come in one or two weeks, please don't be discouraged. Be supportive, be patient and treat your child like a GEM. Though it may seem slow, be assured he will blossom and at his own time. Sooner or later, you'll be amazed by how much your child has improved.

Written by:
Prof. Yomi Fawehinmi

[NOTE: The content of the above article has been re-edited, given new title and subheadings by Ebenezer O. Akinrinade. The name of the original author however remains intact as well as the source].

Article Source:
Child World Connect

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Will Ayodele's Story Trend The World Like Jumoke?

There is a long standing popular assertion among the elite and older folks that the present generation of young Nigerians are lazy readers with no zest for book knowledge. Hence the reason for high rate of unemployment, terrorism and other social vices. But in the midst of all these negative characterization of the average youth, a graduating student from the Department of Psychology, Daniel Ayodele Dada, has proven to be a different crop of young Nigerian as he recently sets a new academic record as the first person ever to graduate with 5.0 CGPA from UNILAG. An historic and record breaking feat which has never being witnessed before since the establishment of the prestigeous university.

So many congratulatory messages has been going around the social media space in celebration of our newly discovered genius Ayodele for his academic achievement. More so, few questions have also being raised by concerned individuals on social media if it would ever be possible for Ayodele to have his story featured on CNN or at least trend across the world like that of Jumoke Orisaguna, the bread seller who turned a super model after being discovered by Ty Bello during a street photoshoot?

Because, unlike those in the entertainment industry who from time to time get endorsement deals, media attention and all the paparazzi, it seem Nigeria hardly recognizes or celebrates her own geniuses in the academic settings which of course is one of the reasons why an average kid would rather look up to Olamide YBNL as a role model than aspire to be like Professor Wole Soyinka. I so strongly believe that Ayodele's story will set a new standard for the average Nigerian child and youth, if the same banks, corporate brands and media giants who lavished attention and sponsorship on Olajumoke Orisaguna would extend equal generousity towards Ayodele by pushing him into the limelight so that many uninspired students can take a cue from him and ultimately aspire to be like him--breaking new records.

Daniel Ayodele Dada (image credit: UNILAG Student Portal)

Doing this is very vital especially in a country like Nigeria where there are reportedly over 10million out-of-school children. Projecting Ayodele's story to all and sundry will help build up the much needed motivation amongst young people.

Daniel Ayodele Dada

As an advocate of the Sustainable Development Goal 4, I am using this platform to join my voice in sync with millions of other vital voices to make a clarion call to the Nigerian government, corporate bodies, media houses, international organizations and civil societies to scale up the investment (and efforts) in bringing illiteracy down to zero level in Nigeria.

Many fingers are crossed to observe carefully what the coming days holds for the genius, Daniel Ayodele Dada. As someone said, "Will Nigeria raise more hawkers than scholars?"
I 'hopefully hope' that the question gets the right response.

Written by:

Ebenezer O. Akinrinade
[Photographer| Writer| Social Worker]
Tweet me @gent2smile OR @EbenAkinrinade

Psychologist: Giving Your Kids iPad is a Child Abuse

Steve Jobs didn’t let his kids use an iPad at home for fear that they would become technology addicts.

According to a leading child psychologist it’s a whole lot more serious than that, however— giving very young children an iPad to play with may be “tantamount to child abuse.”

Describing it as “playing Russian roulette with their development,” Dr. Richard House (sadly not played by Hugh Laurie) argues that that the electronic images seen on an iPad screen can result in children having “an indirect and distorted experience of the world.”

“To confuse children when they have hardly begun to get a handle on this world, by introducing them to virtual, techno-magical worlds, is surely an absurd reversal of the natural order of things,” he continued.

“If this is the case with adults, how much more is it relevant to young children whose brains are still at very early stages of development. It seems that the arrogance of modern technology (together with ruthless commercialism) knows no bounds. On the basis of what I’ve argued here, giving iPads to babies is tantamount to child abuse.”

Personally speaking, it’s a fascinating debate— but one I’d like to see some more empirical research for. It’s also more than a bit annoying to see iPads singled-out as if they were the only tablets on the market, even if this does demonstrate how ubiquitous Apple’s device has become.
Dr. House is far from the only person to talk about the effect of tablets on children, or to single out Apple products. Members of the UK’s Association of Teachers and Lecturers have previously claimed that addiction to iPad and iPhones mean that kids aged between 3 and 4 have no problem swiping a screen, but have trouble understanding real space, and possess “little or no” dexterity in their fingers.

In late 2013, the toy manufacturer Fisher-Price came under fire for selling a newborn-to-toddler “apptivity” baby seat , which came with an in-built iPad holder.

Among older children, overexposure to these kinds of technologies have supposedly “eroded” children’s memories to the point that they are unable to complete traditional pen and paper exams.

I have no doubt whatsoever that parents should rely on more than just iPads to entertain their children (see: human contact), but blaming “techno-magical worlds” for reversing “the natural order of things” sounds a bit too much like blaming real-world violence on video games or comic books for my money.

Do you allow your kids use tablets, smartphones and the like? Share your opinion in the comments box below.

Sources:
* TheSun

* Cult of MAC

A Famous 15-year-old Blind Inventor

When inventors are mentioned, most of us have a picture in our mind of an absent-minded professor, with grey hair sticking up all over the place, and thick spectacles, sliding down their nose. However, there's no age limit on having great, original ideas, and some of the inventions we take for granted these days are around because of the foresight and knowledge of teenagers barely out of school. Here is a story of a famous teenage inventor, Louis Braille (1809 - 1852)

Braille became blind at the age of 3, following an accident in his father's workshop. He was educated at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris. When he was 12, a former soldier called Charles Barbier introduced the students to his invention - night writing - a system of 12 raised dots which allowed soldiers to transmit confidential information without speaking.

Braille improved on Barbier's invention, and by the age of 15 had perfected the Braille system which is still used as a universal reading method for the blind today. He published the first Braille book in 1829.

Article Source: Sciences360

GROW Yourself Ahead Of The Future (by Olusola Amusan)

A reliable research revealed that there are over 50 exabytes of new information transferred over the internet annually, and 3,000 new books published everyday. The window for learning is widening daily.

Things have changed, Students must learn new skills to take up jobs that have not being created, using technologies that have not being invented, in order to solve problems we have not yet recognized.

We must collaborate effectively, adapt in entirely new ways, apply innovative learning means. We need to fit in today's world, we need to rethink, we need to GROW!

Olusola Amusan
Growth Consultant
BB Pin: 7E45E888
Twitter: @olusolamusan

INVENT 2013 - Leadership Summit

Elderberry Integrated Resources Limited has unveiled this year’s edition of the annual I.N.V.E.N.T Leadership Summit and Mentorship Programme.

I.N.V.E.N.T is anacronym for Inspiring Nigeria’s Vanguard of Exceptionally Noble Talents.

The event will bring together high level professionals as facilitators and mentors; pupils from more than thirty (30) public and private schools across Lagos State; as well as teachers, school counselors and parents of participants.

All student participants will be paired with a mentor under a monitored process for a three (3) month period.  The overarching focus of the event is to set in motion the wheel for grooming the next generation of Nigeria’s visionary leaders.

Details of Event
Date: Friday, 31st of May, 2013
Venue: De-Hall Event Centre, 131, ObafemiAwolowo Way, Ikeja Lagos
Time: 11am - 2pm.

For participation & sponsorship, contact:

Olatunbosun Lasisi
(PR / Media Executive)
08024273381
info@elderberryworld.com
www.elderberryworld.com

Youth Leadership Training 2013

The Youth Leadership Training 2013 is a capacity building conference organized by Life Care Outreach (LICO) for Youth Leaders and Secondary School Prefects in Aba, Abia State.

Theme: "Raising Youth Leaders with Difference"

Date: Friday, 24th May, 2013

Venue: Nwaniegbo Complex, CKC Bus-stop, Aba, Abia State, Nigeria.

Facilitators:
Kingsley Bangwell, Sam Nduka, Ebenezer Kalu, Richie Felix, Ruth-Oyediya Kalu, Ebenezer Akinrinade and others.

Special Feature:
The participants will be watching the advocacy video, "Project 15 Video" produced by ARLFoundation

Program partners:
Youngstars Foundation, CLEEN Foundation and African Resourceful Leaders Foundation.