The Solution

Strengthening Learning Skills Improves Success and Motivation

The Solution is simple.  Building key skills can help children achieve and succeed.  When we help children to build the core skills they need to be successful we avoid the negative interaction trap and ignite motivation.  There is no motivation like success.  These children often do not know how to be successful.  Many people believe that academic achievement is based solely on a child’s motivation or intrinsic intellgence.  Motivation, however, is only part of the issue; improving the skills they need to be successful is both critical and motivating.

The Critical Issue of Weak Learning Skills

Many children have difficulties in knowing how to learn.  They get distracted and do not know how to get back to the task at hand.  They may be disorganized and do not know how to keep track of their assignments and what they need to do.  Their minds may wander when they are reading and they often do not know how to read for comprehension.  They may focus on small inconsequential things and miss what is most important in what they are seeing, hearing, reading or learning.  They get frustrated when they are trying to learn something new and do not know how to calm themselves down and overcome the anxiety of feeling dumb.  They get nervous when taking a test and do not know how to relax in order to concentrate better.  Their mind wanders when they have to memorize things and they often do not know how to use effective memorization techniques.  This list goes on and on. 

Learning How to Learn is Key

Many children need to learn and use specific strategies in order to improve their capacity to learn and succeed.  Schools do not always teach students how to learn.  Schools often teach students what to learn and hope that this will lead to students learning how to learn.  This strategy works for many students.  This strategy, however, often does not work well for all students.  Many children need help in learning how to learn. 

Fix the Foundation in Order to Fix the House

The Cracked Foundation / Missing Link Theory (Dr. Rodger Goddard, 2008) holds that most students who have difficulties in school have only a few critical weaknesses in key learning skill areas.  Some children have difficulties with verbal understanding, reading comrehension, memorization, ordering, focus, emotion control, frustration, persistence, organization, sequencing, recall, test taking, study strategy, listening, writing, time management and/or other specific learning skills essential for success.  When we are able to identify and fix the most important ‘cracks’ in a child’s foundation for learning, we can help a child overcome the key things that have been holding him or her back.  Parents and teachers can help children to build and strengthen their core learning skills.

The Importance of Memorization Skill

A good example of a critical skill that may be weak is that of memorization skill.  Memorization skills are one of the most important ingredients of school success.  Children who do good on tests and have good grades often have very good memorization skills.  These children are not necessarily more intelligent.  Memorization skills can be taught and learned.  When children are given instruction and methods to improve their memorization skills, they can do much better on tests and quizzes. 

The Critical Issue of Motivation

A successful child may be motivated from being praised and getting a sense of reward once a week, once a day or even once an hour.  Children who struggle in school may only get a sense of reward and praise once a week, once a month or as little as once a year.  We too would be under motivated and give up if our work and efforts most often lead to frustration and little reward.  In order to experience success children need help in learning how to learn and how to be successful. 

The Right Approach Can Do Wonders

Many children lose their motivation to learn because they often secretly believe that they are dumb.  Embarrassment and humiliation have been found to be more feared than death.  Children may use the strategy of getting into trouble or not caring in order to hide their embarrassment and fear that others will see that they are stupid. 

Building Critical Skills 10 Minutes a Day Step By Step

The Goal Focused Child Program provides children and parents with a step by step 10 minute a day method for improving the most important learning and study skills.    

The Importance of Skill Building

Children today need help in building critical learning, commmunication, motivation, self discipline and academic skills.  The Goals Focused Child Program helps chldren and adolescents to build the most important skills they need to help them succeed in school and in life. 

For more information call or e-mail Dr. Rodger Goddard at

(973) 763-0991 or drrgoddard@msn.com

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copyright, 2009 Rodger Goddard, Ph.D.