By Manpreet Kaur 

There are times when individual students find themselves academically underperforming or falling short of their expectations in terms of grades. It is important to acknowledge that if a student is underperforming academically, there might still be other aspects he or she is good at but it is the school and the student’s duty to work together and bridge that gap.

Here are some techniques that can improve grades:

1. Decide your objective –
The first step is to decide on a goal for the student – every student has a different learning curve so goals should be realistic for the student to achieve. An unrealistic goal will demotivate the student in case the student fails to achieve the goal. The goals that you set should be aimed at gradual growth and not overnight success.

 2. Analyzing what the student might be doing wrong –  
It is important to not generalize students into being ‘good’ or ‘bad’ at certain subjects. Usually, there is an underlying reason why a student is underperforming in that particular subject. Try to analyze what concepts are not clear to the student and design a performance improvement curriculum to fix the root cause of the problem instead of re-instating the problem again and again.

3. Communication between teachers, students, and parents –
The students, their parents, and their teachers should be transparent and open to feedback from each other with the aim of improving the performance of the students. A school that does not provide an environment where teachers and students can communicate more effectively with each other will struggle to lift the performance of underperforming students.

4. Understand what motivates each student
Every student has different motivational triggers and incentivizing students with the right triggers can motivate them to go the extra mile. Eventually, the students will master the subject and they will not need any further incentives to learn the subject.

5. Smaller Group studies –
Smaller group studies help us to clear our doubts and allow for a  discussion on a lot of things that facilitate learning. For example, rather than just quizzing a student with flashcards, studying in a group allows the teacher to ask questions of another student and to explain concepts to a peer, which will really test whether the student has understood the material or not.

6. The use of examples, visual cues, and creative assets like videos/images
Students tend to retain better when they learn through examples, pictures, videos, and other interactive resources. The best schools in Gurgaon incorporate various learning techniques like gamification, outdoor learning, etc. to help their students enhance their skills.

For teachers, it is imperative to build a culture of academic growth through continuous learning without pressurizing the students at a young age. Try to understand their strengths, and work on their weaknesses.

For students, it is important to try incorporating one change at a time and they would definitely achieve success not only in school but throughout their academic and professional careers.

Some of the top 10 schools in Gurgaon ensure that all students are well-schooled and mentored to acquire good grades and a confident personality to succeed in the future.