By Niko from Primary school (小学部李艺坦)

Being a good student doesn’t just meanachieving high scores on tests. It means having:

a love of learning,

a passion for knowledge

a hunger to develop and grow academically.

So what are the traits and habits thatshape a good student? The following is not an exhaustive list, however, it is avery good start and you can also download a useful poster at the bottom of thearticle.

10 CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD STUDENT

1. A GOOD STUDENT HAS A GROWTH MINDSET

A growth mindset is a deeply held beliefthat a person can learn anything given enough time and effort. Carol Dweck is aProfessor of Psychology at Stanford University. She is the world’s most recognizedstudent of the mindset trait. In her 2014 Ted talk, Dweck spoke about growthmindset in terms of, ‘The power of yet’. When your child says, “I can’t do this”, then you need to add, “Yet. I can’t do this yet”. Dweck’s research shows that even explaining this concept to a child willaffect the way they view their learning. She points to evidence that says, anunderstanding of growth mindset changes neural pathways that allow for greatergrowth in learning.

2. A GOOD STUDENT IS BRAVE

Brave kids are going to be the ones whotake risks and amass experiences. They can use those experiences powerfully intheir learning and growing. They quickly establish what they love and loatheand then they are more likely to create a life they love. They are also goingto be the students who take learning risks that lead to lateral, out of the boxthinking. The world needs that kind of thinker. Bravery is about taking ondaunting challenges; feeling the fear and doing it anyway. Bravery is not theabsence of fear. Sometimes when we talk to our kids we say, “Don’t be afraid” or “Don’t be silly, it’s going to be fine”. This implies that fear is something to be ashamed of. It isn’t.Fear is human and to be expected, but it also needs to be overcome. That won’tjust happen by magic. It comes with modeling, teaching and explaining.

3. A GOOD STUDENT IS ORGANISED

A high school student can study as many asnine different subjects with nine different teachers and nine different sets ofexpectations. It is impossible to thrive under those circumstances unless achild is highly organized. Fortunately, organization is something we can teach.We can also employ aids like diaries, planners and study schedules.

4. A GOOD STUDENT IS CONSISTENT ANDPERSISTENT

Learning happens slowly and consistently.Take for example the process we went through when we learned to read.  There were steps, from holding a book theright way up, to recognizing letters to phonetics, years of practising andfinally fluency.  It’s not actually that hard to learn to readfor neurotypical kids, but you do have to develop building blocks and commit toregular practise. It is the willingness to practise that contributes to successas a student. Consistency is becoming less common in adolescents. Some of theareas most affected by teens’ lack of consistency are mathematics, music andlanguages. In each of these areas, there needs to be a mastery of some basicskills that only comes with practise.

5. A GOOD STUDENT IS ABLE TO DEAL WITHFAILURE

Failure is one of the greatest tools in thelearning process. Unfortunately, too many people are simply overwhelmed by thefeeling of failure rather than being able to stand back and look at the lessonsit can teach us. Having the tenacity to stare down failure is an extraordinaryskill. Teach kids to look at failure in an analytical way. What is the size andgravity of the failure? What are its consequences? What can be learnt from theexperience?

6. A GOOD STUDENT SETS GOALS

Goal setting focuses a student’s attentiontowards certain behaviours and information and away from distractions. Researchtells us that incremental goals are far more effective than large goals. If astudent is able to break down a big goal, like solving a big problem,innovating or achieving a higher grade, into small bite-sized pieces they aremore likely to be successful. If they can incorporate the feedback they receiveon each occasion, the small wins eventually lead to big achievements.

7. A GOOD STUDENT IS ABLE TO CONNECTLEARNING TO LIFE

A successful student is able to see theirstudies in the context of the wider world. If a child has read, observed anddiscussed the world, issues and ideas on a regular basis, they will be able toplace their learning in context. Without context, it is easy to understand whya child would think, “What’s the point?” It is up to parents to ensure children are exposed to a multitudeof ideas and rich resources and experiences. It is up to teachers to ensurethat what happens in the classroom is linked to what exists in the wider world.That sense of relevance is vital for developing in kids a love of learning. Itgives school relevance beyond just doing well in testing.

8. A GOOD STUDENT KNOWS HOW TO LOOK AFTERTHEIR MENTAL HEALTH

One of the greatest obstacles to a child’s academic success can be their mentalhealth. Anxiety, in particular, is a growing concern in Australian schools. Alarge-scale 2018 study, conducted by the Australian Council for EducationalResearch (ACER) found that “nearly half of Australian students reported feeling “very stressed”, up from 28% in 2003 when the studybegan. Students who reported feeling confident while doing difficult schoolworkfell from 76% to 59%.” It is very difficult to learn when in a state of stress. If a childhasn’t been taught the emotional regulation skills required to createcalm and a sense of flow, it is very hard to achieve success.

9. A GOOD STUDENT PARTNERS WITH TEACHERS

A child’s relationship with their teacher is fundamental to their success atschool. Effective students recognise that their teachers are their allies. Theimportance of this relationship was borne out in the ground-breaking researchof Professor John Hattie. We tend to see this relationship as being completelyin the hands of the teacher. That isn’t the case. Effective learners contribute to the creation of thisstrong relationship. They recognise their teachers as valuable resources whomthey need to work with, in partnership. These students are easy to recognise,they participate in class, they stay after class and ask extra questions, andthey make appointments with their teachers to get help if they need it.

10. A GOOD STUDENT VALUES EDUCATION

Finally, if a child is to achieve successin education, they need to value education. In life, we very rarely persist orstrive in an endeavour if we don’t think it is valuable. Studies show that children are more likelyto embrace education and succeed in homes where education is valued, wherethere are books and where parents are engaged in learning.