A student’s availability to learn depends largely on their motivation. Our personal desire to achieve results and improve our knowledge, regardless of the material being studied, is one of the most important factors in our ability to learn. A child cannot learn if he/she is anxious or stressed and let’s face it, we are all on this ‘coronacoaster’ and we have no idea when it’s going to stop. There are ups and down and scary curves in the track but we are literally hanging on for dear life and so are our children.

If we look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, many of our children are nowhere near the apex of the triangle, so how do we expect them to be in a “learning frame of mind”?

A lack of motivation is a major barrier to a student’s learning and without the desire to achieve; students often end up doing the bare minimum amount of work in the classroom, enough to just get by but not enough to really enhance their learning.

A lack of motivation to study typically results in students just merely going through the motions of learning and not retaining any valuable information.

We might have a situation where the child is receiving work from the teachers to do at home, but often, there’s no real motivation to login and access the work, especially if there are no assessments imminent. Kids only really do something if it counts for marks, not so?

A child’s ability to interact socially with their peers has a significant impact on how they progress in the classroom. The very act of learning in a classroom environment involves interacting with other students, talking through problems and finding solutions. Now, with schools being closed, that social interaction is either not there at all or just barely there via online chats or messages.

Discussing lessons with other students helps pupils to realise their own strengths and weaknesses and enables them to improve their knowledge gaps, learning directly from their classmates. On the other side of the coin, students who have poor social skills often fall behind in their learning as they aren’t able to communicate as effectively as others.

The culture in which a child grows up can also have a bearing on their ability to learn. Looking at Maslow’s table, ‘belonging’ is one of the most essential learning needs. The relationships that we form with our parents, friends and teachers all feed into our ability to learn.

As humans, we are hugely influenced by the people around us. If there isn’t a real culture of learning and achievement in the family, that extrinsic motivation just isn’t there.

The encouragement that we receive from our teachers, parents and friends plays an important role in our emotional learning. If a student adopts a mindset of ‘always trying their best’ and learning from past failures, they’ll generally have a positive outlook on their ability to learn. On the other hand, if a student’s internal voice is always telling them that they’re not good enough or that there’s no point in even trying, they’re more likely to underachieve in school.

A student’s emotional well-being majorly impacts their ability to do well. Generally speaking, negative emotions can be reduced by setting expectations, focusing on the positives and setting goals for the future. This is such an important issue to be focussing on during this time of uncertainty and restricted movement.

If your child is really struggling with anxiety and worry about their future or their health and that of their family, it might be necessary to seek professional help in dealing with things at the moment.

On an individual level, students often have personal issues that affect their learning. For example, students with diagnosed learning difficulties like Autism Spectrum Disorder or ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) will find certain elements of learning more challenging than others. Similarly, students with learning impairments like dyslexia may find that their personal barriers hinder their progress at times.

On a practical level, factors such as transport, location, language and access to resources can all present blocks to learning for some students. For example, school pupils who don’t speak English as their first language may find following instructions more difficult than English home language speakers. Or students who live in remote areas may find that a lack of access to resources like the internet plays a big part in their ability to learn.

Having an awareness of some of these learning roadblocks can help teachers, career advisors and parents understand the individual needs of our students or children.