Diagnostic Tools

The Educational Wheel: X-Ray of the current state of affairs

To start any improvement process, it is essential to know the starting point.

The Educational Wheel (or Wheel of Academic Life) is a fundamental visual tool that allows the student to make a panoramic self-assessment of his situation.

It consists of a pie chart divided into sectors, where each "little cheese" represents a key area of school and personal performance: study environment, motivation, learning techniques, time management, relationships with peers, external support, among others. The student scores his or her satisfaction or current performance in each area from 1 to 10.

The value of this tool does not lie in the score itself, but in the reflection it provokes.

By visualizing the wheel, the student can detect imbalances that went unnoticed.

For example, he may discover that, although he devotes many hours to study (time), his results are low because his physical environment is chaotic or his motivation is null.

This graphic diagnosis allows you to move from a generalized complaint ("everything goes wrong for me") to a specific identification of areas for improvement, facilitating the design of a focused and realistic action plan.

SWOT analysis: redefining weaknesses

In the field of educational coaching, language creates realities. Therefore, the classic tool of SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats and Opportunities) has been adapted and transformed into the SWOT model.

The key modification is the replacement of the term "Weakness" with the term "Area for Improvement".

Although this may seem a minor semantic change, it has a profound psychological impact: "weakness" is perceived as a structural and permanent lack, while "improvement" suggests movement, possibility and future.

The SWOT analysis helps the student to classify his or her reality into internal factors (Strengths and Improvements) and external factors (Opportunities and Threats).

By performing this exercise, the student learns to leverage his strengths to neutralize external threats and work on his areas of improvement.

For example, a student can identify his visual memory as a strength and use it to improve his performance in a theoretically dense subject (area of improvement), thus transforming his study strategy through a strategic and empowering vision.

Summary

The Educational Wheel is a visual tool that allows students to perform a panoramic self-assessment of their academic situation. It helps to detect specific imbalances between motivation and results.

The MAFO analysis redefines weaknesses as "areas of improvement", suggesting the possibility of change and future. This semantic approach reduces the psychological weight of perceived structural shortcomings.

These tools allow moving from a general complaint to a strategic identification of realistic goals. The student learns to leverage internal strengths to neutralize external threats encountered.