I'm worried I'm not Being Realistic !
Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators
Re: I'm worried I'm not Being Realistic !
Turn it into a positive Scarlett. Sit him down and tell him how WELL he did (having worked out beforehand which questions were right/wrong) go on to tell him because he got so many right there are only certain areas in which you now need to concentrate.
Explain to him the paper was a starting point and from there you can tell he's capable of completing the paper in the time allowed. Also, as pointed out, tell him he's not expected to get it right straight away, otherwise there would be no point in him being home-tutored.
Scarlett, all our dc's have these meltdowns, it's the horror of home-tutoring. But we have to be postive about it and point out the good bits otherwise they will lose confidence and not want to try.
He's got a good grounding, forge on with it and don't lose heart (even if you feel you want/need to
).
Explain to him the paper was a starting point and from there you can tell he's capable of completing the paper in the time allowed. Also, as pointed out, tell him he's not expected to get it right straight away, otherwise there would be no point in him being home-tutored.
Scarlett, all our dc's have these meltdowns, it's the horror of home-tutoring. But we have to be postive about it and point out the good bits otherwise they will lose confidence and not want to try.
He's got a good grounding, forge on with it and don't lose heart (even if you feel you want/need to
).
Re: I'm worried I'm not Being Realistic !
Maybe fatbananas has the key there in her bit about "halfway" - but it's even better than that. You are much closer than halfway there. Show him the percentages needed to pass on the Judd website - it's around 50% isn't it? So reassure yourself first that you are almost there- not halfway there.
Then remark the paper for him - cross out all the questions where you think he has not yet covered the material adequately - and work out a new percentage based on that. Then work out from those which questions he just got wrong because of silly slips - in fact get him to do a bit of detective work and spot his own mistakes unless he is still avoiding anything to do with the 11plus, if so work it out for yourself.
Then give him two new percentages - the percentage he got right out of all the questions where he has covered the material / question types, and the even higher percentage he would have got without silly slips.
It sounds like a really useful experiment as it has given you some great information about where you need to target your work and you have got AGES to go. The only problem is your son has taken it as a judgement of his maths ability rather than a "diagnosis" to inform you both what you need to work on next. Also he does not realise what a low score is needed to pass.
I'm convinced that children who think that they have to get close to 100% in practice papers and real thing are more likely to fail as they will get so upset on the day when they realise they can't get all the questions right. Those pass scores really are low Scarlett - you've got 9 months to go and you are almost there. FANTASTIC!!
Then remark the paper for him - cross out all the questions where you think he has not yet covered the material adequately - and work out a new percentage based on that. Then work out from those which questions he just got wrong because of silly slips - in fact get him to do a bit of detective work and spot his own mistakes unless he is still avoiding anything to do with the 11plus, if so work it out for yourself.
Then give him two new percentages - the percentage he got right out of all the questions where he has covered the material / question types, and the even higher percentage he would have got without silly slips.
It sounds like a really useful experiment as it has given you some great information about where you need to target your work and you have got AGES to go. The only problem is your son has taken it as a judgement of his maths ability rather than a "diagnosis" to inform you both what you need to work on next. Also he does not realise what a low score is needed to pass.
I'm convinced that children who think that they have to get close to 100% in practice papers and real thing are more likely to fail as they will get so upset on the day when they realise they can't get all the questions right. Those pass scores really are low Scarlett - you've got 9 months to go and you are almost there. FANTASTIC!!
-
Looking for help
- Posts: 3767
- Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:12 am
- Location: Berkshire
Re: I'm worried I'm not Being Realistic !
I think everyone has given you really good advice - I'm not sure when the test is, but this has given you lots to go on in terms of what he knows and what he needs to go over. Great idea (one I used to do myself) is the one about making a new percentage based on the number of questions he actually knew how to do, another one I did myself alot was 'if you hadn't rushed in and made silly mistakes, this is the percentage you would have got. See how clever you are when you take your time.
Also perhaps timing him made him rush and that's why he made silly mistakes, so maybe he needs some techniques to help him not panic and rush, sometimes it is far better not to finish but get everything right. We've all heard the one about the child who still had 10 to do ( I had one of those myself) and them still passing. You've still got plenty time, and I'm sure everything will be fine in the end.
Also perhaps timing him made him rush and that's why he made silly mistakes, so maybe he needs some techniques to help him not panic and rush, sometimes it is far better not to finish but get everything right. We've all heard the one about the child who still had 10 to do ( I had one of those myself) and them still passing. You've still got plenty time, and I'm sure everything will be fine in the end.
Re: I'm worried I'm not Being Realistic !
Thanks Snowdrops and Mystery ! I think I must be a very negative person on the verge of a nervous breakdown 
Good advice. I have tried telling DS he's doing well but he either cuts me off half way saying " I know, I know " in a huffy voice or wells up. I do think whether it's too much , but I also think if handled the right way he will rise to the challenge. His TA at school told me the pressure will be too much...but I'm his mother and I feel I know him inside out..I just need to tread carefully I think.
Good idea Mystery...I shall add up the percentages again. I did go through the paper and it was the same old things he didn't do well on...dividing decimals , factors , fractions, algebra and then the word problems which he didn't read properly...so perhaps the stuff that many children find hard.
Your comment about needing a low pass mark brings to mind a conversation I had recently with my best friend whose son is also taking the Kent Test the same time as mine ( more pressure ! ) and I commented about the pass mark being low..and she asked if that was the case why do so many children fail ? I didn't have an answer ?? ( She does lurk on here...helloooo..you might get your answer now )
Thanks also LFH ( glad you're still speaking to me ) .I think he is panicking...he asks each time if any work is timed but at least if nothing else he knows that he can finish the paper in the time allowed .
Good advice. I have tried telling DS he's doing well but he either cuts me off half way saying " I know, I know " in a huffy voice or wells up. I do think whether it's too much , but I also think if handled the right way he will rise to the challenge. His TA at school told me the pressure will be too much...but I'm his mother and I feel I know him inside out..I just need to tread carefully I think.
Good idea Mystery...I shall add up the percentages again. I did go through the paper and it was the same old things he didn't do well on...dividing decimals , factors , fractions, algebra and then the word problems which he didn't read properly...so perhaps the stuff that many children find hard.
Your comment about needing a low pass mark brings to mind a conversation I had recently with my best friend whose son is also taking the Kent Test the same time as mine ( more pressure ! ) and I commented about the pass mark being low..and she asked if that was the case why do so many children fail ? I didn't have an answer ?? ( She does lurk on here...helloooo..you might get your answer now
)Thanks also LFH ( glad you're still speaking to me
) .I think he is panicking...he asks each time if any work is timed but at least if nothing else he knows that he can finish the paper in the time allowed .Re: I'm worried I'm not Being Realistic !
Ah well the answer is that so many fail because the pass mark is set each year so that only 25% pass it!!
It really does sound like he is doing really well if he got that so early on in one of those nasty practice papers.
It really does sound like he is doing really well if he got that so early on in one of those nasty practice papers.
Re: I'm worried I'm not Being Realistic !
.............but is he in that top 25 % , Mystery ? 
Re: I'm worried I'm not Being Realistic !
Hi Scarlett
Don't panic, your DS has done really well at this stage.
Last year, my DD didn't do any papers until the Easter holidays, and even then it was the easier IPS type papers. The GL Assessment papers are most like the exam so we left those until the Summer holidays. I didn't time her until June/July time. She did really well and passed with 420. I found it was more useful to cover the question types and topics at this stage and not worry about papers yet.
You still have 9 months to go, that's a long time in 11+ prep terms, so please don't worry about anything, your DS has done incredibly well to do a paper such a long time in advance of the test and it will be a good foundation - definately tell him how well he's done.
x
Don't panic, your DS has done really well at this stage.
Last year, my DD didn't do any papers until the Easter holidays, and even then it was the easier IPS type papers. The GL Assessment papers are most like the exam so we left those until the Summer holidays. I didn't time her until June/July time. She did really well and passed with 420. I found it was more useful to cover the question types and topics at this stage and not worry about papers yet.
You still have 9 months to go, that's a long time in 11+ prep terms, so please don't worry about anything, your DS has done incredibly well to do a paper such a long time in advance of the test and it will be a good foundation - definately tell him how well he's done.
x
-
Looking for help
- Posts: 3767
- Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:12 am
- Location: Berkshire
Re: I'm worried I'm not Being Realistic !
- eh ? What have you said about me that I've missedscarlett wrote: Thanks also LFH ( glad you're still speaking to me
? Something to do with pelvic floors, I'd imagine 
Re: I'm worried I'm not Being Realistic !
.
Last edited by Belinda on Thu Nov 01, 2012 3:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-
faitaccompli
- Posts: 357
- Joined: Mon Dec 05, 2011 6:44 pm
Re: I'm worried I'm not Being Realistic !
My son has come up with the idea of bartering test results with time on the Wii - so each 1% over 50 is equivalent to a minute on the Wii. He can either "spend" them there and then, or save them up to have a longer go. I am sure that this is totally the wrong thing to do, but it was something he came up with himself, and it gives him a major incentive to get as much right as he can!
