Hitting my head on a brick wall
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 10:04 am
What do you all you clever and helpful people suggest?
My year 1 DD is highly able but not in the top group for maths (they group very early and rigidly at our school). For half a school year I have been trying to find out what the "gap" is so I can close it. I don't particularly care what group she is in, but I don't want gaps developing for nothing through differentiated work.
I never find that she struggles with anything I explain to her at home, but her maths file at school always looks like she doesn't get through much at school - but of course I don't know what other children's files look like. Also the teacher describes her as "slow to grasp new concepts" (I don't find that and neither did a private Ed Psy I used).
I still have not established what the gap is between her group and the one above. The teacher did agree about a term ago to give us the top group homework - this worked for a while - and there was never anything it it that my daughter struggled with, or if there was something she couldn't do I quickly taught her because I think she just wasn't doing it in the group she is in. So we never had any problem with that homework. More recently though we haven't been getting the same homework as the top group.
When I ask about it the teacher says it's because she decides on the basis of the children's answers to questions in the "whole class teaching session on the carpet" which homework to give them.
I guess this must mean it also affects which material you are given in lessons too. I just can't get to the bottom of any of it and it is really frustrating now. I've asked to see the head (without saying what it is about) but I've just had the same answer 3 days in a row now - the head has been passed a note saying I would like to see her.
It's quite possible my DD is completely different at home from at school, but without anyone discussing with me what these differences are so we can work on it, and providing me with some meaningful info on what the gap is between her and the group above, I really don't see how we can constructively work a way forward together. I've tried for two terms now to have a useful and friendly dialogue but still not got anywhere.
My year 1 DD is highly able but not in the top group for maths (they group very early and rigidly at our school). For half a school year I have been trying to find out what the "gap" is so I can close it. I don't particularly care what group she is in, but I don't want gaps developing for nothing through differentiated work.
I never find that she struggles with anything I explain to her at home, but her maths file at school always looks like she doesn't get through much at school - but of course I don't know what other children's files look like. Also the teacher describes her as "slow to grasp new concepts" (I don't find that and neither did a private Ed Psy I used).
I still have not established what the gap is between her group and the one above. The teacher did agree about a term ago to give us the top group homework - this worked for a while - and there was never anything it it that my daughter struggled with, or if there was something she couldn't do I quickly taught her because I think she just wasn't doing it in the group she is in. So we never had any problem with that homework. More recently though we haven't been getting the same homework as the top group.
When I ask about it the teacher says it's because she decides on the basis of the children's answers to questions in the "whole class teaching session on the carpet" which homework to give them.
I guess this must mean it also affects which material you are given in lessons too. I just can't get to the bottom of any of it and it is really frustrating now. I've asked to see the head (without saying what it is about) but I've just had the same answer 3 days in a row now - the head has been passed a note saying I would like to see her.
It's quite possible my DD is completely different at home from at school, but without anyone discussing with me what these differences are so we can work on it, and providing me with some meaningful info on what the gap is between her and the group above, I really don't see how we can constructively work a way forward together. I've tried for two terms now to have a useful and friendly dialogue but still not got anywhere.