2010 sitters for 2011 admissions

Eleven Plus (11+) in Kent

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tinkerbell30
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Apr 07, 2010 6:13 pm
Location: Greenhithe, Kent

2010 sitters for 2011 admissions

Post by tinkerbell30 »

Dear All,
First post :?
I have been coaching DS heavily for 2010 11plus test and will commence tutoring this weekend. 2hours a week one to one. (seems too much, is it? the tutor told me this???) He is very bright, in the top set at school, G&T group for maths and teacher feels confident. However, I am nervous and want to help give him the best chance possible. Esp as our first choice is out of area. He enjoys the learning and wants to do it although we have been careful discussing it in the playground.

Basically I am looking for advice on how to approach this without burning him out. Is 2 hours too much? Its so expensive and time consuming, I want him to enjoy chilling out too. :? Am I talking round in circles yet? sorry, nerves
SSM
Posts: 646
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:09 pm

Post by SSM »

Sorry, didn't quite understand. Did the tutor tell you 2hours is too much or did the tutor recommend 2 hours?

I think it also depends what else he is doing. If he is not getting any homework from school and so only doing the 2 hours a week then I wouldn't say it's too much.
medwaymum
Posts: 827
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2007 6:45 pm
Location: Medway & Kent

Post by medwaymum »

Just a caution, I know plenty of children who have been deemed G&T in math/english who haven't passed the Kent test (can't have done practice papers I assume). Definitely keep up the practice. Personally I would say 2 seperate sessions of 1 hour would be better than a 2hr stretch in one go....even us adults struggle to concentrate for that long 100%!

Good luck :)
tinkerbell30
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Apr 07, 2010 6:13 pm
Location: Greenhithe, Kent

Post by tinkerbell30 »

Thank yoiu for your thoughts.
Tutor said 2 hours a week and in one sitting. I have decided to give that a shot and will review it in a month.
Nervous and excited. How is everyone else feeling about it and what prep are you doing?
Good luck to everyone, parents and kiddiwinks alike!
doodles
Posts: 8300
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:19 pm

Post by doodles »

Think 2 hours one to one is a big ask - I would be hard pushed to concentrate for that long. DS only did 1 1/2 hours in a group in the summer hol before Sept. Otherwise it was one to one for an hour per week.
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad !
sherry_d
Posts: 2083
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2009 4:38 pm
Location: Maidstone

Post by sherry_d »

Tinkerbell is the 2 hours in addition to the tutor? If so how long does he see the tutor weekly?

I am DIYing myself and I would also say 2 hours in one go really seem like a stretch, its OK on odd occasions but I would say its better to break it down into 2 sessions. For subjects like NVR 2 hours in one go will definately be an overkill as is its easy for kids to make mistakes when the mind is tired. If you can only do this time, how about maybe breaking for 30mins in between and just let your DC just do what he loves the most to do and come back to it afterwards. Closer to the exam they need to get used to doing 2 papers in a day so maybe nearer that time, stretching them a bit would be ideal.
Impossible is Nothing.
tiredmum
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2009 2:51 am

Post by tiredmum »

doodles wrote:Think 2 hours one to one is a big ask - I would be hard pushed to concentrate for that long. DS only did 1 1/2 hours in a group in the summer hol before Sept. Otherwise it was one to one for an hour per week.
I agree here, i think you will get more for your money if you have 2 separate sessions. Your dc will learn more this way im sure :)
long and winding road
Posts: 168
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 7:36 pm

Post by long and winding road »

I would agree that 2 hours in one go is far too long and would be counter productive. I would not recommend more than one hour at a time. Maybe 2 hours suits the tutor but it won't be what is best for your DC. I don't know any tutors who would advise 2 hours a session - was this tutor recommended to you?!
What is your DC scoring on the papers at present?
Twinkle
Posts: 580
Joined: Tue May 05, 2009 10:26 pm

Post by Twinkle »

I agree with other posters, 2 hours at one go is far too long in one stretch. I would also question whether your DS actually needs more than a hour a week tuition anyhow if he is not struggling at Maths . We did an hour week for about 6 months plus homework ( half a paper a week) and my DS did very well. I was very conscious of burn out as was our tutor.

Btw, I was very nervous too with my first child so you are not alone. It is very difficult to know what the right balance is particularly when you see/hear about children who are doing huge amounts of preparation. However follow your instincts and do what you think is right. Has the tutor you mentioned actually met and assessed your child?
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Post by yoyo123 »

2 hours in one sitting is definitely too much!

As part of my Speech and Language course I discovered that the average child can sustain concentration for about a minute per year of their age.

I'm a tutor (a nd a primry school teacher) and I wouldn;t expect a 10/11 year old to do a 2 hour stretch one to one, they would get very tired (so would I!) unless it was broken up by games etc.
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