Question on home tutoring
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Road Runner
- Posts: 410
- Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:32 pm
Mel x
Hi guys
Not sure if this is where we should ask questions so please feel free to move if it isn't.
I too am going to teach my daughter and will start in January. However I was thinking of giving my daughter a test to do raw, as it were(no practise) to get an idea of what she will already understand. Do you think I would be best going with an NFER test and should I do this now or wait until January?
Mel
Not sure if this is where we should ask questions so please feel free to move if it isn't.
I too am going to teach my daughter and will start in January. However I was thinking of giving my daughter a test to do raw, as it were(no practise) to get an idea of what she will already understand. Do you think I would be best going with an NFER test and should I do this now or wait until January?
Mel
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Sally-Anne
- Posts: 9235
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
- Location: Buckinghamshire
Hi Mel X
I have moved your post, as suggested, as I think it would be best to keep the Sticky for general advice, rather than specific questions.
There are not very many NFER papers out there for you to practise with, and so I wouldn't waste one on a "blind" practise test".
If you have the IPS papers, use one of those instead. They are a more user-friendly layout and they are only 30 minutes long, so much less daunting. There are also enough of them in the series that you can use them intermittently during the year to plot her progress if you wish, and the question "types" are labelled, so you can which types are most (or least) problematic. Each IPS paper will feature only some of the question types, but the same goes for an NFER paper, so that makes no difference.
I don't suggest that you do the first test "timed" as such, but do make a note of which question she has reached by the 30 minute deadline, then allow her to complete the paper as far as she can. You can then calculate her likely score within the 50 minutes allowed for the real test and also her likely score untimed.
Patricia may be able to suggest other types of papers that could be used for such a "benchmarking" process ...
Sally-Anne
I have moved your post, as suggested, as I think it would be best to keep the Sticky for general advice, rather than specific questions.
There are not very many NFER papers out there for you to practise with, and so I wouldn't waste one on a "blind" practise test".
If you have the IPS papers, use one of those instead. They are a more user-friendly layout and they are only 30 minutes long, so much less daunting. There are also enough of them in the series that you can use them intermittently during the year to plot her progress if you wish, and the question "types" are labelled, so you can which types are most (or least) problematic. Each IPS paper will feature only some of the question types, but the same goes for an NFER paper, so that makes no difference.
I don't suggest that you do the first test "timed" as such, but do make a note of which question she has reached by the 30 minute deadline, then allow her to complete the paper as far as she can. You can then calculate her likely score within the 50 minutes allowed for the real test and also her likely score untimed.
Patricia may be able to suggest other types of papers that could be used for such a "benchmarking" process ...
Sally-Anne
Dear Mel
I think its probably personal choice, if you have a child that would be devasted on trying a test blindly and scoring badly then no it would be the wrong approach.
If you teach her what is going to come up in the test before hand, say the day before, then at least she will have an inkling of what to do with less frustration.
I also believe in timing EVERY test. If the test is 50 minutes give the child 50 mins, if not completed rule off and ask them to carry on, timing how long it takes to finish off. If you keep a separate piece of paper, just for recording tests, showing score/percentage/time taken, eventually you will see an improvement in scores and timing.
Patricia
Ps, You have a PM
I think its probably personal choice, if you have a child that would be devasted on trying a test blindly and scoring badly then no it would be the wrong approach.
If you teach her what is going to come up in the test before hand, say the day before, then at least she will have an inkling of what to do with less frustration.
I also believe in timing EVERY test. If the test is 50 minutes give the child 50 mins, if not completed rule off and ask them to carry on, timing how long it takes to finish off. If you keep a separate piece of paper, just for recording tests, showing score/percentage/time taken, eventually you will see an improvement in scores and timing.
Patricia
Ps, You have a PM
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Melx
Thank you Sally-Anne and Patricia
I got your PM Patricia. I have now got all the books I need and will start in the new year.
As suggested by both of you I will do a 'raw' test but will atleast take nmy dd through some of the types of questions before hand.
I will keep checking in here so forgive me now for all the advice I will be seeking
Mel
I got your PM Patricia. I have now got all the books I need and will start in the new year.
As suggested by both of you I will do a 'raw' test but will atleast take nmy dd through some of the types of questions before hand.
I will keep checking in here so forgive me now for all the advice I will be seeking
Mel